North Carolina has been experiencing some of the coldest temps in years.  Needless to say, my “normal” skin has gone haywire! I am dry, itchy, flaky and am afraid that if I were in the right company they would want to skin me for handbags and shoes!

I did what any savvy gal would do and set out to research my options. I learned a lot more than I thought I would and have seen the improvements first hand.

First things first: hydrate. Plain and simple, cut down on the caffeine and drink more water.  Add healthy oils and fats to your diet as well. Extra-virgin olive oil or grapeseed oil and a healthy grind of fresh black pepper on any vegetable helps lubricate your skin from the inside out. I like to add avocado to my salads. Avocado, endive, a few walnuts, grapeseed oil and a squeeze of lemon is sublime.

Turn down the temperature. Everywhere. In the shower, in your house, the office and the car. Try to keep it comfortable, but not stifling. Run a cool-mist humidifier to put moisture in the air, or put on a pot of water to simmer on the stove top.

Don’t rub when drying off. Pat yourself dry. Then moisturize. I love Neutrogena Body Oil. Put a little on right after the shower. It’s light sesame scent is invigorating and fresh.  For body lotions I generally stick with Aveeno, Aquaphor and Bliss. They have a variety of weights and the scents are neutral and don’t overwhelm or mask any perfume I wear.

Faces need moisture. I will be quite honest, I used to spend a fortune at the cosmetics counter for moisturizers. Now? I use Aveeno and Neutrogena. For day I use Aveeno’s Positively Radiant moisturizer SPF 30. In the evening? Neutrogena for sensitive skin. To boost their moisturizing, I add Aveeno’s Active Naturals Positively Radiant Triple Boosting Serum. It’s lightweight and perfect under my moisturizer, giving me that extra kick that I need, without weighing me down.

Dry hands and feet are just as hard to tackle. There are a variety of options out there as well! I love L’Occitane Shea Butter. I put it on my hands, feet and elbows. It smells divine.  Some might think it is pricey, but it lasts for months. I have used about 3/4 of my tube and have had it for six months.  I have also used Thera-Seal. It works very well and is also quite effective.  Lotion up your hands and feet, slip them into cottong socks (or gloves for your hands) and sleep. If you want your feet to be silkier (and it takes a few weeks) pumice them gently once a week and moisturize, moisturize, moisturize.

Lips are the hardest things to keep softened. Stop licking them and do what I do. Coat your pucker with extra virgin olive oil or grapeseed oil! It works like a charm. However, if you are looking for portability I love Burts Bees and Jurlique lips balms. They hydrate and protect.

If you have chapped areas on your face and are adventurous, you can try what I did two weeks ago when I came down with a nasty cold. I rubbed the end of my nose and my lips with grapeseed oil and let it soak in. Then I put more on it. I then took out my Monistat Soothing Skin Care Protection Powder Gel and put a thin layer over them. The sore burning areas were protected by the dimethicone and healed up in just a few days! Of course, I kept repeating this every time I had to blow my nose. But no more irritation and I didn’t peel!!

How is that for better living through chemistry?

***Disclaimer***
From time to time, I will rave about products and/or write about their pros and cons. I have not been paid nor compensated to provide said review. I am simply blogging about a product or service which I purchased and felt it worthwhile to blog about(positively or negatively).

Should I receive a product to review, I will fully disclose said compensation.