Tips for Preventing Dry Skin this Winter

Dry skin is unable to protect itself from the environment and is less able to generate new cells and repair itself. This is why people with dry skin are prone to premature ageing skin.

Additionally, the winter is the season when there isn't enough moisture in the environment, both inside due to heated homes or outside due to bone chilling winter weather. So even though you normally don't have dry skin, you can experience it in the winter months.

Increased moisture in your skin will not only protect it against the environment but also ward off fine lines and wrinkles. Here are a few tips on how to do this.

• Try creamy cleansers, serums, and daily moisturisers. Always use a high broad spectrum UVA/UVB protection every day. Skinceutical Ultra 50& Skin brightening SPF 30 are particularly good and easy to use.There is also some excellent mineral based options within the range.
• Avoid using retinol for a while as it can make the skin dryer.
• Hydrate from within: As always, drink plenty of water. Hot water is particularly good at this time of year. Fish oil, evening primrose oil, and flaxseed oil can each help combat dryness.
• Eat avocados. Another great tip for curing winter skin is throwing half an avocado into your morning smoothie. The extra fats in avocado will make your skin soft and smooth from the inside out!
• The right moisturiser can make a world of difference in how your skin looks and feels. You don't need a greasy, heavy cream but something that is properly crafted and that packs a powerful punch of moisture. Products that are brimming with natural oils and essential fatty acids are great. These products not only create a barrier that prevents water from evaporating but also protect your skin against the environment.
• As you age, your skin is less capable of retaining moisture because its production of collagen slows down -this is what keeps your skin bouncy and firm. Less collagen results in loss of elastin and hyaluronic acid, and these help your skin to ward off damage and retain moisture, respectively. I like hydrating serums as by definition; the particles of a serum are small enough to penetrate past the outer layer of the skin. This makes it easy for them to heal the skin from within and get the cells back in communication.
• Exfoliating your face and body once or twice a week will help you get rid of the top dead layer of skin. This allows moisturisers and serums to penetrate better and helps your foundation glide on smoothly instead of sitting on top, flaking. Try skinceuticals retexturising serum 3 nights per week. Be careful not to over exfoliate your skin.
• Skincare is not the only key to perfect skin; it is a variety of different elements coming together for healthy, dewy, glowing skin. Diet is of course absolutely vital for any treatment or product to have better results. Raw and steamed vegetables and fresh fruits retain their water content plus are packed with vitamins and nutrients.
• To prevent irritation, stay away from artificially fragrant products and hot showers.

Feed your skin with the perfect balance of topical nutrients

Skinceuticals C & E Ferulic -The skinceutical daily serums are the perfect blend of high-potency antioxidants, vitamins and skin-brightening elements which acts-fast to revitalise your skin's appearance giving you remarkably radiant skin.

Hydrating B5 Gel - This luxuriant serum is lightweight, moisturising effortlessly with hyaluronic acid, leaving your skin refreshed and naturally glowing. Hyaluronic acid holds moisture, aiding in tissue repair, holding together the skin structural components collagen and elastin.

Moisturise your facial skin with oils

Not all oils are created equal. Some can clog your pores or are made from a petroleum source. The best oils I know will nourish your skin as well as help form a protective barrier against the elements. Oils from botanical sources such as avocado, argan, neroli can be great for your skin.The skin is largely composed of water and doing your best to retain it will give you healthy skin. Try Eminence Tomato seed oil/Yarrow or Calendula oil.

Dry lips

Camphor, a common lip balm ingredient can actually dry out lips, doing more harm than good. This counter-irritant makes you feel "addicted," tricking you into thinking you always need to apply more, when really it is hurting rather than helping your dry lip situation! To truly get rid of chapped lips for good, apply a repairing serum or cream, like Eminence Citrus Lip Balm which has shea butter and vitamin-rich sunflower seed oil that work to heal and hydrate dry lips. This citrus balm will effectively repair even the most chapped winter lips."

Refinery 29 also featured Citrus Lip Balm in an article called "The Best Beautifiers for EVERY Budget" saying: "We never thought a lip balm could be life-changing, but that was until our pouts came in contact with this little wonder". They love the fact that it's "petroleum-free and made with organic shea butter and sunflower-seed oil" and "it soothes flaky, cracked lips on contact, adding a sexy sheen and subtle plumping effect in the process".

Parsley is good for you!

Eat more parsley - its flavonoids, especially luteolin,( luteolin has anti-inflammatory properties) have been shown to function as antioxidants that combine with highly reactive oxygen-containing molecules and help prevent oxygen-based damage to cells. Parsley has anti-inflammatory properties, is highly alkaline, and contains vitamin C and iron, important for the oxygenation of every tissue in your body.