The weather during the wintertime can be devastating for your skin. The air is drier and colder, and that means that your skin is going to have different needs during the winter months than it does during the summer months. You will be happy to know, however, that you can take control of your skin care now rather than wait until warmer weather in the spring. The cold weather may take its toll on your skin, but you can do a lot to protect it and even improve the quality of your skin. This report will explain to you a few of the steps you can follow to protect your skin during colder weather.
Choose the mildest soaps possible for your body during the winter. The majority of soap products we use on our bodies when the weather is hot contain deodorants and are anti-bacterial as well. These elements are great sometimes, but using them all the time can strip your skin of the essential oils it needs to stay moisturized. We realize that, especially in summer, you feel cleaner and fresher using deodorant soaps. Nonetheless, you don’t need these harsh chemicals in the soap you use in the winter. All you need to use are 100% natural, mild soaps. Try to pick soaps that have little or no scent. Most scents are not natural, but are based on chemical formulas. If you must choose a scented soap, make sure the ingredients are all natural. Look also for a laundry soap that is pure, with no added chemicals to give it a “pleasant” odor.
Work with an aesthetician or a professional cosmologist. You should not rely on the recommendations that your drug store clerk may suggest when you a looking for a moisturizer; they are not particularly knowledgeable about such things. Some of the top notch department stores (or local salons and spas) offer consultations with qualified people who can give professional advice on which skin care products will give your skin the protection it needs from harsh weather during the cold season.
It might be a little more money up front, but you will end up saving in the end.
Moisturizer is your best friend during those cold and dry winter months. Wintery weather can be the culprit that may chafe your skin. Once winter is upon you, the most vital product you should have on hand is an efficient moisturizer.
Of course, not all moisturizers are the same. The basic make up of one may be water, while another is oil. You need to evaluate your skin type to figure out which moisturizers will work best for you. For instance, if your skin is oily already; you certainly would not use an oil based moisturizer. When your skin is dry in nature; the oil based moisturizer would most likely be the better one for healthy skin.
The method you use to take care of your skin is basically the same throughout the year.
A main concern is to have clean skin all the time. It should be clear and as blemish free as possible. A regular visit to a dermatologist is a good idea to catch any potential problems when they are just starting. What you have to change, however, is the skin care products that you use each season. Water based products are great for the warm months, but in the winter months you need something oil based and more heavy duty. If you just keep an eye on the condition of your skin as the seasons change, you should do just fine. Just remember that staying hydrated and warm are the key factors for the cold winter months.
Hi Dr. Obagi,I was so glad to find this blog and to know that you have an OTC line. I’ve been using NuDerm for aomlst 16 weeks now, including the 10% Vit C serum. My melasma, which has given me so much grief for so many years, has improved a lot and the texture of my skin has become smooth, I love it! However, the redness and flaking continues and sometimes the dryness, too. I thought that by this time my skin will be used to the active ingredients but it seems like I’ve developed full blown rosacea (without the pustules). Before starting on NuDerm I had sensitivity and reactivity problems already perhaps from trying different moisturizers throughout the years. My dermatologist tells me that the rosacea-like symptoms I’m experiencing is will always be there as long as I’m using the bleaching products . She suggested using the blender/tretinoin .025% twice a week only but when I did (last week), I noticed some darkening of the patches beginning to reappear. I must point out that I’m very vigilant about using the 35 SPF sunscreen, staying out of the sun and wearing a wide-brimmed hat if I have to be out during the day. Is there any way I can incorporate the Rosaclear into the NuDerm? Like using the moisturizer perhaps after the Vit C serum in the morning instead of using the Clear and continuing the nightly regimen?I feel like my dermatologist isn’t giving me other alternatives and need your help in leading me to an alternative protocol/Obagi products. Please let it not be a choice between melasma and rosacea that will truly be heartbreaking!!Thank you so much.