Protecting and Winterizing Your Body
Ready or not, here comes Old Man Winter with his frosty temperatures and cold, cold gusts of blustery air.
Mufflers and scarves can snuggle our faces but the real assault from cold, dry temperatures comes when we realize our protective moisturizers aren’t quite doing the trick of keeping our faces hydrated. Moisture-sapping days drag on and on so being mindful of winter protection will go a long, long way in keeping your skin youthful and supple.
Protecting and winterizing your face, according to aesthetician Sydney Makaske, a native of Kansas City, MO who now practices in Oklahoma, is a multi-step process of first keeping your face clean, especially before bedtime then protecting clean skin with vitamin C serum, then retinol a few times each week as a finish. If your skin feels dry or taut, add a rich nighttime moisturizer over your face and neck and keep your water temperature toward the cool side of warm.
“Sunscreen is a daytime must. Layer sunscreen as the last step before applying primer and foundation.”
Our face isn’t the only body part that can suffer from cold, brutal temperatures. Our hands and especially our toes can be sensitive to extreme temperatures. Keeping all exposed body parts and those hidden by long pants moisturized, especially after bathing, keeps dry skin to a minimum.
Dry brushing is an avenue to physically remove dry, flaky skin. Brush dry skin before bathing. Brush from your ankles upward in long, sweeping strokes using a small, hand-held specially designed brush. Brush both arms from your fingertips upward toward your shoulders. Gently brush across your chest and tummy, brushing towards your heart. Your body will tingle with increased circulation.
In the event your face feels red, chapped or raw stop all alpha hydroxy products and opt for good old fashioned Vaseline® slathered onto those areas that feel stressed and dry.
Stay hydrated during these winter months with water. Drinking mostly water will keep your skin in tiptop shape and your weight more manageable.