Do you suffer from dry, itchy skin in the winter? Also known as the dreaded “winter itch”, the winter months can take your skin from silk to sandpaper. During the summer months, the humidity that we often complain about helps to keep our skin moisturized, but in the winter, the lack of humidity leaves us with dry, itchy skin. Fortunately, there are quite a few things you can do to keep your skin silky and healthy, season after season.

Moisturize

There is no substitute for a good moisturizer during the winter. When searching for a winter moisturizer, avoid lotions and head towards the creams. Typically, “thick” and “greasy” aren’t words we look for in a moisturizer, but during the cold weather months, that’s exactly what you need. An inexpensive solution is petroleum jelly, but creams that have ceramides, mineral oils, and shea butter are also good options. To get the best results, apply the cream right after you get out of the shower so that the moisture gets locked into your skin.

Get Picky With Your Water

Logically one would think that if your skin lacks moisture the corrective action would be to get in some water. That is not the case, in fact, water can further strip your skin of its natural oils. The water that you shower with could be “hard water”. Hard water has high levels of calcium and magnesium. Anyone who has ever cleaned a bathroom is familiar with the gunk that is so hard to get off of the showerhead and faucets; that gunk is a build-up of the minerals in hard water. Those minerals clog your pores which makes it nearly impossible for the soaps and moisturizers to work effectively. The best solution to this is to purchase a water softener, which will help to filter out the minerals, and as an additional perk, it will reduce the amount of soap and moisturizer you need! 

During the winter, a nice hot bath always sounds like bliss, but sadly, this could be making your dry skin worse. Hot water is more likely to wash away your body’s natural oils. When showering, ensure your water is just lukewarm, and try to keep your shower to 10-15 minutes.

Avoid Irritants

Clean, silky, healthy skin is the goal. Unfortunately, a wide variety of soaps and moisturizers are made with ingredients that paradoxically dry out the skin. Fragrances are a very common allergen and can make already dry skin even worse. Avoid soaps and creams with retinoids, alcohol, and antibacterial soaps. Look for products that have the National Eczema Association Seal of Acceptance which is a program that certifies products that are best for dry skin. Many irritants are also found in laundry products so consider switching to a “Free and Clear” laundry detergent during the winter months.

Conclusion

Winter itch can be uncomfortable, embarrassing, and painful but by giving your skin some love and attention it can be controlled. 

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