Combat Winter Woes

By Katie Woods
January 2, 2019

I’ve been on the East Coast for a little over a week and my skin has responded quickly to the cold dry environment. My skin is dehydrated, dull, flakey and inflamed. This is a healthy reminder that I must practice what I preach and tweak my regimen and lifestyle to support my skin in acclimating to its new environment. Below are some tips to combat these pesky winter skin woes.

Eat Healthy Fats. 

Nuts, Fish, avocados and oils all nourish your skin from the inside. Food provides essential vitamins, minerals  and nutrients which skin cells need to regenerate and glow. A healthy balanced diet is the best way to incorporate necessary nutrients to the body but if you need a quick fix then try taking cod liver oil supplements daily to assist in moisturizing from the inside out.

Invest in a humidifier. 

Keeping that furnace or wood stove cranking may keep the home cozy but it's not doing any favors for your skin. Heat quickly zaps the humidity out of the air and that dry air, in turn, pulls moisture out of the skin. A humidifier will improve the levels of humidity at home, thus improving dry skin conditions. 

Drink water. 

I sound like a broken record but you can’t expect healthy dewy skin when your body isn't well hydrated. Drink the damn water. 

Foam free is the way to be!

Avoid foaming/stripping cleansers. Instead reach for cleansing cream, milk, and/or oil based cleansers. These formulations will better support the skins micro-biome, and won't over strip the skins natural oils. 

Exfoliate. Gently.

Gently assisting the skins cell renewal will enable your skincare products to work more efficiently. But don't over exfoliate as this mistake will cause further inflammation and dryness - I recommend a gentle enzyme.

Hydro-philic + Lipo-philic

Skin needs to be hydrated and moisturized, meaning nutrients should be delivered from water based products and followed up by oil based products to seal the deal! 

Skin Balm.

Skin balms are generally waterless, rich and nutrient dense. I love using balms over my toner and oil based serum to add a layer of what I like to call a “shield” of protection from the elements. Balm are amazing at sealing in moisture and especially effective during the winter. 

Lymphatic Movement.

Learn simple homecare techniques to gently stimulate lymphatic movement and function thus delivering more nutrients to the cells. 

What do you do to combat dry winter skin?