Keeping your skin moist during dry winter

By Kim Bo-eun

Winter is perhaps the worst season for your skin. Not only the cold, dry weather but also indoor heating systems leave the skin vulnerable to moisture loss. However, adhering to some basic tips will help rehydrate and revitalize your skin, giving it a healthy glow even during the dreariest time of the year.

Keep indoor heating moderate

Cold weather is not the best climatic condition for retaining skin moisture. Exposure to dry, icy winds can significantly decrease the moisture content of your skin.

However, an excessively warm indoor environment does not help either. Your skin temperature is usually around 31 degrees Celsius — around 4 to 5 degrees lower than your body temperature. But when your skin is exposed to indoor heating, its temperature hovers above 40 degrees Celsius, causing a loss in moisture. The indoor heating systems at most office buildings, which let out hot wind, make things worse.

It is important that you try to maintain a moderate temperature range for your skin. This means keeping indoor heating at reasonable levels. Keep the indoor temperature around 20 degrees Celsius, and the humidity at 50 percent. Remember, wearing an additional layer of clothes is better than raising the indoor temperature through heating.

Protect yourself from extreme dryness. Rearrange seating, if necessary, to keep hot air from the heater hitting you directly in the face. In addition, open the windows every now and then to let in fresh air, and keep a humidifier to prevent the office from becoming too dry.

Use a humidifier

Humidifiers made headlines when it was found that they can act as germ disseminators. However, when cleaned and maintained properly, they can help raise humidity levels. There are also a number of other tips to keep in mind, to utilize them most effectively.

Having a humidifier is useless if you keep it at a distance from you, because the vapor will evaporate before it reaches you. So keep one nearby. Having plants in your home or office will also help. This is because plants raise oxygen and humidity levels.

But when using a humidifier, remember to clean and fill the water tank with clean water at least once in two days.

Apply moisturizing products

Using a facial mist spray is one way to rehydrate your skin. However, if you simply spray the mist and leave it, the existing moisture in your skin will evaporate together with the mist. To prevent this from happening, gently tap your face with your fingers so that the mist is absorbed. Remember also to protect your hands and lips by applying cream and balms. Applying a hydrating face mask after a long day at the office will do wonders for revitalizing your skin.

Keep your entire body moisturized by using a good lotion. Opt for a thick lotion with some oil content. The lotion should be applied right after you take a shower, when your skin is still moist. This helps seal in the moisture and protects your skin from dry conditions. Also try not to take steaming hot showers, but warm ones instead because hot showers leave the skin dry and itchy. Limit showering time to about 10 minutes, because longer showers will cause the oily outer layer of the skin to wash away, causing the loss of natural oil in the skin. Apply body lotion at least two to three times during the day, preferably including before you go to bed.

Drink more water

Coffee is a widely consumed beverage, but the caffeine it contains is known as a diuretic, making you head to the bathroom more often. Likewise, alcohol also has diuretic effects. So reduce your coffee and alcohol intake to prevent your body from becoming dehydrated, and drink more water instead. Try to drink eight glasses of water a day not only to keep yourself hydrated but also to enjoy numerous other health benefits. These include boosting energy levels, flushing toxins from your body and promoting weight loss.

In addition, increase the portion of fruit and vegetables with high water content in your diet. It is also good to consume healthy types of oils and fat such as olive oil or nuts. All in all, ensure you have a balanced and nutritious diet.