Naturally, your skin tends to be dry in the winter. Dry skin occurs when your skin is not retaining enough moisture - and the drop in humidity in the winter worsens this.
The epidermis, or the outermost layer of skin is our main protective barrier and this is where the dryness occurs. The loss of water from your skin can be up to 400 mL a day! The term for it is ‘transepidermal water loss’. There is a lipid-rich ‘glue’ made mostly of ceramides that holds skin cells together. It is eroded due to the low humidity outside, and the drying heat inside. This causes the flaking, cracking, itchy skin we’ve all experienced.
What can you do to combat dry winter skin?
Washing: Use lukewarm water, and bath only once a day for not longer than 10 minutes. Over washing, and hot water can contribute to the moisture loss. Use a humidifier in your home, and ideally in your bedroom while you sleep.
Moisturize right away! Apply moisturizer right after washing, which will seal any spaces between skin cells and therefore prevent water loss through evaporation.
Be smart about your moisturizers. Ideally you want a number of ingredients that fall into the following categories: Humectants and Emollients.
Humectants attract and bind with water molecules and pull water deep into the skin. Examples are hyaluronic acid and polyglutamic acid.
Emollients are thicker and made of the free fatty acids you need to ‘fill the spaces’ between skin cells. They help to restore the outer protective layer to prevent water loss. Emollient ingredients include squalene, shea butter and Inca inchi oil.
A third category, occlusives, are better suited for the body as they can cause breakouts.
People with very dry skin or eczema, do well using occlusives as a last step to provide a physical barrier to prevent water loss.
More questions about caring for your dry skin? Book in for a 15 minute skin consult or a Naturopathic consult to address it from the inside out!