Winter Skin Care
Baby, it’s cold outside…
Your skin is the protective barrier of your body and our largest organ, but yet it can be the most overlooked self-care regimen. Cold winter weather can leave us with dry, itchy skin. Read more about what you need to be doing to give it your best care during this time of the year:
Skincare is often overlooked in our younger days, but when you hit your 30’s, (and especially 40+,) you realize how important it is to take care of this precious layer that safeguards your body. Even though skin is only visible from the outside, what we eat and drink has a lot to do with the glow and elasticity of your skin, along with our daily habits. Here are a few things I suggest you incorporate into your daily routine that will take you from that dry, tight, cracked skin to the soft, supple and luminous skin you deserve!
Hydrate.
Water, Aqua, H2O….it’s 60% of what are body is made of. Our body needs water to function and with the right amount, your skin will thank you.
Drink it up!….H2O that is.
We all know we should, and I know, it is SO much harder to drink your daily recommended amount when it’s chilly outside instead of when it’s sweltering hot and you are naturally thirsting for it….but I insist! You must make it a daily habit to get plenty of water, not only for your skin, but water also helps with healthy digestion, flushes out toxins, helps you focus and think more clearly….and much more (that we’ll save for another day, another blog.)
Now, another thing that means, is to cut back on those sugary sodas and caffeinated beverages that dehydrate your body and hurt your skin complexion. Limit your intake or save those for special occasions and well-earned indulgences. If you still need a little boost, try replacing your afternoon coffee with a healthy green tea such as Yogi Tea, Green Energy herbal tea. Green tea has many benefits, such as reducing inflammation and aiding in weight loss, but it also has sun damage-fighting agents(1) as one of it’s many benefits.
Protect.
Slather it on! Body Lotion and SPF Face Lotion is so important this time of year, and actually, all year long.
The best and most effective time to apply body lotion is immediately after your shower or bath. Pat yourself dry and apply all over, except face and chest (I save the face lotion for those sensitive areas.) Try using a fragrance-free lotion. My favorite cold-weather lotion is Jergens Ultra Healing with vitamins C, E & B5. It’s dermatologist tested….and tested by ME for over a decade and counting!
Also, one thing I do every morning is apply a face lotion with an SPF 15. Think of it as a barrier from the sun’s UV rays, and it’s also a moisturizing layer before your make-up is applied. It will help to reduce your pores from being clogged by dirt and make-up. Again, try to use a fragrance-free lotion to reduce to risk of irritation. My skin is very sensitive, so I like to use Oil of Olay, sensitive skin with SPF 15.
If you want to use a more natural moisturizer, try using a pure coconut oil such as Okay | 100% Pure Coconut Oil | For All Hair Textures & Skin Types. Depending on how dry your skin stays, it’s safe to use everyday. Personally, I have sensitive skin that is not as dry, so I only use when needed (about once every week or two.)
Eat your vitamins.
Taking supplements or eating vitamin rich foods are an important part of your skin protection.
My favorite way to protect my skin is through eating foods rich in vitamins D, C, E & K, and Omega 3. Research has show that these vitamins are essential in maintaining skin health.(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)
When we were kids, my dad always told us to eat at least one green veggie a day….and that has stuck with me over the years. Although, in my opinion, any colorful veggie or fruit is great. Orange veggies are my favorites! (Think: sweet potato, carrot, pumpkin and orange bell peppers, I love them all!) If your life is busy or your fridge is empty, you need to incorporate these vitamins in a supplement form to insure you are getting your daily nutrients. (please seek medical advice with your doctor first before adding new supplements, as you might be taking other medications that would counteract or induce a minor or severe reaction)
Some colorful fruits and veggies that contain vitamin C (and help build collagen to fight aging) are:
Tomato
Red Bell pepper
Kiwi
Strawberries
Citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruits, lemons)
To moisturize your skin from the inside out, try adding foods high in omega 3 fatty acids, such as tuna or salmon to your winter diet.(7) Also, nuts like walnuts are packed with omega 3. (8)
Listed below are foods that contain both omega 3 and Vitamin D:
Tuna
Sardines
Salmon
Walnuts
and here are a few foods that are high in vitamin D:
Egg yolks
Mushrooms
Fortified foods (Milk, orange juice and cereal)(9)
Vitamin D is also known as the “Sunshine Vitamin.”
There is a process that happens when we are exposed to the UVB rays of the sun that converts into vitamin D in our bodies. Most people do not get enough sun during the winter months and end up with a deficiency.
It may sound counterintuitive to expose your skin to the sun for absorption due to the risk of premature aging and skin cancers, so be sure to get most of your vitamin D from healthy foods and keep putting on that sunscreen!
“K” for Kale! ….Ok, not my favorite veggie, but it does contain our next important vitamin, K. One half a cup of cooked kale offers 443% of our DV according to Healthline.com(10)
Other foods containing vitamin K include:
Spinach
Brussel Sprouts
Prunes
Kiwi
Asparagus
Well, I don’t know about you, but all this talk about getting your vitamins from food made me hungry, so I’m going to take a little break and grab a few strawberries to munch, and get my Vitamin C on before moving on to my final tip for winter skin care.
Sleep.
Getting enough Zzz’s is another overlooked, but important part of skin care.
Who doesn’t like a good night’s sleep?
There are a lot of people out there that struggle with getting enough sleep, whether from being a new parent, bringing their worries to bed with them, environmental reasons, or due to their own reluctance and self-induced habits.
…and then there’s the other type of people, you know the ones. The people that can drink a cup of coffee at 8pm and as soon as their head hits the bed at 9pm, they are out cold. Lucky duckies!
Whatever your situation, we all need to get as much sleep as possible in order for our bodies to repair, heal, and recharge for the next day. The recommended amount of sleep for adults is 7-9 hours. When we don’t get enough sleep, there’s a few things that happen:
Stress hormones soar due to lack of sleep which in turn induces inflammation in the skin, think: eczema, acne, etc.(11)
Unsightly side effects some of us know all to well: dark circles under eyes, dull, puffy or saggy skin, and the worst…..WRINKLES!! In my experience, my forehead wrinkles are much more prominent after a day of indulging in sugary sweets, unhealthy drinking and very little sleep. (You sins will find you out…and show up right on your face!)
Behavior disturbance, such as depression and anxiety(12) and increase your risk for heart disease(13) (although these don’t have as much to do with the skin, they are very important side effects that I feel are important to mention.)
First, let’s look at some culprits that may be disrupting you from a great night’s sleep:
Worry
Electronics
Alcohol
Medical issues such as acid reflux or sleep apnea
Environmental
If you struggle with any of the above culprits, let me touch on each one and share a few things I believe can help you find your best quality sleep:
WORRY.
We all do it at some point in our lives, some people more than others. I know, it’s just human nature and God gave us that emotion for a reason, maybe to give us empathy for others or to push us to help those in need?…but please remember, we can NOT control everything that happens, and remember that God allows some things to happen for a reason, in his time. Let me share a bible verse that is important to me, as a daily reminder:
Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Ok, a couple more: (looking out my window at the cute little House Wren birdie singing his morning tune ♪ and looking for his next meal couldn’t help but inspire me to add these)
Matthew 6:26, 27 “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”
Maybe try to begin and end the day with a small daily devotion and prayer, for a way to leave that worry in God’s hands. I love using the motto I saw on a greeting card once: “Wake up, do your best, and give God the rest.” Now isn’t that the best?….and SO true.
ELECTRONICS.
In this day and age, everything is so readily available. We’ve all done it: Get in our warm, comfy bed and then….CLICK, on comes the TV, or we reach over on our nightstand and grab our phone just to check our emails or the weather one last time. Or perhaps, you read an electronic book on your tablet. All these things are a disruption in our sleep. What you don’t realize is, instead of creating a sleep-inducing environment, you are alerting your brain to be active again. They also emit blue light(14) that delays or reduces the amount of melatonin your body needs to produce in order to get to that happy state of sleepiness, your ultimate goal.
A good way to not disrupt your natural circadian rhythm is by making your bedroom a screen-free zone, put your phone on sleep mode and if you must read before bed, make it a good old-fashioned, turn-the-page book.
I realize that some spouses do not think alike (an understatement I’m sure.) If you want to go to bed without the TV, but say, your better half doesn’t, try using a comfortable sleep mask to block those disrupting lights, and perhaps he can use cordless headphones to listen to his program. If this sounds like your situation, here is the sleep mask that I recommend using. (find it here) These are so cushiony and comfortable. They have a bubble shape that goes over top of your eyes, so your eyelashes don’t hit the mask. They also have an soft, adjustable strap that you barely feel when on and they completely block light. I personally own some, and put my stamp of approval on them. 😉
ALCOHOL.
Most of us have heard the term “Night Cap” and some may swear that helps them sleep. While that may partly be true, research shows it might give you only half a night’s good sleep, the first half. (15) The deep REM (rapid eye movement) sleep gets disrupted in your second half of slumber and sometimes can even fully awaken you.
If able, please abstain from alcohol consumption before bedtime, and let your body and skin get the deep sleep it needs to repair and heal.
MEDICAL ISSUES.
There will be some of us that cannot help the medical condition you are in and need to consult a physician or family doctor for some recommended remedies.
However, there are other self-induced reasons for lack of sleep, such as over indulging in acidic, spicy, high-fat foods, that result in a night of acid-reflux or heartburn. Knowing how various foods effect whether or not you will suffer later is something you need to take note of and have a plan for.
Gone are my younger days where I could eat anything and be heartburn free. The older I get, the more I have to ask myself “Is that spicy taco worth it?” …or how about that coffee and chocolate I crave? Heartburn can ruin your day, but even worse, it can ruin your good night’s sleep.
Steer clear of those trigger foods and drinks for you, especially closer to bedtime. If you must indulge, try an over-the-counter acid reducer. In my experience, for whatever reasons, some brands with different ingredients work better that others for certain people. I had to experiment and find the one best for me. Everyone is different, and again, before adding any medication, please seek medical advice from your doctor.
ENVIRONMENTAL.
Some of us just can’t help the situation they are in.
Maybe you have the bedroom with the street light glaring in, or maybe the neighbor’s dog barks throughout the night, or your spouse snores. Get creative and find ways to remedy your situation. Maybe that means getting blackout curtains, an eye mask, or ear plugs.
Sleep is important for all of us, no matter what age. Your body and especially your skin, needs to have this time to heal, repair, and recharge.
