The winter months can be incredibly drying for your skin. This is especially true for the skin on your face. Between the cold outdoor air and the warm, dry heat indoors, your skin will end up chapped, scaly or incredibly itchy. Winter dry skin needs more care and help than at any other time of the year, but the solution needs to be gentle and soothing. A three-step approach to cleaning and moisturizing your face will keep it healthy and glowing all winter long. These solutions can be made with many ingredients already in your kitchen.
Do-it-Yourself Winter Scrub
The first step to beautiful, hydrating skin is a gentle scrub that exfoliates the skin without stripping it of the natural moisture. One cup of sunflower seeds or flaxseeds can be ground into a consistency of sand. The seeds should be added to a half cup of heavy cream and mixed thoroughly. A substitute of half-and-half can be used instead of heavy cream too.
After the mixture is well blended, use it to on your face. Gently massage it into your skin for 60 seconds. This will help exfoliate the dead skin cells on your face. Rinse to remove it completely and dry your face with a gentle cloth.
Moisturizing Mask after the Scrub
This moisturizing mask is made with kitchen items already in your cupboards. It requires one papaya or avocado and olive oil. Peel and seed the papaya or the avocado and mash it in a small bowl. The consistency should be smooth, so mash it until the lumps are removed completely. Add a teaspoon of olive oil to the mashed papaya or avocado and mix well.
Use a spoon to spread the mixture over the face and neck. The mask should remain on the face for 15 to 20 minutes to get the full benefit. Alternatively, honey or oatmeal can be added to the mixture if you don’t have olive oil, or the mixture seems too oily. Rinse your face with warm water to remove the mixture.
Skin Toner to Finish
Aloe vera gel can be used to create a fantastic skin toner. Use a half cup of gel to a cup of water. You can add your favorite essential oil to the mixture too. There are many kitchen ingredients that can be added to the mixture if you don’t have essential oils. Green tea and lemongrass have aromatherapy benefits too.
Once you’ve decided on the ingredients, add them to a spray bottle to spritz on your face after washing or to be used throughout the day as needed to keep your skin refreshed and hydrated. If you’ll be using the toner strictly at home, you can use any clean, empty bottle and a few cotton balls to apply the toner.
Before applying anything to the face that you haven’t previously used, test it on a small area of your skin to make sure it doesn’t cause irritation or an allergic food reaction. It can be extremely detrimental to ignore your skin’s moisturizing needs. It can cause skin problems over time.