Yes, Lordy! Winter time is officially in FULL swing – I just heard earlier this week that Baltimore, Maryland got dumped with 6-8 inches of snow…..YIKES!! So, yes – winter is here and determining it’s on again, off again relationship here in the Carolina’s with cold whether one minute and 70 degree whether the next, it’s hard to figure out what to wear on a given day. In which speaking of something to wear, can I ask?

How’s your skin holding up in all this chaos! I know winter time is the time for soups and crackers and bundling up and I mean ALL the way up, especially if you’re in Baltimore. It’s the time where we forgo skin care and just throw on anything that will keep us warm. I don’t know about you, but I hate when my skin feels dry, scaly or ashy. I’m sure you do too but where is the time to take care of it when the winter is having a field day with it’s mood??….

At Night!!!

I’m a huge fan of skin care and feel as though we have to take care of it before the summer time rolls around and catch our skin care off guard! Remember how quickly the spring/summer came last year? It wasn’t enough time to get anything together. BUT! there’s hope. Good skin care in the winter will definitely show up in the summer, trust me. Will yours have a great story to tell?

Listed below are just a couple of things that I do to make sure that my skin is noticeably soft underneath the gear.

A moisturizer for this and for that

There was a time in my young life…lol, where I would use one lotion for my whole body and to make matters worse, it had no “umph” to it. Meaning, it was the watered down lotion that would go on like it was doing your skin a huge favor, only to dump it later with an ashy look. I would always have to re-apply and re-apply. I came to the realization that there’s a lotion for different parts of your body. Such as hand-cream, foot-cream and face-cream. (Yes, I would use regular lotion on my face). So first, you have to either get a lotion or body butter (my favorite) that’s thick and has olive oil, coconut oil and vitamin e in it. The thicker the better to me….

Foot Care at it’s Best

When you get out of the shower, the best moisturizer for your feet is Vaseline or a foot cream or oil and cover your feet with a sock. Now if you’re hot natured, then a nice oil or Vaseline will work without a sock. The sock keeps the moisture in and makes your feet feel noticeably soft the next morning. Make sure you add extra on those heels…

Hot Showers are a NO NO for Winter

I absolutely LOVE me a good hot shower, however – a hot shower in the winter time can damage your skin as it can severely dry it out. Lukewarm water for winter skin is the perfect temperature.

Moisturize while skin is still damp

I’ve been doing this for years. I do not dry off with a towel when my shower is done, the first thing I do is moisturize immediately after. What I’ve found is that this process makes my skin feel soft all day long without the ash effect. The damp water and my moisturizer help lock in the moisture so I won’t lose it. My favorite moisturizer after a shower is Baby Oil or Baby Oil Gel – they are my staples outside of Bath and Body Works =)

Other things you can do to make sure your skin is on point, is to use an exfoliate – I love body washes or soaps that have exfoliate beads in them. It makes my skin feel extra soft and removes dead skin cells. I also take out time and use a foot scrub as well while in the shower. Sometimes regular showers don’t do the job and can miss dirt build up around the ankle area of our feet.

A great hand-cream is good for throughout the day. Don’t trust the harsh soaps in the bathrooms when you wash your hands at work, those soaps are not only rough on the skin but leaves your hands severely dry afterwards, it’s good to have a good hand-cream on hand to add that moisture back into your most precious assets. Our hands tend to get dry throughout the day as well, so it’s good to show them a little love by dousing on a little moisture.

That wasn’t bad, right? As stated – those are just a few tips that I do to make sure my skin is well nourished during the winter months. Good skin care in the winter, determines it’s outcome in the summer. Get a good routine going now, your skin will show it’s appreciation to you months from now!

Do you have a winter skin care routine? Share in the comments below.

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