Winter Season Defend Your Skin!

Winter is here and while the season brings much to celebrate it also tends to usher in some unfavorable, and frankly uncomfortable, skin conditions. Whether it’s the cold, dry weather, hot showers, heated buildings, or even social gatherings that often come with your favorite alcoholic beverages, the winter months can be brutal on your skin – primarily its hydration level.

The frigid temperatures and dry conditions tend to sap the skin of its moisture and compromise the skin’s barrier, leaving it flaky, irritated and inflamed. But, fear not, a few tweaks to your daily regimen can help alleviate winter irritation.

Control the Conditions
Let’s start with the factors you can easily control. This time of year it’s easy to indulge in a poor diet, increased alcohol consumption, indoor heating, and hot showers, but these all work against your skin’s best hydration defenses. Considering limiting your adult-beverage intake when you can and drink plenty of water. Coconut water can also help you rehydrate.

To bring in some hydration to those dry, heated rooms, consider running some humidifiers throughout the home and office.  And as inviting as hot showers are, try to stick to lukewarm temperatures. The hot water is one of the quickest ways to zap your skin’s hydration. Also be sure to balance sleep and eating antioxidant-rich foods – these are essential to a healthy skin barrier.

Rev Up the Regimen
Now let’s hone in on what you’re applying (or not applying) to your skin. This time of year, it is especially important to cleanse which actually helps regulate the skin’s oil production. It’s also important to load up on nourishing hydration but doing that without cleansing will actually slow your skin’s oil production, decreasing your natural hydration level.

Here are some suggestions for a cold-weather regimen that will keep your skin hydrated and healthy:

1. CLEANSE – Switch to a gentle cleanser that helps retain moisture with soothing ingredients like lavender and organic grape seed oil. Compromised Barrier’s Soothing Oil Cleanse removes makeup and buildup without depleting skin while hydrating and nourishing the skin.
   
   
2. REBUILD AND STRENGTHEN – Deliver a healthy dose of antioxidants and nutrition to the skin with a lightweight hydrating serum . Key ingredients to incorporate include D₂O, soybean protein, resveratrol, and glutathione (L) and superoxide dismutase. Compromised Barrier’s Antioxidant Infusion is a hydrating blend of super antioxidants that not only increases firmness in the skin but protects against cellular damage.
   
   
3. HYDRATE AND MOISTURIZE – Infuse skin with restoring lipids and prevent trans epidermal water loss (TEWL) to reduce inflammation and dry irritations. Compromised Barrier’s Vital Replenish Serum blends essential fatty acids and essential oils to restore vital moisture and reduce redness.  Or, try HA Hydration Cream.  Incorporating hyaluronic acid into your winter regimen will also help skin retain moisture and stimulate collagen for more buoyant skin.

Be mindful this season of your daily skin routine, but also what you might be doing to contribute to the dry conditions. The cold weather may be unavoidable, but with the right mix of ingredients and healthy skin care habits, you can help stave off uncomfortable, irritated skin.

Discover additional formulas that strengthen skin and slow aging on our Compromised Barrier website.