Winter Diet Dry Skin

One of the annoying side affects of dieting is that as you reduce the amount of oil you are eating you may be keeping fat from developing under your skin, but you are also robbing your skin of moisture.  Winter dry heat and lack of humidity in the air also contribute to your skin being dryer.  What is the use of being thinner if you look older and wrinkled because your skin is too dry?

Keeping your body well hydrated from both the inside and outside is the only way to fight flaky skin.  Here is yet another reason you need to drink a lot of water.  You don’t need to go back to drowning your salad in olive oil, just make sure you have 8-10 glasses of water.  Adding fruits and vegetables are great ways to get more water in your system and they fill you up on things that are diet friendly.

If you can add a humidifier to your heating system you will not only help your skin but all the wood in your house too.  All things made up of cells need moisture.  Wearing gloves when you go out in the cold helps you keep whatever moisture you have in your hands rather than letting the dry air suck it our of your digits.

There is nothing I like better in the cold weather than a really long hot shower, but that is the wrong way to go.  Dialing back the water temperature and taking a quick shower is better for our delicate dried out skin.  As soon as you finish from your shower, don’t zap every bit of moisture from your body with a towel.  Act more like your dog and shake off the excess and then slather yourself with lotion while you are still damp.  Your pores will more easily suck of the emollient right after the shower.

With all the flu bugs around we need to be vigilant about washing our hands, but then you need to use lotion after all that washing too.  Dry and cracked cuticles are a super highway for bugs to get into your system, so not just washing the germs off, but also sealing the cracks will help keep you healthy.

You can’t do much about sun damage you may have done to your skin over years of non-sunscreen use or the naturally reducing collagen due to aging, but deep hydrating winter skin can fight off the appearance of wrinkles and just make you happier.