8 Ways To Beat Dry Winter Skin

Well it's that time of the year again. Christmas has come and gone leaving behind nothing but debt and a turkey gut. Which means it's time to layer on the clothing, and pack on the moisturizer because winter is here, and Jack Frost can be a total jerk. If your skin is anything like mine, it's about to get really uncomfortable, really quick.

For a while, I thought I was going to have to live with the annoying feeling of having tight, dehydrated skin every winter, especially under my eyes. I've finally discovered that there are great ways to beat the winter time blues. With these 8 tips, you can finally have beautiful, glowing skin over the cold months.

1. Layer, Layer and Repeat

Just using moisturizer isn't enough! In the past I would only use moisturizer, but no matter which one I tried I found that it just wasn't cutting it. After I started using a combination of a serum with a moisturizer and then my sunscreen, I noticed that my skin stayed much more hydrated throughout the day. Serums typically penetrate deeper into the skin and moisturizer takes care of the upper layers. Sunscreen tops it off by protecting my skin from the sun and adding more moisture. (I use the Tarteguard Sunscreen Lotion.) Other skin care products that are fantastic for dry skin are facial oils. Boscia Tsubaki Beauty Oil is a very effective facial oil known to have great results and keeps away that tight uncomfortable feeling throughout the winter months.

When you're shopping around for skincare products that are meant for dehydrated or dry skin, look for products with Hyaluronic Acid. This ingredient attracts and helps to retain water in the skin. Peter Thomas Roth VIZ 1000 has a 75% hyaluronic acid which is flying off the shelves at the moment. You will also want to look for ingredients that are nourishing and repairing to the skin like Shea butter. It is great for dry and rough areas and will leave your skin feeling extremely soft.

2. Protect Your Skin

You know when you open up your oven to check if your food is ready? Well that gust of extreme heat that attacks your face (and totally feels like it's melting your eyelashes) is really bad for your face. That alone is sensitizing your skin and making it more prone to dehydration. High heat temperatures will also wreak havoc on your skin, so if you love to crank up the heat in the winter or take really hot showers, just be prepared to feel it.The same thing goes for the cold dry air that we can't seem to avoid. The answer for that? Bundle up baby! Scarves are great for protecting your face from the wind. Heck, you could wear a ski mask if it does the trick! You might frighten people, but your skin will be protected.

3. Drink Plenty of Fluids

I know what you're thinking. Well duh, everyone knows that they're supposed to drink 8 glasses of water each day. But you would be surprised to know how few of us actually do this. I, myself am very guilty of this. There is only so much that we can do to help with dehydration from the outside. It is so important to hydrate on the inside and keep our organs healthy because they have a huge affect on our skin. After all the skin is the bodies largest organ and we need to take care of it to keep it functioning properly.

If you find that you have trouble digesting 8 glasses of water throughout the day because you're just plain bored of it, try infusing your water with cucumber or lemon. Not only does it taste amazing but the cucumber helps to hydrate because its full of minerals like potassium and magnesium.

Coconut water is another great drink to help fight dehydration. It contains a ton of minerals like magnesium, potassium and antioxidants. Sounds pretty good to me!

4. Take Your Vitamins!

Again, there is only so much we can do to better our skin from the outside. Making sure that we are getting the right amount of minerals and vitamins is essential for healthy skin. Omega fatty acids are extremely important for our health in general but did you know that omega's are great for skin. It's often recommended to take anywhere from 250-500 mg of Omega 3's daily, but if taking supplements isn't your thing, try incorporating food like fish (salmon, tuna, herring), nuts and seeds (like chia and hemp seeds) and eggs in your diet ( the egg yolk is what contains the omega fatty acid).

5. Put The Drink Down.

This one sucks. God knows I love my Pinot Grigio but let's face it, alcohol is no bueno for our skin. Ever notice when you wake up after having a bit too many? Well we pretty much look like crap the next morning. That's because alcohol damages the liver and dehydrates our body which affects the skin. Alcoholic drinks like cocktails, margaritas and wine have a higher sugar amount. Sugar is also really bad for the skin and causes premature aging, so the two together are a deadly combination. It's better to limit your alcohol intake and drink plenty of water to try to avoid more dehydration in the skin.

7. Treat Yourself To A Facial

Cold and dry weather puts so much stress on our skin. Taking a few extra steps to prevent the "I want to rip my face off feeling" is necessary. So because of this, book yourself a facial! Or if cost or time is an issue, give yourself one.

For an at home facial you're going to wash your skin with suitable cleanser first. This will remove the dirt and impurities in your skin without stripping the natural oils that you need. Next you will want to exfoliate. It's important to get rid of all those old dead dehydrated skin cells so that you can start the turnover of new and healthy skin. Our freshly exfoliated skin has a better reception to skincare products. To make life easier you can apply a serum that has exfoliating properties in it such as Drunk Elephants 12% Glycolic Serum which is meant for all skin types. It's a little on the pricey side but it's totally worth the dough. From here you can either do a hydrating or repairing mask depending on the condition of your skin. If there is a tight and uncomfortable feeling than a moisturizing mask will do. If your skin has already taken a beating from winter, is warm to touch or feels rough and flaky, a repairing mask would be more suitable.

8. Relax and Get Your Beauty Sleep

The winter months can really have a negative affect on people physically and mentally. Especially when it's dark from the time we leave for work and when we're heading home. From the cold weather, to lack of vitamin D, to all of the holiday stress that we go through. We need to take extra care of ourselves. The working woman tends to sleep around 5-6 hours a night, when the recommended amount of sleep is 7-9 hours. Getting that extra 2 hours of sleep really does help. Did you know that when we are sleeping, our body repairs itself? Our skins blood flow is boosted when we snooze. People that get enough beauty sleep tend to have a healthier complexion, so the next time you're thinking about staying up late to binge watch Greys Anatomy, think again. Slap on your night mask, jump into bed and go for a nice trip to dream land. Your skin will thank you!