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Wintery weather means glistening snowfalls and warming by the fireplace. But during the colder months, cold temperatures and low humidity can cause skin to feel irritated and dry. When you know the right foods to eat and treatments to follow, you can help keep skin healthy during the winter months. Try out these seven wellness tips that will have skin feeling nourished and soft.
Turn on a Humidifier
When the temperature drops, the heat goes up indoors. This can decrease the level of moisture in the air and cause your skin to feel dry. Humidifiers emit moisture back into the air, which can help restore humidity indoors during the dry winter months. You can also add essential oils, like lavender, chamomile, or sandalwood, which have healing properties for the skin (and smell wonderful).
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Consume Collagen
Collagen is a protein in the skin that keeps it looking youthful and full. A study from Nutrients found that collagen significantly improves skin hydration, elasticity, roughness, and density. You can get collagen naturally by eating “nose to tail”, with foods like bone broth, offal, or whole chicken. You can also take collagen powder or capsules to supplement your diet.
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Get More Vitamin D
Nicknamed “the sunshine vitamin”, Vitamin D has incredible health benefits and helps skin glow from the inside out. Normally, the body produces vitamin D by absorbing sunlight. But in the winter, people tend to stay indoors and become deficient in this important nutrient. So make sure to eat foods containing vitamin D, like salmon, wild mushrooms, herring, and egg yolk. You can also take supplements, and health professionals at the National Institutes of Health’s Fact Sheet recommend the daily amount of 600 IU.
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Soak in a Hot Bath
What do many cold weather climates have in common? Spa culture. From the onsen in Japan and banyas in Russia, to saunas in Finland, these people know the healing powers of a hot bath. If you want to keep skin from drying up, take notes from them. Bathing and steaming for 15 to 20 minutes exposes the skin to moisture, particularly soothing during the dry winter months.
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Eat Seasonally
n Japan, Buddhist monks practice shojin ryori, a traditional style of eating that embraces the earth’s seasons. Nature brings forth the right foods during each season, to nourish surpluses or deficits associated with that time of year.
Indeed, winter vegetables can work wonders for the skin. Carrots contain vitamin C and beta carotene, two antioxidants that protect your skin from damage, according to research published in Foods. Other winter vegetables to keep skin glowing include kale, brussel sprouts, parsnips, rutabagas, red cabbage, and radishes.
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Apply Natural Butters
Green beauty products made from natural ingredients help restore skin without any harsh chemicals. In the winter, go for moisturizing natural butters like shea, kokum, coconut, and almond butter. Apply to the skin after showering or bathing and reapply to dry patches for soft skin.
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Practice Abhyanga
Ayurveda is a holistic, whole body healing system practiced for thousands of years in India. Abhyanga is an important aspect of ayurveda, a treatment that involves self-massaging the skin with oil. You can use warm herb-infused oils, like coconut, almond, or sesame. Abhyanga offers a great healing treatment for dry skin, bringing comfort and balance to the whole body.
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