Winter Is Coming – How to prep your skin and hair for English winters

Feel that nip in the air already?

Yes, that’s the sign of the winters settling in. While it might evoke a certain joy for drinking hot chocolate while sitting around crackling fire or about getting to wear cosy and warm jackets, cute beanies and fuzzy mittens and gloves, it also sounds the alarm for your hair and skin, which will have a hard time coping with the harsh English winters.

So our team at Activecare has put together a list of to-dos for you to prep and protect your hair and skin from the biting cold season knock-knock-knocking on all our doors.

WINTER HAIRCARE PREP

Improve the moisture levels of your hair strands

Winters are dry, which means its frizz season for your hair, especially if you have curls. And the best way to keep unwanted frizz away from your hair is with ample moisture deep within each strand. An ideal solution for this situation is not to cut back on your conditioning. Instead, invest in deep moisturising conditioners to be used after every hair wash. They will keep the hair shaft hydrated to maintain the shine of your hair.

Try one of these three deep conditioning treatments this winter:

• Pureology Hydrate Conditioner
• Redken Frizz Dismiss Conditioner
• Alterna Caviar Replenishing Moisture Conditioner

Reduce styling with heat

Hair strands start becoming brittle as the cold intensifies during December and January. And constant heat styling will only add to the damage. While we do not suggest you give up on your curling iron, straightener and blow dryer completely, use them as sparingly as you can. Instead, towel and air-dry your hair after every shower. Further, keep your hair covered while stepping outdoors with a silk scarf or comfortable beanie. Silk is perfect for curls and ensures less frizz!

Steam has proven to be an effective way of prepping your hair for the cold months of winter. They protect your hair from getting brittle soon and further boosts moisture too. Moreover, it opens up the hair follicles, helping with deeper penetration of your hair products for effective results. Regularly steaming your hair and then conditioning or moisturizing keeps the scalp clean, and thus preventing damage to the roots.

While we believe that oiling your hair and scalp regularly is among the best and easiest moisturising and nourishing treatment you could give to your hair, we have handpicked two very effective and nourishing hair masks for you, which will help fight damage from winter:

• Moroccanoil Repair Restorative Hair Mask
• Kerastase Nutritive Mask For Fine Hair

WINTER SKINCARE PREP

Moisturise, moisturise, moisturise!

This is the time when you amp up the moisturisation game for your skin. Winters spell doom for your skin with dryness, cracks, and wrinkles on the sensitive parts of the skin on your face and arms. Invest in a heavy moisturiser that doesn’t get greasy but penetrates the skin’s top layer for intense hydration all day long. Our pick is the Dermalogica Skin Smoothing Cream. Even a little application can keep your skin moisturised and hydrated for up to 48 hours.

• Dermalogica Skin Smoothing Cream

Who doesn’t love a nice, hot shower at the end of the day during winters? But these showers may give you only momentary, and longer duration of pain from the increased dryness and lack of moisture on the skin. Winter makes your skin dry and patchy and when you shower with hot waters regularly, it drains away the natural oils on your dermis, making it drier. Rather shower in lukewarm water and apply a moisturising body lotion before hitting the sack.

Another suggestion we have for you is to reduce the number of times you exfoliate since it would only rip away the moisture from your skin. Instead, use a deep cleanse facewash during this period. Our pick for you would be the Dermalogica Dry Skin Cleansers Double Cleanse Kit.

• Dermalogica Dry Skin Cleansers Double Cleanse Kit

It’s a wrong belief that SPF loaded products are only meant for the summers. Even if you dress up in multiple layers while stepping out, the harmful UV rays of the sun will still damage the exposed regions of your skin, like the face, neck, and hands. We suggest you pick any moisturising lotion or sunscreen with at least SPF 15 for everyday use, as it is an ideal measure for all seasons.

The skin on your lips is the most sensitive and the most exposed region during the winters. Yet it is one of the least cared part. Whether indoors or outdoors, keep your lips hydrated with a good lip balm, like the Dior Addict Lip Glow Color Awakening Lipbalm. It not only gives your lips a natural flush of colour, but keeps the moisture intact for up to 24 hours.

• Dior Addict Lip Glow Color Awakening Lipbalm

Start following these tips right away and start prepping yourself for the notorious English cold, and step out for work and other important activities without any worry about damage to skin and hair.