8 Wonderful Winter Skincare Tips !!!

As the WINTER months roll in, with dropping temperatures and shorter days, it's easy for most of us to stay optimistic with hot home-cooked meals, fireplaces and to easily fall asleep in cozy sweaters or warm blankets. But its also incredibly easy to just forget about the health of our skin!

Whether called "Winter Rash," "Winter Skin Syndrome," or just "Dry, Itchy Winter Skin," people are experiencing an increase of dry skin in the darker, winter months. This is because mother nature's cold air creates less humidity outside (stealing away the little bonus moisture to the top epidermis we get during the warmer months of the year), which in combination with the hot, dry air blowing from our heaters, can take a serious toll on our skin health.

When our skin is happy and healthy, it contains 20%-30% water. When the skin's water content drops below 10%, it begins DRYING and it can bring discomforting redness, itchiness, and flakiness to our precious skin – along with the start and/or worsening of wrinkles! If gone without being moisturized, the skin starts to harden, flake and irritate the nerves' closet to our skin.

If you're sadly suffering from dry, itchy winter skin here are a few tips that have kept our SanRe family and friends moisturized during the cool winter season!

There's a very loose promise on a lot of packaging nowadays that sells the idea of being natural, without actually being nurturing to the skin. Alcohol and water-based products promise to help, but the reality is that they dry the skin with every application… It's so advised to read the ingredients of all skin products before purchase. Caustic chemicals often included in the ingredient lists include, but are not limited to, perfume/fragrance, phthalate, dioxins, phenoexynol, parabens, sodium lauryl sulfate, diethanolamine, and formaldehyde. Using products with these, and other harsh/chemical/synthetic ingredients can further damage your skin and even truly endanger your greater health as well.

The primary way to rehydrate the skin's outermost layer is to trap moisture against the skin using a thick, rich moisturizer to create a barrier from the elements. Moisturizers mostly work not by putting water into the skin, but by slowing the natural loss of water from the skin.

Choose a moisturizer with rich, organic, and high-quality OILS. We're talking such wonderful oils as Avocado, Sea Buckthorn, Olive, Almond, Argan and Jojoba oils - ideally cold-pressed and certified Organic for the highest levels of antioxidants. Choose a moisturizer full of plant botanicals.

If you're oil-cleansing (see below), feel free to try oils that feel just a bit heavier in the winter, as well. Look for one that's both thick and organically mild and apply frequently. Oil-based creams and lotions, especially those laden with nutrient-rich essential oils, are soooooo vital.

Switch to a gentler Cleanser during the winter months! A lot of cleansers contain alcohol and harsh stripping chemicals that are notoriously known to dehydrate the skin. When you use a cleanser with alcohol, it will certainly “clean” your skin, but of everything good and bad. That means all the good oils that help keep your skin hydrated and healthy. So, try and use an alcohol-free cleanser made with natural ingredients. A good natural cleanser will gently clean your skin, but can also put beneficial oils back in the skin to help repair the natural and protective barrier of the skin.

Remove Makeup by Oil Cleansing. It's going to save your skin year-round, and it's safer than you think - even if you have breakout-prone or "combination" skin. Oil cleansing breaks down makeup because "oil dissolves oil," and the right oils will nourish the skin with high-quality botanicals. It's especially good for the sensitive eye area, and it's a smart system that will keep your skin clear and lusciously moisturized.

Warm, Short Baths, Not Hot, Long Ones

It's easy to convince ourselves that we need the hottest possible shower during the coldest months of the year. But consider this before boiling yourself clean, the hotter the shower or bath water, the more moisture you can lose from the skin. This is because of how hot water naturally opens the pores and liquifies oils away. Colder water has a natural astringent quality -meaning it helps tighten the pores. So, it's best to choose a warmer or lukewarm temperature accompanied by shortened bathing times to decrease dry skin.

Pat Skin Dry Post-Shower

This may not be news to most, but you need to pat yourself dry after getting out of the shower -especially in the winter. When you rub your shower moisture away, you’re likely also be rubbing away your skin's natural barrier and all the good that comes from it as well.

Soak & Smear

As soon as you step out of the shower, it's good to apply a quality moisturizer within three minutes -before all the dampness can evaporate. This will also help trap a little extra moisture from your shower. This is a trick many dermatologists call the soak and smear technique ;-)

Our FASHION choices should come at no harm… but sometimes we find cool trends that are Not Fitting for our Dry Skin. People with dry skin should not wear wool or heavy synthetic fabrics directly on their skin; as they cause too much IRRITATION and FRICTION for one’s already dry and stress epidermis! Cover up against the cold - but wear a layer of soft cotton or other comforting or soothing material.

Also, tight clothes and extra layers can sometimes trap sweat and moisture, causing acne on your back or derriere. Yoga pants might look cute, and leggings might help you stay warm, but make sure they still Let Your Skin Breathe!

Give lips extra special attention during the cooler months. The skin on the lips is especially sensitive to the cooler temperatures - and it's common for your KISSER to feel chapped and sensitive in the winter. Grab a almond oil-based lip balm and keep it with you. Almond oil is naturally rich in vitamin E as well as vitally containing several other vitamins and minerals. The vitamin E it contains helps to soothe, hydrate, and balance the skin.

Embrace WINTER with these tips for happy, healthy skin and feed it SanRe Organic Skinfood. Moisturize from head to toe with our line of body moisturizers and oils that come in a variety of natural scents for the skin. Switch to a gentle cleanser like our newest cleanser Coconut Cleanse that’s free from alcohol and harsh chemicals. Show your lips extra attention with our almond oil-rich Lip Balms – for you and your special someone!