Monday, 28 January 2008

The last time around we discussed tips for healthy skin care, so I thought we'd zoom in a little and focus on facial skin care for this article. It may seem self explanatory or common sense to many of you, but it's easy to make assumptions about what we believe to be common knowledge. Remember when Delia released a cook book which included instructions for how to boil an egg? Many people scoffed at the idea, whilst there were many a grateful reader who genuinely needed the help. Well I'm sure there are some parallels with this subject matter too. But just to quieten those cynics amongst our readers I've decided to add an extra ingredient to the mix and look at some tips for winter skin.

So onto the question of following a winter facial skin care routine. Before we start lets look at the things which impact on our skin during this season; cold temperatures and biting winds, rain which can often carry with it dirt and grime, especially for those city dwellers among us, and finally less hours of sunshine. The net effect of these conditions can often be dry, itchy skin.

Even hiding your skin away from the world can't protect you from the elements, and the only way to improve your facial skin care during winter is to ensure a good moisturising routine is followed. Remember from our previous article that hot baths, or even washing in the sink in hot water actually purges your skin of it's naturally produced oils, which will eventually lead to dry skin conditions. Take showers in lukewarm water, and don't spend all morning bathing in it's warmth. Do your thing and get out of there, for your skin's sake!

Next on the list for keeping good facial skin care habits is to moisturise whilst your skin is still damp. A moisturiser will work by trapping the moisture so it's much more effective when applied soon after your bath or shower. The best advice is to pat dry your face with the towel and then smother your skin with the delicious moisture it craves! You might also want to invest in a humidifier as the air is much more dry in the winter. And finally one should never overlook moisturising from the inside by ensuring you ditch the caffeine and other diuretic drinks and switch to water. You should drink at least 8 glasses a day, but don't forget that for every cup of tea or coffee you take, you need to add another glass of water!

That's all for now folks! Happy hunting and good luck devising your own facial skin care routine!

Labels: facial skin care