Cold weather can dry out the skin significantly, leaving it itchy, cracked and sore. In this article we look at the best way of protecting skin from the chill of winter.

The colder weather brings a whole host of problems for sensitive skin, leaving it dehydrated, fragile and prone to itchiness. That’s down to how much more moisture is lost from the skin in colder, drier conditions, compared to when the air is warm and humid.

Protecting dry skin from dehydration is all about reducing moisture loss. The good news is that although we can’t control the weather outside, we’ve got some great ways to protect your skin from the worse effects of the cold.

Tips to protect skin in winter

1. Stop water loss with an oily barrier cream or balm, such as Skin Salvation. A balm with a high oil content and no added water can form a protective layer over depleted skin, acting as if it were a second, more waterproof skin. In cold, windy weather it’s worth applying Skin Salvation over your exposed skin to reduce transepidermal moisture loss.
2. Protect yourself with sunglasses, sunscreen, hats, scarves, gloves, balaclavas and lip balm! A physical barrier between your skin and the cold air can really help.
3. Turn down the heating! Dialling down central heating can keep the humidity inside your home more comfortable for dry skin.
4. Don’t wash hands with hot water and soap: stick to warm water, which is less dehydrating, and a gentle ph-neutral wash. rather than irritating bar soap. Make sure you pat your hands dry with a clean soft towel afterwards, and then pile on the Balmonds hand cream or balm!
5. Reduce exposure to hot water - keep showers and baths short and sweet, and free from bubbles. Add a little Balmonds Bath & Body Oil to your water to reduce the drying effects of bath water. As with hand washing, pat dry afterwards then moisturise as soon as possible. 
6. Do apply sunscreen, even if it’s cold. Sun exposure is very damaging to skin, and can exacerbate the effects of the cold, dry air.
7. Switch your fancy skincare for plain, simple, natural alternatives. If your skin suffers in winter, it might be best to keep beauty treatments, perfumed lotions, synthetic creams and scrubs for summer, when your skin is more resilient. Fragrances are highly irritating to a good percentage of the population, and aren’t actively involved in helping your skin!
8. Get the nutrients in! Whether that’s making sure your diet is full of all the good stuff for skin health - leafy greens, nuts, fish, seeds, berries etc. - or supplying the fatty acids and vitamins it needs by putting them directly on your skin, feeding skin with regenerative nutrients is an excellent strategy for protecting it against cold.

Skin Salvation is formulated with EFA-rich hemp seed oil, as well as nutritious herbal tinctures, to make sure thirsty skin gets what it needs to repair and protect itself.

Recommended products for winter skin:

Balmonds Skin Salvation
with hemp and beeswax

Balmonds Daily Moisturising Cream
with shea butter and calendula

Bath & Body Oil
with lavender, hemp and olive