There is no doubt that summer is the best season for beauty. Sun-kissed skin, gently sun-highlighted hair and fresh airy skin seem to dominate our Instagram feed during these months while we frolic by the beach or the pool.
Winter can be a harsh time for beauty, drying out our skin and hair, making our lips chapped and hair dull and lifeless. However, now the weather is getting cooler and the days are drawing shorter, this doesn’t mean your looks need to suffer.
Here are seven easy hacks to keep looking like you just came in off the beach, all year round!
1. Invest in a humidifier
One of the biggest reasons that winter weather plays havoc with our beauty is dryness. Drying winds and artificial heat on cold days means our skin and hair dries out, making us look flat, sallow and robbing us of our radiance. Fight dryness by investing in a humidifier and running it every night, restoring moisture as you sleep. A humidifier works by releasing a fine mist of water which adds moisture to the air. In addition to beauty benefits, humidifiers can also alleviate cold and flu symptoms, another common problem this time of year.
2. Attack Dry Scalp with Sugar
A key problem area for dry skin in winter is the scalp: the skin on the scalp is particularly prone to drying out in cold conditions, causing flakiness, itchiness and dandruff. Rather than reaching for chemical-based anti-dandruff products when this happens, there is a simple (and natural!) solution. Simply add some fine granulated sugar to your normal shampoo and work it through your hair, massaging the sugar into your scalp to shift the dry skin particles. The rough sugar granules dissolve when you rinse your hair, making this an eco-friendly solution to dry scalp issues it avoids micro-plastics which pollute the environment.
3. Coconut Oil For The Hair
Dreaming of a tropical island with coconut palms swaying in the breeze? Bring a touch of the tropics to your life and give your hair a boost at the same time with coconut oil. During winter, harsh winds, chilly mornings and drying heat indoors can play havoc with your hair and you’ll find your mane full of split ends. Treating the ends with some coconut oil hydrate them and keep them healthy, thanks to the intense fatty acids and rich fatty acids this natural oil contains. Using hair health supplements can also give your hair the nutrients it needs and treat any conditions which may arise in colder months.
4. Keep Lips Bold and Healthy
Bring some colour and drama into bleak winter days with bold shades on the lip. Bright and bold matte lipsticks are a great choice for the colder months and the perfect complement to cosy coats and scarves. However, there is nothing worse than the bold matte colour on top of chapped lips, and chipped and dry lips can be a common problem in winter. Exfoliate your lips to keep them smooth and moist and ready for dramatic lipstick. You can even make your own scrub from brown sugar and olive oil and then use on your lips to make sure they are smooth before adding your matte colour.
5. Add Almond Oil to Cracked Cuticles
Winter dries out not just your skin, lips and hair, but also your cuticles. This can lead to dry, cracked cuticles which are unsightly and can be very painful. Almond oil is the perfect solution: apply generous amounts of almond oil to cracked cuticles to heal them. This natural oil will not only repair damaged cuticles and nails, and also help to maintain your skin’s moisture balance.
6. Teabags for the Lips
We’ve already seen how to exfoliate and smooth your lips with a scrub of brown sugar and olive oil, but there is more you can do to treat windburn on your lips. Cold, windy conditions not only dry out your lips but they can also leave painful windburn. You can soothe burnt lips easily and effectively with teabags. After making a cup of tea, put the tea bags in the fridge to chill them and then apply to yours, healing the windburn and moisturising your lips.
7. Seal in your Moisturiser
You already know that moisturising lotions, balms and creams are great for dry skin and cracked heels. But did you know you can make your moisturiser work harder by sealing it in with a pair of socks? When hydrating the skin on your feet and treating cracked heels, a common winter complaint, put on a large amount of thick lotion or moisturiser and then seal the deal by putting a thin cotton sock on over the top. The socks act as a barrier which seals the moisture into your skin. Do this just before bed so your moisturiser can work for you all night long.