The Skinny on Winter Dryness
Does your skin feel stiff and dry as the weather gets colder? Try these 7 tips to end winter skin woes.
Dec 12, 2010
Mar 02, 2021
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Boots? Check! Parka? Check! Insulated gloves? Check!
Those of us living in cold climates have a mental checklist we run through to protect our bodies before stepping outside in winter. Yet the season brings challenges in mild zones as well. Humidity drops in wintertime, and the heating systems of our homes and workplaces suck up what little moisture is in the air.
You can often feel that it's winter, even when your body is warm enough. That's because when the humidity level drops below 60 percent (either indoors or outside), your skin starts losing the moisture it needs to stay comfortable. You feel as if you're shrinking—hands tighten, face stiffens, feet crack, legs and arms get dull or ashy—and you might feel relief only when standing in a hot shower.
So the answer to winter skin problems must be to take longer, hotter showers, right? Of course, that was a trick question: in winter, your showers should be short and lukewarm, and you should only wash the vital spots (you know what they are) on a daily basis unless you've been mucking in a horse barn all day.
More tips to end winter skin woes: