Out of all seasons, winters are the trickiest when it comes to skincare. The dryness in the airbrushing against the roughness of your skin is something everyone wants to avoid. And if you think mere moisturizers are the cure for all this, you might be wrong. In winters your skin demands more than just care, It, in fact, needs pampering. Now to ensure the long-lasting health and the youthful glow of your skin, you cannot depend only on expensive skincare products. You would have to help your skin be healthy from within.
What actually happens is that during winters, the cold and dry weather increases the vata dosha in our systems and hence causes problems of skin dryness. Apart from inflicting its own effect, vata dosha also suppresses the activities of kapha dosha thereby bringing in common winter troubles. This includes pale, dry skin, itching of the body, brittle nails, split-ends in the hair, hair-fall, and dandruff. Prolonged dryness of your skin may also lead to early-stage wrinkles. the dryness also makes us prone to diseases such as Eczema.
The end to all these winter woes starts with oils, nourishment, and balancing of the vata. To survive winters with a smile, try inculcating these habits as much as possible in every way.
- Give your body daily oil massages and give your skin enough time to absorb the oil. You can use any oil, coconut, olive, sesame or anyone that you find handy. After this, take a bath using natural cleansers like gram flour, cream, milk or home-made scrubs. This would help you retain the moisture and glow from the oil.
- Try avoiding harsh soaps as far as possible. The more bases you use, the drier your skin becomes. Try using soaps that have glycerin and natural oils.
- Use warm and not hot water for bathing. Hot water makes your skin lose even more moisture.
- Use healthy oils in your food. Increase the consumption of nuts and dry fruits in your diet so that you get natural oils in your body. As per Ayurveda, the digestive tract during winters is at its best pace and so it demands a slightly heavier food diet. This would keep the kapha balanced.
- To balance the vata dosha in this season, consume more of sweet, salty and sour food items. To keep the vata in check, know the keywords ‘warm’ and ‘cooked’, And this will do to make your diet vata friendly. Dairy and citrus products also help to improve vata.
- Keep your skin hydrated by drinking lots of water. At least 8-10 glasses of water are necessary for your body. Water helps in keeping you moisturized from within and is therefore needed. Consume fruits and vegetables that have high water content so that you remain hydrated all day.
- Follow the usual cleansing, toning, and moisturizing skincare routine. An important point to take care of is that before moisturizing; make sure your skin is well cleansed, well exfoliated. This is because if you moisturize without cleansing, the chances of dirt being locked in your skin increases and so do the chances of pimple outbreaks. Therefore, cleanse well before you moisturize.
- Give your feet regular pedicures. Soak them in warm water with rose petals for freshness. Scrub your heels and moisturize them with lotion. Feet care becomes necessary because most of the times our feet are covered in socks or blankets. If they are not allowed to breathe, they begin to stink. So this is actually a remedy for both cracked heels and fresh feet.
- Chapped lips are another common winter woe. It is a fact that chapped lips indicate an unhealthy digestive tract. So inculcate fiber in your diet to keep digestion at its best. Rub some mustard oil in your navel when you go to sleep and this helps in keeping lips soft and beautiful. Avoid excessive petroleum jelly usage on your lips because that may darken your lip shade.