Why Winterize Skin?
Winterize skin on both your face and body to help combat the dreaded itchy, scaly skin that is so common at this time of the year. Just as our wardrobe needs to be updated when the season changes, our skin care routine also needs to be tweaked as the temperatures drop.
Many factors that affect the health of our skin are outside of our control:
- Colder temperatures
- Lower humidity and drier air
- Wind
- Indoor heating
Couple these with the lure of hot baths and showers (which can increase dryness) and you’ve got the perfect recipe for irritated, flaky skin. Aside from being uncomfortable, dry, cracked skin is also the ideal entryway for germs and infections. And nobody wants that!
5 Easy Ways to Prepare the Skin for Winter
It’s not as arduous to winterize skin as, say, changing to winter tires. Just small changes to your existing routine will allow you to reap the rewards.
- Consider moving to a heavier moisturizer. Lotions are great for spring and summer, but winter often calls for creams with more hydrating ingredients, such as shea butter, ceramides and hyaluronic acid.
- Apply moisturizer when your skin is still damp. In addition to being absorbed more effectively, this helps to lock in the moisture that’s sitting on skin’s surface
- Treat yourself to a face oil and body oil. Oils don’t add moisture to skin, but they do help to soften skin, seal in moisture and prevent evaporation.
- Make a new friend called urea. Not all moisturizers are created equally! Hardworking hands and feet require special care, and urea is, in our opinion, an essential part of the equation. We’ve long been convinced of the magic of urea, from its ability to attract moisture to its natural exfoliating properties. There’s nothing quite as effective on dry, cracked heels!
- Exfoliate. This is the one step that most people skip. It may seem counterintuitive to remove layers when we naturally want to add layers in the winter, but gentle exfoliation may be the missing link to great skin. Exfoliation removes the dull, dead skin cells on the surface and eliminates the barrier that may impede the absorption of subsequent skin care treatments.
Winterize Skin With This Arsenal
Year-round products that are absolutely indispensable include sunscreen, vitamin C and a trusted retinol product, like Apothekari A is for Anti-Aging.
When winter arrives, consider adding these products to get you through to spring:
- Apothekari Lemon Rose Moisturizing Body Oil: The newest addition to the Apothekari family, this beautiful and ultra-moisturizing combination of rich precious oils will instantly transform dry skin. Try it in our new Hydrating Skin Set, which also includes our Antioxidant Face Oil.
- Apothekari Smooth Skin Body Set: Containing customer favorites Shea Body Butter and Bamboo Lemongrass Foaming Body Polish, this set gives dry skin the one-two punch.
- Flexitol Heel Magic: There really is something magical about the combination of urea, shea butter and olive oil in this heel treatment. Did we mention that it comes in an easy-to-apply stick form?
- Ureaka Healing Hand Cream: Hands don’t get enough love, frankly. And with this therapeutic and easily absorbed cream, your hands will thank you.
