Skin Care

After winter season and skin care oops!

Winter played havoc on your skin and no woman basically likes the dry skin weather which literally sucks all moisture from the skin and leaves the skin thirsty. Shampa Saha of BA (Journalism, Psychology and English) looks at the skin care scenario.
as February rolls away our skin becomes more demanding and thus desires a special care. For this, make use of right soaps; apply oils, body and face masks and foot creams; and top of all this efforts to keep the skin glowing and healthy, one need protection from the winter sun which again adversely affects the skin. To avoid suffering from dull, chapped and rough skin this season, you need to follow few rules which will for sure help you to cope. The majors are discussed here after.
First rule starts from morning when we all feel like taking hot water bath which is very harmful for the skin.
No matter how cold it is resist the urge to turn up the heat in your shower as this hot water bath will make your skin drier.
So try to use lukewarm water and cut down your rinse time. The next thing which you should do is to use glycerine based soap. For best results you can try out Pears, its glycerine and natural oils maintain the essential moisture content of your skin, keeping it soft and smooth, ditto with Dove which helps to do the same. If you desire, double the dose of moisturising agents. Even if your skin texture is essentially dry then these soaps nourishes the skin and keep your skin baby soft.
Secondly winters call for a slightly substantial body lotion, choose heavy duty and high performance moisturising that not only moisturize but also fulfils the need of the skin during winter. Look for a lotion that addresses the specific need for the dry and dehydrated skin and opt for those lotions which can be quickly absorbed into the skin, so that it soothes and softens easily. Try Lakme Maximum Moisturiser, Garnier Body Cocoon and lotions which contain peach, olive oil, aloe-vera, Shea butter- all of which are very effective in softening and nourishing the skin especially for winter. And always remember whenever you are stepping out use sunscreen lotion, don’t be under impression that you don’t need sunscreen in winters. Even if winter sun seems to be soft and romantic, it still damages your skin tissues.
Once in a week your body demands nice oil massage during winters, so don’t forget to layer and pamper your skin with your favourite body oil. It’s better to add few drops of any essential oil like lavender or sandalwood if your body oil does not include these.
Thirdly you need to really take very special care for your heels which will be suffering from crack pain and rough dryness. These are uncomfortable, and neither pretty. This problem is really painful for most of the women, the best bet for this is use of pumice stones or foot files(these are great for softening clauses) while you are in the shower . Then after patting softly to dry, immediately apply rich moisturising cream. In market special foot creams are available targeting cracked heels and dry feet which contain special oil and heavy moisturising element that maintain your feet from losing moisture later. As winter rolls in the first thing one should do is to give a serious crosscheck for your shoe wardrobe. And wearing proper foot wear is important to avoid dry feet.
The chapped lips are the trademarks of winter season. But there is a way out. Juicy and soft lips can be get hold of by easily available lip balms. This homely mantra can help to get rid of dry lips. Apply your favourite lip balm and rub lips together. Using a dry toothbrush, brush lips gently in circular motions until the flakes have removed. Make sure you do it so gently that you don’t hurt your lips. Wipe lips clean and rub in more balm, repeat it daily and skip lipstick until you regain your original lip texture. And for those who can’t resist using lipsticks can use lipsticks with vitamin E like Elle-18. Then there are lip balms which contain olive oil with vitamin E so they help instantly nourish and sooth your lips giving it a soft appearance.
When you are doing too much for your skin from outside you need to moisturize your skin from inside also. Drink lots of water and eat fruits that contain vitamins as these help keep your skin glowing. Strange but practical for winter season is to have fatty foods at least after every few days lends a healthy glow skin, a dash of ghee in food will help to fulfil the need of body heat. Don’t worry these all will not just give you a proper care to your skin but will also help you in keeping healthy and fit body even in this dry and scary winter. So say “no” to “chapped dry skin” and “yes” to “staying soft and baby pink”.

Shampa Saha BA (Psychology, Journalism and English