Fight the Winter Beauty Blues

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Winter will be here soon. The cold weather of winter, in addition to the ongoing stress caused by the world-wide pandemic, means our hair, skin and nails need special care. Dry air and stress make our hair, skin and nails more susceptible to damage. Whether you are working from home or at the office the temperature in the building and outside require a change in beauty needs. Check out these tips to help you look your best for Zoom meetings, in person work events and to just feel great!

Hair

Hair color lightens in the summer sun. An easy way to refresh your color is to use a glaze. A glaze will add shine and depth to your hair color. These products are great for every hair color. For winter a glaze will bring your summer color back to life! Hair glazes are available for home use as well as a salon service. They can be purchased in a salon, on the internet and local drug stores.

The trick to keep your hair healthy in the winter is to keep it moisturized. Dry air makes all hair types prone to breakage. Adding moisture to your hair will keep it healthy throughout the winter months. Use a humidifier in your home to keep the air moist. Also, using an oil leave in conditioner and a weekly deep conditioner will keep your hair in top shape. Get a trim every four to six weeks to prevent the formation of split ends. Limit the use of hot tools on your hair such as hair dryers and curling irons.

Skin

As with hair, the skin on your face and body needs to stay moisturized to survive the hard winter’s cold air. First use a gentle exfoliator to get rid of dead skin cells. This will prep the skin to better absorb your moisturizer. An exfoliator can be manual or a chemical product (a loofa for body and toner for face for example).

For the skin on your body you will want to use a moisture rich body wash or soap. True soaps are alkaline and will further dry out your skin. After your shower or bath use a heavier moisturizer than the one you used during the warm winter month. Use a cream moisturizer, not a lotion. Look for body creams that contain shea or coconut oils. Some body creams also contain mild exfoliants such as lactic acid or urea. Use your body moisturizer after your shower or bath on damp skin.

To keep your feet soft during the cold winter months the most important thing to do is keep them dry. Thick socks and boots may make your feet sweat. Keeping them dry will prevent a fungus or infection from growing on your toes and feet. When moisturizing you should use a thicker product than one you would use on your body. The skin on your feet is thicker than anywhere else on your body and needs the extra help from a thicker moisturizing product. Just like the skin on your body you will want to exfoliate the skin on your feet so that the skin will better absorb the cream.  Foot files, pumice stones and creams containing an exfoliant will all work.

The skin on your face should be treated different than the skin on the rest of your body. The skin on your face is thinner so you should use a gentle face wash and moisturizer. Using gentle products will keep your face from becoming irritated. Also, do not exfoliate with harsh scrubs and or highly concentrated chemical exfoliants. Stick with a lower concentration of the toner or peel you would like to use.

Nails

Nails are vulnerable in all seasons. Its important to pay attention to any changes that may occur on an ongoing basis. The key to nail health is taking care of your cuticles. Do not cut your cuticles. This will give an infection an entry way into your skin. Use a cuticle pusher to move the cuticle back towards the base of your nail and achieve the same look as cutting them.  Keep cuticles moisturized with cuticle oil at least twice a day. Use a hand cream that you can feel sink into your skin and cuticles after washing your hands. This will keep your cuticles from cracking, which in turn will keep your nails strong and healthy. You can use a topical product that strengthens nails and take biotin supplements, too.

Hydrate

The biggest thing to consider when taking care of your skin in any season is to hydrate. Make sure to hydrate inside your body as well as the outside. Drink plenty of water and eat water rich foods. This will keep inflammation in your body down, which will translate to better looking and feeling Hair, skin and nails.