It is cold and dry when it comes to winter days. This is compounded by the fact that we use heaters that further dry the air. It can be very difficult to keep your skin moist during these cold months. Here are some tips to take care of your skin during the winter.

• Stay covered with warm clothing. If possible, wear gloves to keep your hands warm. When you go to bed, wear socks to keep your feet warm and this will also prevent your feet from getting dry. For added moisture, after washing feet at night, apply foot cream thoroughly to feet and immediately put on socks. This will soften your feet overnight while you sleep.
• Hydrate your body. Apply body lotion or cream to prevent skin from drying out by sealing in moisture. Your skin will flake and dry very easily if you do not apply any moisturizer to your body. Be sure to apply a good moisturizer in the morning before you leave the house and at night before bed. Apply moisturizer to your hands every time you wash them. There are a variety of lotions, body creams, and body moisturizers that you could use.
• Wash with a moisturizing soap or body wash. Use a body wash or soap that has lotion or cream added to it so you don’t dry out your skin while washing. An oil based soap is also a good idea.
• Add a few drops of baby oil to your bath. The oil can seal some moisture in the skin.
• Stay hydrated throughout the day. When it’s cold we tend to drink less water. But you need to keep up your water intake during the winter. You need to hydrate your body and skin from the inside out. If you can’t drink water often, at least drink fluids throughout the day; be it juice, tea or hot chocolate.
• Keep the air moist. You could use a humidifier to moisten the air. Or you can place a small container of water in front of the heater. This should add some moisture to the air so it’s not as dry.

It’s important to take care of your skin during the colder months, so it’s a good idea to stock up on body creams and lotions that you can get in bulk at a cosmetics wholesaler.