What I am doing for my Skin and Hair this Winter? {Skin Care}

Btw, did I share with you guys that I am in Delhi and the weather is decidedly chilly and dry and my skin is really not doing that well without a moisturiser. Not that Hyderabad is not equally dry, though. So, how are you thinking of taking care of your skin from the onset of winters. Have you prepared it for the change in weather?

So, once upon a time when I had written about winter skin care, I had mentioned that our skin care regime starts with having a bath in a day but now I would like to change it a bit. Our skin care regime starts with how we start the day and what we eat. As it is, we take less water in winters and if the body lacks good fats, skin does tend to get dry. 

Tip #1 - Water does not hydrate your skin!!

Okay, so a very common misconception is that if we drink 10-12 glasses of water, it should be enough to hydrate the skin from inside out. Well, that is not so! Water is necessary to maintain hydration levels but not enough. So, what out body needs is good fat and omega 3 and vitamin E for keeping soft and supple. 

Solution : Load on the nut even before the winters set. If you do take any smoothies or oats or other cereals, put a spoonful of nuts in it. Otherwise, powder the nuts together and eat them with your meals once or twice a day. Another good option is flax seeds or alsi beej (in hindi). Roast them and powder them. Consume within 10 days. 

Tip #2 - Moisturize inside the shower!!

I have always recommended layering, specially in winters. But, an even better option which is helping me get through these days is moisturising inside the shower. Take your lotion with you and once you wipe yourself off, moisturize immediately. Forget the 3-minute moisturization rule. And, remember this instead. 

The skin is plump and extremely absorbent in the shower due to the heat and immediate cleansing so it drinks up the moisturiser or body oil you apply and prevents the water from escaping keeping your skin hydrated for an entire day. 

Sometimes, if your skin is extremely dry, you might need to apply the body lotion again in the later half of the day. At that time, you can use your toner and dampen your skin and then follow with the moisturiser; unless you take bath twice in a day!

Tip #3 - Sugar is your best friend right now!

Still feeling dry? Moisturising is not enough? Your skin needs regular exfoliation in the winters. And, you really do not want to use anything else right now. Sugar is hydrating as well as exfoliating so it is your best bet. I would recommend the homemade body polish which makes my skin absolutely amazing twice a week! Unless you have acne-prone skin in which case you need gentler exfoliation.

Another tip I would love to include here is that dry brushing should be a regular in your daily routine. It helps increase the skin cell turnover everyday and helps the body lotions and oils to get absorbed better in the skin. Also, it prevents the dry skin itch almost all day long.

Tip #4 - Not only hair but scalp also dries out!!

So, when you are busy taking care of your skin, do not forget that taking good care of scalp will keep the blood flowing to the follicles and promote hair growth which is generally less in the winter months. Also, scalp can get dry and tighten so I moisturise my scalp with 2-3 drops of pomegranate oil. You could also try out grapeseed oil for the oily skin or hair. 

Tip #5 - And, get going!! 

Do not ditch the early morning exercises in favor of warm blankets because it will make you lazier and prone to junk food cravings. And, in turn, cause you to accumulate more fat and make your skin dull. A fresh morning exercise can rev up your blood circulation as well making your skin well-accustomed to the weather changes. 

And, the bonus tip - Do not forget the sunscreen. Winter sun is just as strong as the summer one because UVA rays are still aging your skin.

These were my secret tips for skin and hair this winter. Now, its your turn. What are your special and secret tips for skin and hair care in winters?

Related Posts:

5 Tips for Autumn and Winter Skin Care
Suryamudra to produce heat inside your body
Tips to wake up during colder mornings

Nivea Express Hydration Body Lotion {Product Review}

Price: Rs 179 for 250ml

Pros

gets absorbed really quickly

hydrates really well

lasts long

My Experience

As you all know, Nivea is my favourite brand. Ok, I know I am sounding like a broken record...repeating the same thing time and again. Anyways, I got this body lotion when I had run out of everything but later on, I did find a body butter left over and parachute body lotion as well. 

Back to the review, the product is white in color and comes in a typical Nivea packaging. The texture of the product is really thin so it gets absorbed really fast but, amazingly, it stays on skin for long. As far as I have seen, it stays all night long.   

It keeps the skin moisturized and hydrated and stays true to its claims of express hydration. It boasts of hydra IQ formula (which is really good) and blue lotus scent (which I didn't really find amazing). The product makes the skin look glowing and supple and has no cons for me.

Anyways, I do know that nivea has amazing creams which have been launched outside...wish they come to India real soon. This product is an absolute try and the best part is it relieves my skin's dryness even these days so it is absolutely useful for dry skin as well. It also works well on dry feet.

Have you tried this? What did you think?

Other products from Nivea:
Nivea Fruity Shine Dragon Fruit vs Pomegranate
Nivea Refreshing Cleansing Milk
Nivea Nourishing Body Milk

Biotique Bio Wheatgerm Firming Face & Body Cream {Product Review}

Price: Rs 199 for 55gms

Ingredients

Pros

keeps the skin moisturized

amazing as hand and feet cream

can be used for cuticles and nails as well

removes tanning to an extent and lightens skin tone

Cons

can be greasy for not so dry skins
ingredients list is a mystery still!!

My Experience

Its been an year since I have used it but when I thought of putting up its review, it was already summers so it wouldn't have been of any use to anyone. So, I thought of deferring the review for these winters :) And, do I need to say more that I waited for winters to put up the review?

Biotique as a brand I love but their ingredients list is always an issue. But, their products almost always work for me so I do think of going back to them. This is also one of the good ones. The texture of the product as you can see is pretty thick.

Yes, it is absolutely amazing for dry skin. In winters, it absolutely solves the dry patches problem. One needs to use a wee bit amount of the product and you are good to go. It does lighten the tan and pigmentation you might have. But, the best way to use it is as a hand cream.

It is thick so it keeps the hands soft and moisturized all winters. And, as I said, it also lightened the color of my hands. And, it kept my cuticles also in check. Yes, I have used it on my face also and totally liked it but yes, it can get a bit greasy so unless you have very dry skin, you can skip it.

Its also great for arms and legs and feet as well. Just as it keeps the hands soft, it keeps the feet moisturized and prevents cracking of the heels unless you torture them :D So, yup, go for it this winters, if you haven't used it and I am sure you will love it as well :) And, if you have used it, so share your views!

Other products reviewed from Biotique:

Biotique Bio Musk Root Hair Mask 

Biotique Bio Pistachio Ageless Nourishing and Revitalizing Face Pack 

Biotique Mountain Ebony Fresh Growth Stimulating Serum 

Biotique Bio Henna fresh Powder Hair Color 

Biotique Bio Flame of the Forest Fresh Shine Expertise Oil

5 Tips for Autumn and Winter Skin Care {Five Series}

So, winter is almost at the door step and autumn has already made the air pretty dry. The climate of Hyderabad is dry and it just gets more and more drier and sitting in AC doesn't really help!!! Couple of days back, I felt my skin was getting stretchy even after applying loads of moisturizers. So, how did I overcome that? Check out.

Good Cleanser

A gentle, SLS-free cleanser has really helped with the hydration levels of my skin. Recently, I tried out an SLS-based face wash for review purposes and I was amazed at the difference it made to my skin. My skin felt dried up and starved of moisture.

Hydrating Moisturizer

I did realize in this entire process that simply using loads of moisturizer doesn't really help. A hydrating moisturizer is the need of the day. So, I used my trusted aloevera gel and it worked!!! Yup, try to get a water-based gel moisturizers. There are loads in the market, especially, from big brands.

Exfoliation

Yes, something which I have NOT been doing but its extremely important. Dead skin cells are more during colder and drier months so a hydrating scrub is very effectively in preserving the lipid barriers of the skin. Raw Sugar or Jaggery works out the best for me.

Oils

Yes, I know you are afraid of oils but not oils are really oily and using correct amount of oil is very necessary. A drop or two is generally enough. And, there are loads of facial and body oils these days which do wonders for the skin.

My recommendation would be a drop or two of Apricot Oil which goes on skin like silk and makes skin amazingly soft and NO grease either. I do wanna use other amazing oils like rosehip and such and will report back after I use them ;) And, by the way, the oily skin gals can also use oils.

Layering

This is one of the tips which is really effective. Sometimes, products used can be ineffective on their own, especially for dry skins!!! So, layering helps a lot. I do that sometimes for both my face and body. The aloevera gel goes first and then I use a drop or two of any facial oil. Similarly, a body oil coupled with a great body lotion helps the body.

Please remember that all the above tips apply all over the body and not just the exposed parts. So, follow them and enjoy the soft skin this winters :) And, I am so excited for winters. Its my favorite-st climate :D How do you keep your skin protected in winters?

Related Posts:

How to protect skin this winter?

Winter Skin Care Lotions 

Keep your skin moisturized this winter with Banana 

Is your skin itchy?

Get soft lips this winter

From the Archives : Do you know why is your Skin Dry? {Skin Care}

Revisiting this post and updating it. So, please go through it once again! 

This winter has been particularly dry in the city and after ages of time, I experienced flaky and cracked skin! And, it has been hell for me for the past couple of days! Which made me realize why is my skin reacting in this way!

I have used coconut oil, almond oil, apricot oil, even cocoa butter and the recent DIY - washed ghee. They have all helped a bit but not much! And, then, I recalled that there are actually two types of dry skin - dehydrated and actually dry skin!
  
Do you really know the difference between dry skin and oily skin? Yes, you will say. Dry skin feels stretched and oily skin is like a frying pan. But, ultimately the chemistry of both these types of skin lack some important ingredient which keeps the skin balanced. Either the skin lacks hydration or moisturization. 

Hydration means water and moisturization means oil.

Now, do not confuse the two. A healthy balance of the above two is the key to that perfect skin and solving all the skin issues which plague you. So, let us look at both of the terms with respect to their skin conditions a little closely. 

Why Dry skin?

Skin can be dry for two reasons - it lacks water or the hydration levels of the skin is too less because of the less water consumption by the person, if we cancel out all other factors which lead to dry skin and assume that the person is following healthy skin habits. Also, there is a decrease in the natural skin oils or lipids which create a protective layer over the skin and help keep it moisturised.

So, to counter dry skin, apply both oil and water based moisturizers or you can use different moisturizers having water and oil and layer them. That is what I do. I use aloevera gel first and follow up with a facial oil. Doing just either of these steps will make the skin feel stretchy. Also, a tip is to apply the moisturisers and oils on damp skin.

Also Read: What hydrates our skin?

Which Dry Skin do You have?

So, now, it is up to you to decide which dry skin do you have? In most of the cases, generally the reason for dry skin is dehydration instead of lack of oils!

Drinking More Water does NOT help

Now that you know that your skin is dry due to less water content, I would like to add that drinking up a lot water and herbal tea does not replenish the moisture levels in your skin! The acidic level of the skin and the lipid barrier has been disturbed which is why skin is behaving in the way it is!!

Even Oily skin can be Dehydrated!

Even in oily skin, there is ample of oil but what it really lacks is hydration. Even oily skin can get dehydrated and this dehydration sends mixed signals to the brain which in turn causes skin to produce more oil to counter the missing water from the skin.

Result - even more oily skin but no hydration. So, to counter oily skin, apply water-based moisturizers regularly.

How to Treat this kind of Dehydration?

• Eat a lot of omega 3's - nuts, flax seeds, fish.

• Eat water based fruits! 

• Avoid dry brushing at this time as it can worsen the situation! 

• Avoid hot water baths at ANY cost! Trust me, I am doing the same. 

• Check out the cleanser you are using. Make sure it is mild and is not made of any acids, even salicylic acid! 

• Exfoliate your skin regularly because it will be turning flaky quite a lot! And, always use hydrating scrubs. The best bet would be sugar scrubs. Avoid salt and harsh scrubs at all costs!!

• Apply sunscreen in the morning and follow a stringent skin care routine at night. Use of toners is a good choice! 

Remember that skin will take time to heal!! So, be regular with your skin care routine. And, your skin will improve in 2-3 weeks.

What do you say? Is your skin dry or dehydrated? Does it need more water or oil? And, what are you doing to keep your skin soft this winter?

Related Posts:

Excess Body Heat and Acne
Banana Peel for Acne
How to make the skin clear and get rid of scars and blemishes and dark spots?

Tip of the Day

I love winters probably coz it gives me more reasons to cuddle :) Well, in winters the only thing irritates me is dry skin. So my mommy gave me a tip, which she read in some newspaper. So, here is the tip.

Take half banana add 2spoon of olive oil & blend/mash it. Add some drops of lemon.

This will reduce dryness & gives a glowing skin as well. Instead of lemon you can also use some other citrus fruits which might be less acidic in nature like oranges. [Check out this post in which I discuss the pH levels of all citrus fruits]

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Thanks Punam for such a wonderful tip :) Btw, you might also want to check this amazing product reviewed by Punam.

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