Winters in Toronto can produce some of the best memories, from ice skating at Nathan Phillips Square to dazzling Toronto holiday light displays around the city. While you’re enjoying winter activities in the city, it’s easy to neglect what your skin needs to keep hydrated in these frigid temperatures.
It’s always important to protect your skin no matter what season it is, but winter can be particularly harsh — especially when temperatures drop below zero degrees. To combat cold weather, it’s important to take stock of how to protect your skin from head to toe.
Read further to learn about the ways you can protect your skin from those cold Canadian winters.
Bundle Up
It may seem obvious, but it can be hard to let go of the warm fall weather and fashions that accompany it. Donning oversized, puffer coats or wool hats and gloves isn’t a favourite for many, but it’s a small price to pay to protect our skin from harsh winter temperatures.
Winters in Toronto and throughout Canada can change drastically month-by-month, and our skin isn’t equipped to handle these changes on its own. It’s important to wear enough layers to ensure our internal temperatures remain consistent.
Hydrating Skincare
Creating a barrier against cold temperatures is essential to the overall health and well-being of your skin. Reliable skincare plays an essential role in this process. The products you choose to put on your face from November to March can significantly impact the long-term quality and elasticity of your skin.
Our skin is known to experience excess dryness in the winter, which is why investing in quality serums and moisturizers is essential. There are certain ingredients that will actively help your skin fight dryness and should be an integral part of your skincare routine. Ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, lactic acid, and ceramides each have their own unique properties that help lock in moisture and keep your skin hydrated even as temperatures in Toronto and across Canada drop. Professional skincare retailers are a great place to start if you’re unsure what products you should incorporate into your routine. With companies like SkinCeuticals shipping in Canada free, which is a worthwhile incentive.
Don’t Forget to Drink Water
While you may not think it’s as important to drink water during the winter as it is during the summer, your skin and body think otherwise. According to Joseph C. Watso, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine in Dallas, the kidneys excrete more urine in winter. Drinking adequate amounts of water on a daily basis will help ward off the dehydrating effects of the colder, dryer air. Don’t skip on fruits and veggies since they are 90-95% water.
Adding Humidity
A lack of humidity is one of the leading causes of dry skin, but not to fear, it’s easily remedied. One of the simplest ways to add more humidity into your household is through a humidifier. Humidifiers are available in various sizes and shapes to accommodate the size of the space and require only water to work their magic. By incorporating one of these devices into your home, you’ll see how your skin benefits from the added moisture in the air throughout the winter.
Stay Away from Hot Water
The warmer the water in your shower or kitchen tap, the dryer your skin becomes. If possible, try to keep the temperature of your shower or bath lukewarm to keep as much moisture in your skin as possible. You might also consider reducing the amount of time of your daily shower. This is not only good for your skin, it is good for the planet! For good measure, apply regular body and hand lotion in addition to your trusted facial moisturizer to keep your skin from becoming dry this winter.
I hope you find these tips to protect your skin during winter helpful! Please let me know in the comment section what else you do to keep your skin hydrated during the colder months.
