Tag Archives: Avoid synthetics

Our 5 year old played in the snow
without gloves during Swiss winter.
His dried out hands hurt so much
he couldn’t bend his knuckles.

Dry Skin and the Winter months wherever you are, the weather can be cruel to especially if you are prone to your skin drying out quickly, cracking and becoming irritated. Eczema loves to play havoc during the cold season which is not pleasant if you suffer badly.

Last year, during the cold Swiss winter, our 5-year-old son enjoyed playing in the snow at kindergarten without his gloves.
After a few days, his hands and knuckles were red and sore from drying out.He found it hard to dress and play with his Lego as bending his hands hurt a lot.He was also in a habit of using lots of soap when washing his hands and not rinsing properly, which was also drying the skin.

For him, we started monitoring him whilst he washed his hands to make sure there was no residual soap. as well as drying the water off. At bedtime, we applied Renew Balm to his hands, then put a pair of socks on his hands to keep the product contained, allowing it to penetrate into his dry skin whilst he slept.We only had to carry on with this routine for a week, which gave his dry skin a chance to repair.

Here are a few other suggestions for taking care of your Dry Skin During Winter Months.

1. Hydration
Make sure you keep your body hydrated and replenished with plenty of water. This helps your body to function, flush out toxins and keeps your skin looking fabulous. The recommended daily intake of fluids for children aged 5-8 years of age, 5 glasses (1 litre); from 9-12 years of age, 7 glasses (1.5 liters); from 13+ to Adults, 8-10 glasses (2 litres).

2. Avoid Hot Water
Make sure you only wash your face and neck with lukewarm or tepid water.This includes your baths, showers, shaving, cleansing and exfoliating. When your skin is sensitive and prone to drying out, you want to make sure that the temperature is not going to cause more damage and break the tiny veins in your face.Blotches are likely to happen when super hot water is applied to your face.If you really want to have a steamy hot shower, ensure the water is on your back or chest, but not directly on your face.

3. Be Gentle with Your Skin – all the time!
Try not to use harsh ingredients on your face. Avoid techniques that require you to pull or stretch your skin.Use gentle circular upward motions, and pamper your skin by tapping and stimulating the blood flow to your face. This will help you feel wonderful as you get ready to start your day or prepare for a restful night.

4. Moisturise Your Face
It’s important to ensure you keep your face moisturised for your day out in the cold weather. Use a good one that keeps your skin feeling soft and nourished, without the need to keep reapplying throughout your day. Often products are water-based and fluid, which tend to be drawn from the skin quicker than butter and oil-based products.
We make a range of moisturisers for various ages which help make the skin feel soft and nourished.
Natural Baby Moisturising Oil For Babies & Children,
Youth Face Balm for Under 30s,
Hydrating Face Balm for men Over 30s,
Nourishing Face Balm for women Over 30s and
Diamond Era Balm for women Over 50s.
We also make the Vitamin Rich Mens Face Balm and Vitamin Rich Womens Face Balm if your skin needs more tender loving care due to irritation or damage, and Evanesce Balm for those that have Acne which needs treatment.

5. Don’t Forget Your Hands, Feet & Body
Your body also needs to stay nourished in order to seal the moisture in your skin.The butter-based products literally melt onto your skin, helping it to stay soft and nourished.Our Geranium Hands & Body is lush and great for applying all over the body and suits expecting and nursing mums.For those that love Peppermint, Mint Body Butter is so delish you will be tempted to eat it … please don’t though! Peppermint Feet is a favourite for those that have cracked heels. It also helps with fungal infections and smelly feet.Though Peppermint shouldn’t be used if you’re expecting and nursing, so try Tango Twinkle Toes instead!Made with Tangerine, my daughter and I named it imagining expectant & nursing mums wanting to dance with their little ones whilst they were being taken care of!

Gallery: Before and After with Eczema, Renew Balm, Before & After using Pink Clays.

6. Rug Up & Stay Warm With Breathable Fibers
Prevention is always best, so make sure you keep your gloves on when out in the cold weather. Wearing Cottons also helps your skin breathe and prevents irritation.Avoid wearing synthetics, polyesters, and other fabrics which can cause your skin to sweat and itch. Pyjamas feel nicer when they are cotton too, particularly if you have skin prone to getting irritated whilst you sleep.

7. Have A Cleansing Routine at Night Time.
Did you know you are only meant to cleanse at night time?The reason for this is because our skin is subjected to pollution, dust and smog from traffic and the environment we live in. It builds upon our skin and if we don’t cleanse it out, the muck can begin to clog our pores.Make sure you are gentle when cleansing and to include your neck and shoulders if they are also exposed to the environment. Remove your makeup with either Almond or Coconut Oil.If you don’t like using oils, try removing makeup with a little Aloe Vera instead. Then you can use our Cypress Cleansing Balm which is made with Beeswax, Butters and Essential Oils.It feels wonderful as it penetrates the skin’s reserves – it’s just like having an all-natural Botox fill!

8. Monitor the Temperature in the Home
During the winter months, the temperature at home is usually really warm and toasty. This often high temperature dries out the moisture in the air and affects us with dry skin the most.In the mornings, you should start by opening your windows and changing the air in the home, refreshing any stuffiness. This is particularly important if you have sensitivity to dust or dust mites that thrive in warm climates.In the evenings, you can place bowls of water in your rooms to prevent your skin from dehydrating. You will be pleasantly surprised how much water remains in the bowl the following morning. You can also turn on your humidifiers to replace any moisture which is lost from having the heating on.Steamers are also great, especially if you are able to add Essential Oils to freshen and help clear any signs of Congestion and Sinuses.
We make Concentrated Serums which mums have been using in the bath to help their little ones with congestion and coughs. The carrier oil makes the products safe to use in the bath, which are Kids Breathe Easy Concentrate and Breathe Easier Concentrate .They can also be applied to the chest, feet, and tips of the nose for easy breathing.For infants, it can be used in a diffuser 30 minutes before being put to bed and on nearby linen. From 1 year of age up, you can apply to their pyjamas and feet. The direction is with the Product information.

9. Patience …
Patience is key especially if your skin dries out very quickly during the winter months. You have to keep applying, keep drinking fluids, keep yourself rugged up, stay moisturised and monitored your clothing and temperature all the time to prevent your skin from cracking.It’s often frustrating especially if your skin feels like sandpaper and looks like it’s been hacked by a knife.With time, and persistence, it will get better for sure. Just be patient!

10. Lastly… start all over again from Step No 1
And we go back to the top .. Hydration, Avoid Hot Water, Be Gentle With Your Skin – All the Time, Moisturise Your Face, Don’t Forget Your Hands, Feet & Body, Rug Up & Stay Warm with Breathable Fibers, Have a Cleansing Routine at Night Time, Monitor the Temperature in the Home and have Patience!

These are the steps I found worked best for me and when I don’t do these, my skin suffers for it.

And to treat yourself, if you love mucking around with Masks & Facials, you might enjoy doing this too:
1 teaspoon of Pink Clay mixed with 2 teaspoons of Aloe Vera, mixed onto your palm.
Apply to your face and allow to set.
When it dries, apply some warm water to soften before removing with either tissues or cotton wool.

The pink clay has a unique blend of Kaolinite, Iron, Montmorillonite, Illite, and Calcite. It helps to detoxify your skin, removing any dead cells and allows the creation of new ones whilst leaving you feeling refreshed.

BLOG PARTICIPATION:

We would love to hear what annoys you the most about the winter months and what you do to keep your skin from drying out. Share your tips and stories with us and we’ll give you something to try out.

Should you wish to contact us for more information about our All-Natural Products, please send me an email info@essentiallylili.com

You can read more About Lili here, see the range of Products on offer at Shop Categories or refer to our Blog Library for more topics covered.

Kind Regards Lili @ Essentially Lili