• Why is our skin most prone to irritation in winter?
• How can we protect our skin from adverse winter weather conditions?
• Natural products that create a protective barrier on the skin
• Skin care in the winter season

Quite often we talk about the need to protect skin in the summer, when our bodies are exposed to a lot of the sun. Most of us usually think about protecting our skin from excessive UV rays. However, not everyone remembers that in winter both the skin of the face and hands are exposed to harmful external influences. Low air temperature, too high or too high humidity and strong winds contribute to the fact that the skin very quickly becomes excessively dry, irritated, reddened, begins to peel and even itches and is prone to cracking. In addition to the weather conditions outside, there is also the problem of dry air indoors when the heating is on, and we often unknowingly dry our skin when we are cold after a full day and prepare ourselves for a hot bath. Therefore, in order to prevent drying and irritation of the skin in winter, we should protect and protect it properly, preferably in a proven and natural way.

Why is our skin most prone to irritation in winter?

In the winter months, our skin becomes dry and irritated by strong cold wind, frost and snow and is more prone to pimples, because in winter the air becomes more polluted due to increased smoke emissions from chimneys, dust, smog and dense cloud cover. Therefore, the winter protection should be completely different than in other seasons. During the coldest months, our skin is less hydrated than it is during the rest of the year and there are fewer lipids in its natural protective barrier. This is the reason for its increased susceptibility to external factors and its worse appearance. It is then necessary to restore the lost ingredients to the skin.

How can we protect our skin from adverse winter weather conditions?

The foundation of facial skin protection is proper hydration right after cleansing, but you shouldn't apply moisturizer immediately before leaving the house, and even more so when we're outside. Outside, preferably just before entering, we should only protect the previously moist skin with greasy cosmetics, i.e. the so-called occlusive layer, which locks the moisture in the skin (Latin occlusio - "to close", consists in to form a film on the skin that protects the skin from excessive water loss). These are products based on fatty components that provide an additional protective layer to the natural hydrolipidic barrier .

Natural products that create a protective barrier on the skin

Our mothers and grandmothers used to use cosmetic petroleum jelly for this purpose, but today we know that its use over time clogs the pores of the skin, leads to deterioration of the complexion and is difficult to wash off every day. The best way to give the skin such a lipid barrier is therefore to use only natural products that give the skin a partially permeable protective film. When the temperature outside the window reaches about zero degrees, it is worth applying natural oils to the face and skin of the hands, which will form a solid protective layer, i.e. H.:

• cocoa butter,
• Shea butter ( Karite butter ),
• beeswax,
• Jojoba oil,
• Coconut Oil,
• sweet almond oil,
• extra virgin olive oil,
• Avocado oil,
• argan oil,
• squalane

When applying a liquid oil to facial skin, it pays to use just a few drops and dab onto previously applied moisturizer. Solid products like shea butter, cocoa butter or coconut oil only need a few seconds to warm up in your hands.

It is also worth knowing that not all oils form an antifreeze layer. Those with a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids penetrate the epidermis. Therefore, oils from: borage, wild rose, linseed, sea buckthorn, borage, raspberry seed, safflower, black cumin are not a good solution in this case to protect the face from freezing temperatures.

Skin care in the winter season

In winter, it is especially worth limiting washing of sensitive facial skin with degreasing and rather strong soaps and cosmetics containing alcohol. For people with sensitive and dry skin, micellar fluids can also be unsuitable in frosty weather, as they withdraw the protective water-fat mantle of the outer skin layer. Then you better reach for a natural facial cleansing oil that not only removes impurities and make-up, but also adds an extra layer of protection and nutrients such as vitamins and plant extracts. Also, let's not forget that we should also wear sunscreen in winter, especially when snow has fallen outside and it reflects the sun's rays. Then ultraviolet radiation reaches the skin and significantly contributes to the acceleration of the skin aging process, as well as its drying and weakening of its condition.

As it turns out, winter care based on natural and readily available products is not difficult at all and does not require any special, additional and complicated treatments from us. Simply choose one of our favorite natural vegetable oils and apply to previously cleansed and thoroughly moisturized skin before leaving the warm home and heading out into the wintry weather.