Dry winter air and harsh temperatures frees moisture from the skin, resulting in chapping, irritation and dryness. An estimated 81 million Americans are affected by dry, scaly, itchy skin in winter, with the worst coming between the months of November and March.
Long Term Relief?
Many turn to topical lotions to help, but while they may provide some short-term relief, they frequently contain chemicals that don’t belong in the human body. As an example, 36 percent of facial moisturizers and 34 percent of body lotions tested by the Environmental Working Group were discovered to be infected with a cancer-causing toxin known as 1,4-dioxane, which easily penetrates your skin each time you apply it.
Natural topical remedies
coconut oil makes a particularly good moisturizer to your skin – but even better would be the natural tools that could encourage your skin at the cellular level, helping to protect, restore elasticity, improve hydration, and promote smoothness and much more…
Antioxidanty
Exposure to ultraviolet light (UV) from the sun (the sun is still bright even in winter) as well as pollutants from your environment contribute to the formation of free radicals, which take a toll on your skin from damaging DNA and boosting the formation of age spots and wrinkles. Antioxidants help prevent and repair free radical damage to your skin (and elsewhere in your body).
While dietary sources of antioxidants (fruits, vegetables, green tea) are crucial for skin health, there might be some advantage in employing them directly to your skin also. Those that are particularly important for skin health include:
- Vitamin A: When applied topically, vitamin A can help reduce wrinkles, smooth out roughness and help fade brown spots.
- Vitamin C: Fights free radicals that can cause sagging and wrinkles skin, and helps protect your skin from UV damage.
- Vitamin E: Both topical and dietary vitamin E helps your skin to keep its natural moisture, which makes it key for combating dryness. Vitamin E also helps neutralize free radical damage from UV exposure, particularly when coupled with dietary vitamin C, helping to decrease irritation.
Zelený čaj
This organic drink is a potent source of antioxidants, for example, polyphenol EGCG. Does EGCG help to get rid of free radicals, in addition, it can help to rejuvenate skin by re-activating dying skin cells. Researchers have compared it to a”fountain of youth” to your skin cells.
Esenciální mastné kyseliny
Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are healthful fats that your body can’t make by itself, so you need to get them from dietary sources. They play a significant role in the health of your skin cells and are necessary for the appropriate skin cell function and look.
Fatty acids, for example, keep your cell membranes healthy, that is the key barrier that not only retains nutrients and water in (resulting in more hydrated, elastic, softer skin) but also allows waste products out.
Further, individuals with a fatty acid deficiency are more likely to have dry skin, in addition to increased water loss across their skin. So in case you would like to keep moisture to the winter, making certain you’re getting enough EFAs is vital. Look for:
- Omega-3 fats, found in fish, such as salmon and sardines, and fish oil
- Gamma-linolenic acid, such as evening primrose oil
Mineral and Supplements
As your skin needs vitamins and antioxidants, in addition, it requires minerals, such as zinc. Your skin is in a constant state of renewal, and it requires zinc to help support this procedure. Your skin takes an excess beating in the winter, and that’s why including tons of zinc-rich foods in your diet (oysters, pumpkin seeds, beef, crab, lima beans, chick peas) is so important for healthy skin regeneration and repair from the inside out.
Selenium is another mineral to concentrate on in the winter, since it’s a free-radical scavenging antioxidant that may protect your skin from harm in addition to help with tissue elasticity. Just a couple Brazil nuts a day will provide you your preferred selenium intake (or attempt shitake mushrooms, salmon, shrimp, eggs and garlic).
Natural Herbs and Oils
Certain herbs, when taken in supplement form, as a tea or applied topically to your skin in a lotion or oil, work to rejuvenate weather-damaged skin from inside. Consider:
Heřmánek
Widely used as a tea to help promote sleep, chamomile also shows promise for improving skin health when applied topically. In addition to having anti-inflammatory properties, it’s been proven to improve skin appearance by improving texture and elasticity.
Aloe Vera
Although it’s most commonly known for its calming effect on burns, this soothing also extends to skin. A little bit of aloe vera dabbed on your skin will promote cell regeneration and recovery, as it is a rich source of vitamins such as A, C, B and E vitamins.
Levandule
This calming herb is most frequently inhaled as a kind of aromatherapy, but it may also be applied in oil form to your skin, where it’s known to help alleviate dryness and scales.
Závěr
For one last tip, while lounging in a hot, steamy shower or bath might seem like the perfect ending to a cold winter’s day, resist the desire to make the water too warm. Hot water immediately removes your skin’s natural oils and can leave your skin dryer. Stick to shorter showers with warm water instead, and concentrate on rejuvenating and protecting your skin from the inside out using the advice above.
