Thank you, Honeywell Top Fill Cool Mist Humidifier, for sponsoring this post, 5 Skin & Hair Care Tips for Winter. I was selected for this opportunity by Honeywell through Influenster; the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
I don't know about where you live, but Illinois is absolutely frigid. Terribly cold. Brr.
At heart, I am a summer girl. My hair, my skin, my health, my happiness are all better in the warmer weather with an abundance of sunshine and pool time, but living in the midwest, I get to enjoy all seasons at their fullest, including winter. One of the reason I have such a hard time in the winter months is due to the fact that my skin and hair become extremely dry during this time. It is so hard to feel good about my look when my hair is static clinging to everything and my face and legs feel like sandpaper. So when winter rolls around, the colder temperatures, dry air, and wind affect the look and feel of my skin and hair, I do everything I can to keep myself looking radiant all winter!
1. Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate
Drinking water isn't something that comes naturally to me. I will grab a cold RC Cola over a glass of water anyway, but in winter, I have to drink plenty of water during the day to stay hydrated. Lack of hydration may cause dry and flaky skin during the winter months. I like to drink my first glass of water in the morning while I’m at my vanity while putting on my makeup. There’s something refreshing about drinking fresh water while getting ready for the day! I also drink water when I take breaks from working each day and when working out as well. I don’t go to bed without a glass of water next to my bed at night for those moments when I wake up feeling thirsty and during the early hours of nursing baby Ollie.
My Camelbak is something that has helped me out tremendously with this. If my water bottle is next to me and full, I'll drink it. I do a thousand times better with staying hydrated with my Camelbak than I do with a plain glass of water. There has to be some sort of science behind this... but whatever it is, this has helped me keep my water intake up.
2. Exfoliate Once a Week
Exfoliating can help get rid of dead skin cells to reveal newer skin underneath. Use a gentle scrub during the winter months to remove dull skin cells. During the fall months, I have been using a simple charcoal and brown sugar scrub; however, for Christmas, I received my all time favorite scrub from Basin, their orange vanilla shea salt scrub. I "test" this scrub out each time we visit Disney Spring and it is the best! I cannot wait to add this product into my weekly routine.
3. Moisturize Twice a Day
Moisturizing is necessary for keeping my skin looking the very best during the winter months. I moisturize in the morning and at night. Moisturizing is one of my favorite routines of the day because I feel so much better after I give my skin the extra moisture it needs. Skin is best moisturized soon after bathing or showering. I have been sticking to the same moisturizer that I used during my pregnancy, Fruit of Earth Vitamin E Skin Care Cream. It is my cheapest skin care item I own, and my favorite hands down.
Your hand also could need moisturizing! I try and get at least two deep conditioning treatments over the winter months at the salon and boy, do they make a difference! I also deep condition my hair at home every other week as well. It is so helpful to keep my hair from being a static mess all winter.
4. Lukewarm Showers
I am super guilty of taking hot, hot showers in the winter time; however, the best type of shower during the winter months is lukewarm. Hot shower actually dry out your skin! It is hard to make the switch and cool down the temperature of my steamy showers, but I know it is so much better for my skin.
5. Use a Humidifier
This is my best kept dry skin and hair secret. The air gets dry in the winter and lack of moisture in the air may cause your skin to crack, leaving your skin feeling itchy, and my hair just a mess! Our home thankfully has a whole-home humidifier; however, we sleep with a room humidifier in our bedroom as well as in Ollie's bedroom. You would not believe the difference it makes.
We have a thermometer in the house that tracks our humidity levels in our room. From the nights that we run on humidifier compared to the nights that we do not, there is a drastic difference. A healthy humidity level for your home should be in between 40% and 60%; however, the nights that we do not run our humidifier, our humidity levels in our house drops below 30%!
I am in love with our Honeywell Top Fill Cool Mist Humidifier because it is so easy to refill late at night as we are getting ready for bed. The top-fill feature means that you don't have to disassemble the humidifier and hold the tank under a faucet which makes a bigger difference than you might think in terms of convenience and ease of use. The controls are simple, one knob that you turn cockwise to control output. It is super quiet when it is running and is easy to clean.
I cannot believe the amount of people that do not sleep with a humidifier every night and honestly, this has been the most helpful item that I have added to my list. It helps with my skin, hair, and overall health -- keeping my throat less scratchy and sore, nose less dry, and more.
