Winter Hates Your Skin! Do Something About It.

Now that we're in the midst of winter, I'm sure most of you are dealing with the repercussions of the drier air.  You're having to moisturize your hair more frequently.  Maybe you're constantly refreshing your lip balm and making sure to reapply your hydrating lotion.  But, is there something else you're missing?

Typically, in the warmer months, we get to reap the benefits of high humidity weather.  Sure, the humidity makes our hair all frizzy but, that's a good thing, because we don't dry out as easily.  Our body actually benefits from the moisture in the air.
But, when humidity drops, like in the winter, we could actually loose more water than normal.  Not long ago, I was prematurely boasting about how the cooler temperatures would mean calmer skin.  I assumed that oil production would lower and I'd be sweating less frequently which would equate to perfectly clear skin.  Then, weeks later, I noticed a few breakouts.

Immediately, I started thinking about what could have went wrong.  After a few moments of thought, I realize how low my water intake had fallen.  Making sure that I was consuming enough water was on the bottom of my priorities. And of, course, I was beginning to suffer the consequences.  Recently I was having lunch with a friend of mine who always has flawless skin.  But that day, she was experiencing a few flare ups.  My first instinct was to encourage her to increase her water intake.

Just because we aren't sweating as much now as we do during the summer, doesn't mean we can reduce our water intake.  In fact, when moisture levels in the air drop, our body uses our internal moisture to compensate.  When you breathe into the cold air and see your breath, that's moisture leaving your body.  Water loss through the skin and lungs increases dramatically when humidity drops.  You could be losing more than 2 liters of water a day!  No wonder why your skin feels so dry all the time.

Your body has to prioritize whenever resources are low.  So when water isn't readily available, moisture has to be allocated to hydrating your organs & cells.  Our extremities and skin will suffer.  If your body will have to chose between your scalp or your lungs, your scalp will lose.

Don't put yourself in that situation where your body has to make a choice.  Instead, up your water intake to keep your moisture levels high!  Once I got my water consumption back in line, things started to improve.  So I urge all of you to always remember to keep up with your bottle waters full.  If drinking water isn't as appealing for you now that it's cooler, fill your cup with caffeine free, silica rich beauty tea.

If you are suffering with harsher symptoms, like dry eyes & nasal passages, consider grabbing a humidifier to help provide your body with the extra moisture it needs.  Bottom line, don't allow your body to walk around dehydrated while you overcompensate by laying on more lotion.  Let's #hydrateforthewinter.