Tips for Winter Skin Care

It’s been a long winter already and it’s only January!  I woke up one day a few weeks ago (it was another snow day–not that I’m complaining), put my hand to my cheek, and realized that things were feeling pretty rough on my face–like sandpaper, only warmer.

That’s not a surprise in the winter; it’s common knowledge that when the heat is on inside the house, the humidity level drops.  The atmosphere is literally sucking moisture out of our skin!

Because one of the goals I’m working on this year is taking better care of myself, I decided to employ some skin care first aid to combat the dryness issue.  Two weeks later, I’m already seeing great results, so I thought I’d share my plan.

| Photoshop helps, too! 🙂 Photo credit: Katherine Bowman Photography |

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Yep, it’s a no-brainer, but you have to up your water intake to replace what’s getting sucked out of you and into the ether.  A few weeks ago, I shared {this} water bottle that has time markings on it. If you’re the kind of person who suddenly realizes it’s 10pm and you’ve only had 8 oz of H2O, this will keep you on track!

We have quite a collection of water bottles at our house, and I used to faithfully carry my Swell bottle around everywhere I went:

| Gold Swell Bottle |

BUT, once I finally took the plunge and bought a YETI, I have used it nonstop and absolutely love it!  I have a 20 ounce with the lid and I have to remind myself to wash it because I always–always–have it with me, and it’s always full of water. Ice water, because the ice never melts.  The Swell bottle is the same way, but I like drinking out of a cup more for some reason.

| YETI Tumbler with lid, 20 oz, Seafoam |

I also drink a cup of hot water at bedtime every night with a half a lemon squeezed into it and plenty of decaffeinated herbal tea during the day.  I figure the extra water balances out the slight diuretic effect that tea is said to have.

My mug is oversized–18 oz–and that adds up throughout the day.

| Spode Blue Italian 18 oz coffee mug |

Last but not least, we drink tons of unsweetened sparkling water in our house (Lacroix and similar brands), so when my friend Carolyn found me a SodaStream at the thrift shop for $8, I knew we’d get our money’s worth in NO time.

| SodaStream |

We don’t drink much soda at our house–sometimes I’ll buy a case when my son’s having friends over, but that’s about it–so we don’t ever use their soda flavors, but we carbonate the heck out of some water!  We just add a twist of lemon or lime, and that’s it.

I’m also not drinking any alcohol this month because I’m doing a Whole30 to get back into my skinny jeans (more on that soon), and that makes a huge difference in my hydration level as well.

The next step is increasing the humidity in your home’s air.  I use this little cool-mist humidifier in my bedroom and love it:

| Humidifier |

I found it at HomeGoods for just $24.99 (steal!!).  Their version that humidifies a larger space is {here}, but I like this one because it’s small enough to be portable if you want to take your humidifier with you when you travel.

When I run a humidifier in my bedroom during the winter, I’m less like to wake up with a headache or a nosebleed, or with a dry mouth.  Obviously, my skin is less dry, too.

I’ve had a Clarisonic for over a year now, and for some reason I stopped using it last spring.  When I had the skin wake-up call earlier this month, I realized that my face was really rough, so I pulled out my Clarisonic and fired it up.  Within two evenings, I was back to “smooth as a baby’s bottom” skin and I won’t fall off the wagon again!

| Clarisonic Mia 2 (or current version) |

The Clarisonic is price-fixed and if you find a low price online, beware of counterfeits.  ULTA offers free shipping {here}.  I usually use the delicate, sensitive, or cashmere hydrating brushes. Also, you can easily share with others in your household if everyone has their own brush.  I do think the Clarisonic is worth the money; read some of the online reviews and make up your own mind, though.

A gentle cream exfoliator can work if the Clarisonic is out of your budget–this one by BeautyCounter is a favorite of mine.

OK, the best deep moisturizer that I’ve ever used, hands-down, is this:

| Cleansing Balm |

I use it with my Clarisonic at night to remove makeup (it is, after all, cleansing balm), and then I’ll put a thin layer on my skin so it can soak in while I sleep on the nights that I don’t use Retin-A (usually every other during the winter).  It’s pricey, but lasts about three months, and the ingredients are so safe that even Amy can use it, and that’s saying a lot with all of the sensitivities she has from her Lyme disease.

Another alternative is this cream by 100% Pure.

Y’all, skin care is EXPENSIVE, and night creams are usually the most expensive of the bunch!  If you have a less expensive option that’s made without lots of chemicals, I’d love to hear it in the comments below.

In the morning, I mix a few drops of facial oil (I use this one) into my regular moisturizer for extra hydration.  And for dry lips, I recommend Aveda Lip Saver and BeautyCounter’s Calendula Lip Conditioner.

Then it’s time to start drinking water again!

Stay moisturized, my friends, and thanks for stopping by.

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