Avoid Dry Skin

Skin! the exterior by which a man/woman is known. The complexion that matters. Everyone likes to have a wonderful skin. Don't you stare at people with soft, moist skin. Ah! Who won't like that!

So why does the skin dries out in winter? The answers are low humidity, low temperature and strong wind blowing interfere with the lipid layer which protects our skin from being dry. To take it further, our skin is made of layers. The outermost layer is called stratum corneum and is made up of dead skin cells and natural oils that are produced from living skin cells. Stratum Corneum has two important functions. First is, it retains water from being evaporated to retain the moisture for the skin and secondly, it prevents germs from entering the skin. To summarize the natural oils (lipids) and dead cells contains water which is responsible for keeping the skin moist. So when these lipids reduce in number the skin becomes dry.

Tips to get rid of dry skin.
1) Use warm water instead of hot while bathing to avoid hot water pulling away the moisture from the skin.
2) Apply moisturizer after shower and hand washing when the skin is damp for best effects.
3) Exfoliate your skin once or twice a week for the moisturizer to be effective. Exfoliate face with facial scrub, while body with body scrub, reason being the difference in skin types.
4) Avoid soaps that turn your skin dry like the foamy ones and those which has cleanser like lye. Instead consider using a creamy moisturizer cleanser made up of glycerin and petrolatum.
5) Apply moisturizer and cover your hands and legs with gloves and socks respectively.
6) Stay hydrated in a limited way, as drinking a lot of water in any won't hydrate your skin from inside out.
7) Take care of your lips. Please don't move your tongues around them. It will never help them preserve the moisture. Instead they will loose it.
8) Extra Care for Face in winter is a must. Moving out of house in wind without a scarf and moisturizer on is a strict NO.

Other tips:
People with sensitive skin should not use tap water? Reason is harsh chemicals which will cause your skin to dry up.
Suggestions: Instead use Pond's like cold cream, which does not need rinsing. Special water containing selenium and chamomile.

What do you do to keep away dry skin in winter?