How to Deal With Dry and Itchy Winter Skin?

Winter dryness and itch, sometimes also referred to as winter eczema is a condition where the skin during the cold winter days dry out its natural barrier; thus creating dry, irritated and itchy skin. In some people this winter dry and itchy skin becomes so severe that their skin gets cracked and badly inflamed. Such conditions can really be irritating. This article discusses about how to deal with dry and itchy winter skin. These important tips can be of great help in fighting off and preventing dry and itchy skin.

Humidity helps in keeping our skin healthy and moist. When our skin does not retain sufficient amount of moisture, there develops the dry skin. This dry and itchy skin is usually a problem experienced in winter months, when the air both indoors as well as outdoors, has low humidity.

Let us understand how to deal with dry and itchy winter skin.

The commonest activity that usually adds to the dryness of your skin, is your shower. Many people generally spend long time in hot shower in winter days. However, as per experts, this habit can actually harm the natural barrier of your skin. Excessive exposure of your skin to hot water actually strips the skin off several essential natural oils present in the outer layer of the skin that help in maintaining proper natural barrier function. This is a very important point to note when discussing how to deal with dry and itchy winter skin. You must not take more than 10 minutes in showers, during winter seasons, and that too the temperature of water must not be very hot but warm and comforting – somewhere around 84 degrees.

One more thing that is needed to deal with dry and itchy winter skin is use minimal soap during cold days. Using excessive amount of soap or frequent use of sanitizers can result in skin dryness. Make use of the soap and sanitizers sparingly.

Apply soap only when and where required, especially under your arms, on your feet and in your groin area. Moreover, it is also important for you to choose, mild and fragrance-free soap as they are mostly designed for being less drying.

You must make use of moisturizer too often during the colder months. This is would surely help you deal with dry and itchy winter skin. Moisturizing products that are based on shea-butter could work wonders for dry and itchy winter skin.

Still wondering how to deal with dry and itchy winter skin? There is one more thing that you must keep in mind. You must choose your cleanser quite wisely. Make sure you avoid the products that contain harsh chemicals in them, as they can dry your skin out. Moreover you must also choose a cleanser that offers a bit of exfoliation; using which a gentle scrubbing will slough off the dead skin cells as well as promote healing during the winters, by bringing enough blood to the dry, itchy and affected area.

You need to shave less, especially during the cold winter days. You want to know why? Well! Every time you use the blade across your face while shaving, you do some sort of damage to the skin. Though minimal, still there is a damage to the skin underneath it; and this can result in dryness, as well as itch and irritation. So, you need to lengthen the time between your shaving sessions, especially in winter months, to deal with dry and itchy winter skin.

You must use a humidifier in winter season and that could help you deal with dry and itchy winter skin. You can find out cheap and fair options to have a humidifier this winter.

As your hands are continually exposed to dirt and pollutants, they are more prone to developing itchiness and dryness. So, you need to take special care of your hands, especially during the winter months. Use a hand cream, most preferably, a cream that is oil-free, and apply the cream any time you find your hands are out in the winter air.

You can even wear gloves to protect your hands in winter. This is a very good way to deal with dry and itchy winter skin.

You might feel like taking more of potatoes and meat during the winter seasons. However, supplementing your daily diet with more of fish, especially the salmon and tuna, is good. These foods are known to be great for your skin health as they help in maintaining the skin moisture because these fish are rich in omega-3 fatty acids.

Here we talked about some of the ways on how to deal with dry and itchy winter skin. These handy tips should help you rehydrate your skin, but if you do not find relief, seek advice from a dermatologist and take the best possible treatment.

“This winter, gift your skin the care it needs!”