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How To Win Winter

How To Win Winter

Posted by YVONNE HA on on Feb 2nd 2016

Hello, darlings! It’s already February, which means winter’s almost over, but despite how much I love dressing up and looking cute in my scarves and sweaters, spring can literally not come fast enough! Having been spoiled by SoCal weather my entire life means that I’m a total hothouse flower! Anything below 60° F is a little too much for me, and I just hate not being able to feel my fingers and toes!

But chilly hands and feet aside, there’s another thing I dislike about winter—how dry my skin and hair get! Warding off ashy skin and frizzy hair is an unsavory battle I never look forward to, and I’m sure many of you are on board with me. So today, I wanted to talk about some things we should and shouldn’t do in our regular skin- and haircare routine to prevent dry skin and hair!

Okay so, when I think of the cold weather, one of the first things I want to do (aside from burrowing into a mountain of blankets and hibernating) is take a hot shower and bath. Because, after all, who doesn’t like a nice soak after a long day? But here’s the thing—and I didn’t know about this until recently either—hot water actually damages our skin and hair! It’s what makes our skin dry and itchy and hair frizzy. But don’t worry! It’s not like we’re doomed to only being able to take freezing cold showers! We just have to crank down the temperature a little. I can settle for less scalding showers.

Curling up with a cup of tea is a favorite pastime of mine, but I'd rather do it with non-dry hands! (Photo by Viktor Hanacek)

Here’s another thing we’ve probably been doing wrong all our lives—rubbing our body and hair dry with our towels. Even though it seems like the most logical way to dry off, doing so actually irritates our skin and damages our hair! No matter how soft our towels are, we have to remember there’s still friction when we rub them on ourselves! And since our hair is especially vulnerable to damage while wet, furiously rubbing it dry can cause it to tear and tangle. So what’s the better alternative to this? Pat drying is the way to go for your skin and, as for your hair, try gently squeezing portions of it with your towel to soak up excess water.

While we’re on the topic of showers, here’s something else you might not have known before: You don’t have to shower or wash your hair every day. This is especially true in winter, since we sweat less than during summer. Now before you get grossed out, let me explain why it’s actually bad to shower and wash your hair all the time: it’s because the constant rinsing and cleaning of our skin and hair strips away important body oils that keep them moisturized!

Having frizzy hair in the winter is the worst! Raise your hand if you agree! (Photo by Sergy Zolkin)

Instead of cleaning ourselves from head-to-toe every day, it’s better if we shower and wash our hair once every two days if we haven’t done any vigorous activities throughout the day. I noticed immediately that my hair looks best on the day after I skipped washing it, which is a real blessing, to be honest. That baby frizz has been driving me nuts for years!

Okay, so now that I’m done being the bearer of bad (but hopefully helpful!) news, here’s a recap and some quick and easy wrap-up tips for you to survive through the rest of winter!

  • Don’t take superhot showers! Lowering the water temperature will reduce skin dryness and irritation as well as prevent your hair from being frizzy and dull.
  • Unless you absolutely have to, only shower and wash your hair once every two days to retain essential body oils.
  • If your face feels especially dry and tight after washing it, it might be time to switch to a gentler cleanser! This goes the same for your body wash too. As a general rule of thumb, literally squeaky clean skin and hair = bad news.
  • This might sound like a no-brainer, but use lotion and face moisturizer! Better yet, get a deep moisturizing night cream and use it nightly.
  • This doesn’t necessarily help keep your SKIN moisturized, but it’s always good to keep hydrated! Drinking water does wonders for your complexion and health, so we should all try to stay hydrated!

And that’s it for today! I hope you were able to learn something from my tips, and that they were helpful. Even if winter has taken its toll on you this year, the battle isn’t over yet! With this new knowledge in our arsenal, I know we can come out of these remaining wintry months as radiant victors.

Fight on, darlings, and I’ll see you guys around! ♥

Here's to looking forward to Spring! (Photo by Viktor Hanacek