Winter Skin - update

A had to give y’all a mini update on my dry winter skin issues, because the advice you gave was so wonderful!


Julia suggested mixing sugar into some olive oil to slough off dead skin and moisturize. This advice has seriously changed my life! I’m not even kidding. I just poured a spoonful of sugar into a cup, poured a little olive oil on top, stirred it up, and went to work.

Note: If your husband gives you strange looks for taking a solo cup of goop into the shower with you, just assure him that you read about it on a blog. Mine is fully aware that blogging is the root cause of all of my strange behaviors, including taking twenty pictures of one pillow, standing precariously on furniture to get a good photo angle, and being obsessed with cleaning with vinegar, “Why does the house smell like pickles?” “Well I was reading this blog….”

I’ve used this mixture all over, but I really like it for my face and lips. Nothing says classy like giant flakes of skin hanging off your nose. Regular scrubs have always been too harsh for me to use in the winter, but this clears off all that yucky, scaly skin and leaves my face feeling super soft. Not only is this method effective, it’s also practically free and natural.

Strand family suggested lowering the temperature of my shower water. I am cold natured and I LOVE hot showers, but she is so, so right! Saying no to the super hot showers does make a difference. I’m trying to lower the temp little by little, and I’ve also taken to ending my shower with a dash of cool water. This helps close my pores and lessen the risk of skin irritations. Added benefit - the cool water has also made my hair much less frizzy. Apparently cold water smoothes hair cuticles.

Tracy suggested slathering on the moisturizer while still a little damp from the shower. I’ve been doing this and using Avalon Organics lavender body lotion. Since I shower before bed, I love that the lavender scent is nice and relaxing.

Ladies, thank you for all these wonderful tips! My skin is doing so much better. If you also suffer from dry skin, be sure to check the comments on the original post for more tips. If anyone has any additional dry skin advice, please share!

Don’t forget to enter my one year giveaway – I’ll be drawing a winner Thursday night at 7:00.

<3
Hattie

Winter Skin

"Really, cold front? Ten degrees! Really. You think ten degrees is acceptable Virginia weather? Because, really, this is the south and we don’t “do” ten degrees!" ~ This rant has been brought to you by my ridiculously dry skin that is crying for a little less brrrr.

Our cold snap is on it’s way to a four week run, and I don’t remember the last time my skin has felt this parched. My nose is flaking, my lips are so chapped they actually bled yesterday, my elbows and knees are not fit for human eyes, and my hair feels very straw-like. I need help! This is where you come in. I need some suggestions for how to treat all my scaly, flaky, cracked, and chapped skin issues. (This post is going to get some hits from very (ahem) interesting Google searches!)

Anyway, so far I’ve been applying Burt’s Bees lip balm like I own stock in the company and slathering on the Vitamin E oil morning and night. However, these measly measures are no match for the mighty wind of winter. So, any tips for turning my skin from armadillo tough to baby soft? I’d love to hear about the products you swear by, but I’m also super interested in home remedies. Extra kudos for natural and/or organic ideas and cheap and/or free ideas!

Please share, because most of the skin in America is also feeling the brunt of this deep freeze. We could all use a little TLC!

<3
Hattie