Why Is It Essential To Look After Your Skin In Winter?

Winter can have a long lasting damaging effect on your skin’s elasticity and health.As the mercury drops, your skin is subject to the drying and damaging effects of the cold, dry and windy weather. And it can feel like there’s no escape. Outdoors, it’s harsh winds and freezing temperatures. Indoors, it’s the daily office battle over the humidity-depleting heating. At home, your efforts to stay warm with long, hot showers are sucking out the last of any moisture left in the skin.

When the air starts to chill, your body tries to hold in heat by narrowing the blood vessels. As a result, the outer layers of the skin become dry and dull, leading to pesky problems like flakes and cracks. And worst of all, it's impacting your skins ability to fight against ageing.Winter canhave a damaging effect on your skin’s elasticity and health, with lack of hydration causing your skin to produce more wrinkles and dry out faster. So how to combat it? Here's five things to start doing.

1. Switch to baths

While a shower might be a quick solution, stay in there long enough and it’s going to leave your skin dry, cracked and damaged. Although hot water is known to dehydrate the skin, the difference between a shower and a bath, is that you can load the tub up with skin-nourishing ingredients such as magnesium salts, oatmeal, honey etc to moisturise and replenish. Pro tip: don’t forget to slather on the lotion to lock in the moisture when you get out!

2. Magnesium is your new best friend

When you’re lacking magnesium in your diet, your skin will take a hit. The levels of fatty acid on the surface of the skin and collagen levels - which keep things bouncy and moisturised - will decrease. Unfortunately, this creates the perfect conditions for dryness and lack of tone. And more wrinkles. Not what you want. Bringing your magnesium levels back up will in turn help to bring the life and light back to lackluster skin.

Magnesium not only balances the pH in the skin but can help to protect your skin from external damage as it regulates cellular regeneration and repair.Those with sensitive skin will also benefit, with magnesium known to calm sensitive skin and rosacea, fight skin allergens and improve skin's overall appearance by regulating sebum production.

So are you ready for some acne and wrinkle fighting action? Take a look at our magnesium skincare range.

3. Moisturise, Moisturise, Moisturise

It's no secret your skin needs a moisture boost when the humidity drops. The right moisturiser can help treat and prevent dry skin - just remember to use a moisturiser that is preferably made up of all-natural ingredients and has healing and repairing benefits. Apply moisturiser as soon as you can after drying off post-cleansing or bathing to help lock in moisture; pat (don’t rub) skin dry and apply moisturiser when still a little damp.

Pro tip: Invest in a moisturising body lotion that contains magnesium properties so it helps replenish the skin with the essential mineral, while also moisturising and soothing. Double the benefits, half the work. 

4. Up your skin game

To prevent winter skin woes, prioritising moisture and hydration should be your go-to when the weather starts to turn. However, don't forget about extra exfoliation - an important step in clearing dead cell build-up. Gentle exfoliation plays a key role in the soft, glowy skin by removing complexion-dulling dead skin cells, and allowing new, fresh and healthy skin cells to reach the surface. It's not just for your face as well - don't forget the rest of your body needs some extra TLC as well.

5. Invest in a humidifier

What happens when you put together chilly temperatures outside and dry unforgiving heat indoors? A nighttime ritual that demands a lot more attention than your regular night cream. Invest in a humidifier to minimise dryness. To maximise the amount of water in the air, place a humidifier in the bedroom. A cool air humidifier increases the moister levels in the air, which helps your skin's barrier to stay hydrated.