11 Tips for Your Hair and Skin to Survive Through the Winter

December is just a few days away and the holiday season is at its peak. Which means you will be stepping out and travelling around the city a lot, meeting friends and family, shopping, finishing off pending tasks, etc. And during all this, your lovely tresses and skin will be exposed to the harsh winter outside, and they can wreak some serious havoc on them. You will experience dry patchy skin, flaky scalps, brittle hair and cracked skin and cuticles if you avoid taking essential care of them. But we are here to help you out! Follow the below tips to ensure your skin and hair remain healthy during the cold, wintry months.

We know, there is no better feeling in the world than taking a long, hot shower on a wintry morning before starting your day. But such hot showers on a daily basis can do more harm than any good. Hot water strips your skin and scalp of their essential oils, leaving them parched for moisture. We suggest that you take a quick cool or a lukewarm shower instead. This way, the pores of your skin opens up, which then helps moisturising your skin well afterwards and keeps it stay soft longer.

The surface of the skin on your lips is very thin and sensitive. They are more prone to damage when the winter begins. You might have noticed that you start feeling a sharp pain around the ends of your lip when you move your mouth when there is a nip in the air. This happens because your lips and the skin around it are the first ones to lose moisture. Keep a lip balm in handy, anywhere and everywhere you go. Avoid lipsticks if possible. Our suggestion, use the Dior Addict Lip Glow Color Awakening Lipbalm instead.

• Dior Addict Lip Glow Color Awakening Lipbalm

We find skincare solutions for all parts of our body, but the one that we end up avoiding all the time is our hands. Just like our lips, the skin on our hands, especially around our fingers are very vulnerable to cracks and chalking. You need to pick a good hand cream to protect your hands and nails from dry, patchy skin and cracked cuticles. Apply them at least twice a day. Keep them moisturized using the The Body Shop Almond Hand And Nail Cream.

• The Body Shop Almond Hand And Nail Cream

Winters are the time when you have to go that extra mile to ensure your skin doesn’t end up damaged. Soaps might be good cleaners, but strip your skin of moisture and leave it dry and flaky after every shower. One might not realise it immediately, but over time, you’ll start noticing that your hands get chalky and dry very quickly, despite multiple moisturiser top-ups during the day. Instead of soap bars, pick body gels and face washes with moisturizing elements, to go with your showers. We suggest the Calvin Klein Eternity Luxurious Shower Gel Women and Clinique Liquid Facial Soap Mild Dry Combination for daily use.

• Calvin Klein Eternity Luxurious Shower Gel Women
• Clinique Liquid Facial Soap Mild Dry Combination

While scrubs and exfoliators do help in getting rid of dead skin cells and the various impurities from our face. They scrub away the natural moisture and oil from the face, which could lead to your facial skin getting dried faster when you step out. We would suggest you use mild face washes that have olive oil and honey extracts, as they not only cleanse your skin but hydrates them too.

One of the best care you can give your hair during the winter months is to oil the scalp and tresses regularly. They form a thin protective film around your strands and helps protect them from dryness during the cold. The oil seeps into your scalp and keeps it hydrated, and combats flakiness. Using coconut or olive oil on the scalp can work wonders as they not only protect but aid in making your hair stronger and shiny too.

Make it a habit during winters to deep condition your hair at least once a week. Using a conditioning hair mask with hydrating natural elements can help replenish the hair and scalp of the moisture it had lost with exposure to the weather outside. You can also use a daily conditioner that you can apply on your hair before taking a shower. One of our favourites is the Pureology Hydrate Conditioner.

• Pureology Hydrate Conditioner

While you might turn heads and attract eyeballs with your shiny black straight tresses or gorgeous curls and locks, but the hair appliances used to style your hair causes damage to your hair in the longer run. Curlers and Straighteners use heat treatment to style the hair, and regularly using them causes your hair to lose all its moisture, making it brittle and lifeless.

Damp hair is more prone to damage during the winter months. If you do not dry your hair properly and step out with additional moisture in the tresses, there are chances that you’ll end up having split ends. And instead of using a blow dryer to dry your hair quickly, use a fuzzy, dry towel to dry them. And then let the remaining moisture to dry off naturally.

One of the best ways to protect your hair and skin from the harsh cold is to cover it up. Yes, apart from following the above tips, wearing a cap, full-sleeved tops, socks and gloves every day do their bit of saving the skin and hair from the dry weather. Woollen fabric may cause frizz and mess up your hair, hence we would suggest you tie a silky scarf before putting on your cap.

Oh yes, and this is very important… Stay hydratedall day fam! You must drink water on regular intervals during the day, as it helps maintain the glow on your skin and hair. This is the easiest way to ensure your skin and hair have their moisture balance maintained.