Whether the weather outside is glorious or cold, our skin cannot win. If you are prone to dry and dehydrated skin then you need to be taking extra care to look after it, so it's always looking and feeling as healthy as can be! This is best taken care of by adapting a daily routine that you can keep up with, not bombarding your skin with a barrage of products once your skin has already become dry in places. However, as with any routine, you must start somewhere and it can either be to prevent the occurrence of dry skin or to get rid of the pesky patches. Dry skin is caused by an imbalance of the moisture layer that protects us. This layer can be damaged in many ways: It can dry out in the summer sun By having your heating on too high in the winter Hot water can strip the skin of essential oils which also provides protection You could be using products with harsh chemicals or misusing products altogether. Luckily today, there are many tips, tricks and skincare products available (clean of course) that can prevent the dreaded dehydration that so many people suffer with. The one thing you will always hear from a dermatologist is to remove the nice, long hot bath or showers we enjoy at the end of a long day! We know, we hate the thought too, especially after a stressful day or during the colder months. Over exposure to hot water will strip the natural oils from your skin, leaving it unprotected. If you have ever stepped out of the bath or shower and your skin feels tight, then you have dried it out. To ensure your skin stays protected while in water, aim to reduce the temperature and the time spent in the water. We're not saying give up your relaxation and peace and quiet time altogether while you enjoy some down time, add bath oils to the water to moisturise your skin as you lay there or rub into your skin while showering. The bath oils will stay on your skin while in the water, leaving it super soft and supple. Choose bath oils with essential oils that suit your mood and preference. The exquisite Bamford Jasmine Bath Oil contains 100% natural oils that diffuse naturally throughout the bath water to provide instant relief to dry skin. There is no need for any sulphates, or you may know it as SLS, in oils or other skin hydrating products. Sulphate is an inexpensive ingredient which is added to a vast number of cosmetics and personal hygiene products. It's what is known as a surfactant (surface active agent). Its role in beauty products is to break down the surface tension between two liquids, or a liquid and a solid and allow for a better interaction of the two. It is also the ingredient which makes the foam and bubbles in your water and removes the oil, grime, and daily debris from your hair and skin. So what's the problem? SLS is known to be incredibly drying and can be irritable to your skin too, for this reason, you won't find it any of our products. Stick with beautifully natural essential oils to lock in moisture to your skin. You don't need the chemicals to create bubbles, take a look at Green & Spring Indulging Shower & Bath Foam. Another thing to keep an eye on when in the bath or shower is the exfoliator you use. It is healthy for you to remove the dead, dry skin cells on your body with a scrub, however, choose a gentle product, so you do not strip the essential oils again, leaving the skin exposed and without a moisture barrier. Pick a scrub which contains ingredients which not only exfoliate but soften and smooth the skin at the same time. African Botanics Marula African Multi Mud Body Scrub does just that. It features marula, baobab and avocado oils which soften, calms and smooths skin texture with fine lava crystals leaving it stimulated, radiant and invigorated. Once you have taken care not to overheat your skin or scrub off any layers, one mistake a lot of people will then make is to vigorously dry the skin with a towel and wait till they are dry to apply any moisturiser, if at all. Instead, gently pat dry your skin for a few seconds and use a moisturiser or body oil straight afterwards, this locks in the moisture already on your skin, as well as adding extra hydration. If you have super dry skin with lots of patches, treat your skin to body oil or facial oil - these are perfect for dry and dehydrated skin. If you have parched skin - choose a thick, rich moisturiser and let it soak into your skin over time in order to retain the moisture in your skin. Aurelia Probiotic Skincare Cell Revitalise Moisturiser is perfect to add a dewy, radiant look to your skin, while the soothing dehydrated skin on your face. To treat your skin, lavish it with the 100% natural Aromatherapy Associates Nourishing Body Oil which contains the nourishing ingredients macadamia and coconut oils. Or a natural soft body butter such as the Evolve Tropical Blossom Body Butter which contains organic Shea butter and natural Tahitian coconut Monoi (the sacred oil of the Polynesians), leaving the skin deeply hydrated. Other than which products we choose and how we look after ourselves, another huge contributor to dry skin is the environments we spend our time in. Dry air is one of the most common causes of dehydrated skin, and it can crop up all year round. In the colder months we whack up the heating inside which draws out the moisture in our skin and during the summer months, we blast out the air con which has a similar effect. Consider these factors when adapting your dry skin routine, does your skin need extra nourishment if you are going into a heated or air conditioned room? Try turning down the heater in the winter and throwing on another jumper and keep the moisturiser topped up on your skin, especially your hands! (They do say after all if you want to keep your age a secret, to look after your hands!) Protect your skin from top to toe, shop here for: Bath & Moisturisers
