The Dry Winter Blues

I am sure some of you girls share my dilemma. Every winter as soon as the temp goes below 40 and the heaters come on, my skin becomes painfully dry, everywhere! Hands, face, body, and scalp! My hair gets really dry too. Here are some tricks I have learned over the years to soothe my dry skin & hair!

1. Exfoliation is key during the winter months to get rid of the flaky skin and to prep your skin to absorb your moisturizer better. I exfoliate everyday using a micro fiber cloth with my cleanser and I use my Clinique 7 day scrub cream every other day. I also do a micro-dermabrasion/peel treatment once a week and an intense scrub once a week as well (MAC Volcanic Ash Exfoliator).

To exfoliate my body, I scrub with a micro fiber cloth and a moisturizing body wash everyday and once a week I use a scrub. You can use any inexpensive scrub you can find at Wal Mart or make your own with sugar and olive oil.

2. Moisturize! I have to intensify my moisturizers in the winter, switching from lotions to creams. I am a big fan of Cetaphil Cream. Its inexpensive and works great for everyday! Since I use Retin A, I can get a little irritated on some days, so occasionally I will treat my face with either Lancome Nutrix Cream or Welada Skin Food. These are really thick but great for an intense moisturizing treatment.

For my body, I love CeraVe lotion or cream for everyday use. At night I use a body lotion with Alpha Hydroxy in it on my really dry areas. And if I am running late in the morning, after cleansing my body I will rub baby oil all over it and then "rinse" it off. This is a good trick if you don't have alot of time to rub lotion all over in the morning!

3. Hands - My hands are the worst in the winter because I am a little OCD and wash them alot! For general use during the day I like the AVO Juice Skin Quencher lotions by OPI. At night I will do a moisturizing "treatment". When I do this, I wake up with soft silky hands and it usually lasts pretty good throughout the day. First, I use a scrub on my hands to get rid of all the flaky skin. Then I use a lotion with Alpha Hydroxy acid in it. Then I rub a dollup of CeraVe in. Then I cake on Vaseline Clinical Strength lotion, not rubbing it in and I put on moisturizing gloves and hit the sheets! This seems like alot of product, but this moisturizing "cocktail" really does the trick for me!

4. Hair - Usually in the winter, I have to switch to washing my hair every other day and I try to let it air dry when possible. Blow dryers can really dry your scalp out. Once a week, I will use a deep conditioning mask. I like Neutrogena Triple Moisture Deep Recovery Hair mask or Grund Tiger mask. Sometimes I will leave this in overnight. If I do blow dry I always use a heat protectant. I am also loving the new hair "cleansers". You may have seen the infomercial for "Wen by Chaz Dean". This one is pretty expensive, but Sally's makes a great "knock off" called "Hair One". I like the olive oil one, it is specifically for dry scalps. These hair "cleansers" also save time in the morning because they are one step shampoo and conditioner in one.

For lips, see my earlier post on tricks for dry chapped lips.

Hope that helps!

FTC Disclaimer: I was not paid for mentioning any products in this post, nor were any of them provided to me free of charge. All of the mentioned products were purchased by me and these are my honest opinions.