The impact of winter conditions on your skin and hair

Winter is coming

The impact of winter conditions on your skin and hair

As beautiful as winter is, it can wreak havoc on your skin and hair if not cared for properly. Colder temperature will naturally trigger your body to make the necessary adjustments to survive the winter months. Though your body has this natural reaction, your skin and hair can and will need that extra TLC to bring it to an optimal condition.

Why is this?

In the winter, we are all finding ways to stay warm. Central air, electric fireplaces, or good old fashion radiator heat. Your home is processing cool air and applying heat to warm your house. When you are not at home and forced to battle the cold, you are faced with the drastic temperature drop. Your skin and hair is constantly being shocked by moisture stealing elements.

Though moisture is present in all seasons, Winter and Summer are the only two that tends to creates extreme conditions for your skin and hair. The cause of these changes are believed the change in humidity. Hair is porous, it absorbs moisture when there is humidity in the air.  Moderately humid environments will offer more moisture for your skin and hair.

Many suffer from dry and cracked skin, inflamed skin, and dry hair. Although there are some adverse effects of winter on your skin and hair, pinpointing the causes can help you identify the correct solutions.

Impact On Your Skin -
Dry skin is a relatively harmless condition, unless left untreated. Excessive dry skin can lead to premature ageing, cracked skin, and even eczema. If you're prone to developing this condition, excessive dryness can activate the disease, causing redness, cracking and inflammation. People who suffer with acne and eczema can find winter to be a difficult season for their skin, especially their face.

Solution

Developing and implementing a skin care routing can help reduce impact to your skin. Here are a few tips:

• When taking a shower or bath, make sure the water is not hot. You want to bathe in warm water. Hot water will strip your skin of its natural oils thus causing dryness.

• After taking your warm bath or shower during the winter, it’s time to start your skincare routine. Apply a natural sealing cream or oil to your entire body while it is damp. The moisture received from the water will be sealed and penetrate the skin creating a barrier from the brittle air.

• Exfoliate your body at least once a week. This ensures that the new skin cells are brought to the epidermis and are able to receive moisture.

Incorporating these steps in your skincare regimen will help to enhance the look and feel of your skin.

Impact On Your Hair -
The colder temperatures offers few opportunities for your hair to receive the necessary moisture naturally from the environment. This is why we have to change our routine to supplement the deficiency. When your hair struggles with moisture retention, it’s prone to breakage, single strand knots, and split ends. Breakage is a symptom we all want to avoid, no matter the season.

Here are a few tips to improve and/or maintain optimal hair and scalp health

• Reduce/Eliminate heat usage during the winter months. Using heat can give your hair a double dose of drying air/elements.

• Don’t over manipulate your hair. Incorporate low tension protective styles that will allow your hair time to rest in between wash days. Over manipulation combined with dry hair equals BREAKAGE.

• PRODUCTS can be a hair saver or a hair destroyer. Utilize moisture sealing products. There are products that can increase hair dryness no matter what season they are used on the hair. You want to especially careful during the winter months. Use moisturizing products such as rinse-out, leave-in and deep conditioners.

• DEEP CONDITION! DEEP CONDITION! DEEP CONDITION! Oh, did I say deep condition? Using the correct product is important as well as using them routinely. You don’t want to hold styles so long that your hair dries completely out. Only you know that time frame. I suggest at least a weekly to bi-weekly routine.

• SCALP CARE

Protect your scalp from the elements and promote growth by applying oil your scalp regularly. We often focus on what we can see. The curls are the showstoppers. They enter room before we do but your scalp is the foundation to your beautiful curs. You must nourish your scalp to maintain healthy hair.

Although the winter weather may be harsh to our skin and body, there are solutions to combat it. We have to ensure to give our hair and skin the love it needs during the seasons, especially winter.  How do you care for your hair and skin during the winter season? Do you neglect or switch up your routine?