Hello Gorgeous!
It occurred to me, after my last post, that I neglected to mention some other troubled areas of our skin that suffer in the winter, as well. So let’s jump right in and talk about our dry lips and our dry hands.
Lips
Rule #1: Stop licking your lips!
While it may feel good to lick our lips, saliva does more harm than good to our lips. Licking your lips will actually cause your lips to dry out because saliva will pull water from within our lips to the surface where it will evaporate into the air. Saliva also has digestive enzymes in it that breaks down our delicate lip tissue.
Rule #2: Do apply a non-irritating lip balm several times a day.
Ingredients such as squalene, glycerin, hyaluronic acid, silicone, lanolin, shea butter, petrolatum, or ceramides should do the trick. Pick a fragrance-free lip balm. Avoid irritants such as menthol and camphor and any lip balm that causes lip “plumping”. At night, apply an occlusive ointment such as aquaphor or petroleum jelly to hold moisture in your lips while you sleep.
Rule #3: Stay hydrated.
Generally speaking, we drink less water in the winter time. So drink up. Increasing our water intake helps our entire body function at optimal levels. An additional way to keep your lips hydrated (and the rest of your skin), use a humidifier in the room you spend the most time in.
Hands
Rule #1: Put moisturizer on your hands after you wash them, EVERY time!
Applying a moisturizing cream, only once or twice a day, to our hands is simply not enough. We put our hands through a lot every day. Washing our hands not only kills germs but it also strips our skin of essential oils and fats that protect our skin. After using a gentle cleanser, pat dry your hands and apply the moisturizer to slightly damp hands after every wash.
Rule #2: Protect your hands.
Prevent dry hands by using gloves when washing dishes or using cleaning products. Wearing gloves when outside will also help maintain the moisture in your hands. At night, before bed, apply a thick moisturizer with ingredients such as shea butter or cocoa butter or good old-fashioned petroleum jelly followed by cotton gloves to sleep in. If your skin is starting to crack, using a product like New Skin Liquid Bandage will help protect the skin as it heals.
Rule #3: Hydrate
As stated above, drink plenty of water and use a humidifier.
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