The cold temperatures and crisp air of winter can leave our skin dry, dull and even cracked. Low humidity levels and hot heater air removes hydration from our skin making us susceptible to flakiness and even irritation. That’s why now’s the perfect time to put a little extra effort into a nourishing body care routine to help our skin maintain a healthy glow. It’s chilly outside so why not spend a few extra minutes indoors pampering yourself? Here are some easy ways to keep your skin feeling moisturized and looking radiant. 

How to Take Care of Your Body in Cold Weather 

These easy treatments promote skin health and overall wellness — a great way to lift your mood on an icy day.

 1. Dry Brushing

Gently massaging your body with a natural-bristle brush stimulates blood circulation, helps exfoliate the skin and is an invigorating form of TLC. Our skin is more prone to dryness and flakiness in the colder months and this helps remove dead skin cells and encourage cell renewal. Your skin will be smoother to the touch and look healthier with a nice glow. Additionally, dry brushing stimulates blood circulation and helps detoxify the body by supporting the lymphatic system. During the winter there are definitely days where we’re mostly indoors and moving less than on warmer days, so this body care technique is a nice solution to still gently get your blood circulation pumping.

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 2. Hot and Cold Therapy (Contrast Therapy)

Going from a hot to a very cold environment like a sauna to an icy pool has been a popular winter wellness activity for centuries, especially in naturally cold regions like Scandinavia or Eastern Europe. While you might not have a sauna or frozen body of water accessible, it’s relatively easy to recreate this hot and cold therapy (or contrast therapy) at home. This can be as easy as taking a hot shower and then committing to a minute of cold water to close out the session. It will feel uncomfortable initially but over time you’ll get used to it. If you want to up the ante, there are many personal sauna blankets on the market that you can use to spend an hour getting steamy. To mimic the ice bath, you could fill a tub with water and ice cubes or take advantage of the snow if you’re in a cold place — apply it to your skin for an icy self-care moment. Benefits include alleviating muscle soreness, reducing fatigue and cognitive benefits.

Be sure to contact a health-care professional before partaking in activities like cold plunging, as it’s not recommended for people with heart disease, high blood pressure or diabetes.

Body Skin Care Routine

1. Shower Oil

In the winter our skin needs moisturizing products and sometimes traditional soaps or gel-based cleansers can strip our skin. That’s when a shower oil in our body skincare routine does both the job of cleansing and soothing the skin. The oils create a protective barrier that helps lock in moisture, leaving the skin feeling supple and smooth. Almond, coconut and jojoba oils are great ingredients to make your skin feel revitalized in the shower and also make your shower a luxurious experience.

2. Exfoliation

Winter is a great time to remedy skin irritation, flakiness and issues like keratosis pilaris (bumpy skin) and ingrown hairs. Think of the colder seasons as the time to set yourself up for the warmer seasons when we show our skin more. Sloughing away dead skin cells with the help of in-shower exfoliating products can help alleviate blemishes, rough patches and issues like ingrown hairs, which can sometimes be painful. Outside of the shower there are also exfoliating lotions that have skin-renewing ingredients like alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) in them which help manage things like keratosis pilaris to make it more smooth and even out texture.

 3. Body Butter

Top off your body care routine with one of our favorite body care products — a comforting body butter that makes your skin feel velvety and look glowy. While in the summer body butter or oil can be a little too rich and maybe sticky, it’s perfect to apply to your winter skin before you go to bed in some cozy pajamas. You’ll wake up to radiant and nourished skin without any rough patches — the perfect way to end your day with a little self-care.