Winter Wonders

It will come as no surprise that Winter weather is harsh on our skin. Cold conditions outside and dry heat inside, as well as peak cold and flu season takes a toll on us all. To help you out, we’ve put together a step-by-step guide on how to keep your body looking and feeling radiant through the winter blues.

1. HAIR HYDRAYTION

Sadly, the interchange between outdoor cold and indoor warmth in winter can spell disaster for your hair in the form of split ends, breakage and dryness. A simple way to overcome this is to deep condition your hair once a week when showering, leaving the conditioner on for a minimum of 30 minutes. This is even more effective if you use an oil-based conditioner as it will lock in moisture to your hair. Crucially, when you shower keep the water warm rather than hot to avoid dryness and scalp damage. Regular hair trims will also help keep brittle and split ends at bay this winter.

2. FACE THE MUSIC
Red cheeks are not just reserved for Father Christmas; even a five-minute walk in chilly weather can leave our faces red and raw with cold, and this can make our skin feel tender and dried out. Hydration is key to keeping your skin glowing, so be sure to up your water intake in the winter months. Swapping to a milder face wash will help repair your skin and keep it soft; peels, scrubs and masks are a no-go as they can increase skin irritation and tenderness. A heavier, oil-based moisturiser (think avocado, argan, coconut) will rejuvenate your winter skin by keeping it healthy and radiant.

3. PUT YOUR HANDS TOGETHER
During the Winter, the humidity in the outside air drops significantly, while inside, things are even drier, thanks to indoor heating. In these conditions your hands can be at risk of becoming dry and in some cases, sore. Make sure you moisturise your hands 5 or 6 times per day and choose a moisturising soap when washing your hands. During the night try applying a layer of hand cream under cotton gloves, this should help keep your skin soft, supple and free of cracks or peeling.

4. WINTER WORKOUTS
Winter wellness is not just about looking good, and the frosty season shouldn’t send your exercise regime into hibernation (no matter how tempting it is to get cosy on the sofa with a mug of hot chocolate instead of going for a run). Battle the cold and wet by layering up in activewear made of synthetic fabrics like nylon or polyester and beat the darkness by choosing brightly coloured activewear for high visibility. Warmups before exercise are even more essential in winter as they increase blood flow and temperature in the muscles and will therefore prevent injury. Keeping up an exercise regime in winter will give you more energy and expel any winter blues, as well as benefitting your body’s defence systems.

5. PUT YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD
Caring for your feet this winter will allow you keeping doing you every day. On chilly days it’s important to keep your feet warm and snug to avoid problems like chilblains as these can make walking very painful, so thick woollen socks are a must. The problem with this is that your feet are not exposed to any natural exfoliants for long periods of time, and this can lead to a build-up of hard skin. Untreated, this causes callus and cracked, bleeding heels. Avoid this issue with Footner Exfoliating Socks; they make use of the skin’s natural process to rid your feet of dead skin build-up and can leave you with baby soft feet after only one 60-minute application.