Soothe Chapped Winter Skin

person angelina swanson
calendar_today Feb 17, 2024
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The cold, dry air of winter can wreak havoc on our skin. Living in the harsh high desert of Central Oregon, we've learned a thing or three about how to soothe and replenish our skin. Here are a few tips from our team.

Moisturize Every Morning and Again at Night.
We can't stress this enough. When the elements are drawing out your natural moisture, you need not only hydration, but protection for all your exposed skin.

Avoid prolonged exposure to hot water.
I know- this is the worst one! But hot water really takes it out of us, literally. Keep your hot showers and soaks as brief as you can.

When you soak, follow with an instant hydration application.
The moment after you rinse off and pat yourself dry, start moisturizing. Either use oil, cream or a body butter. Whichever you choose, make sure you do it right away. After showering, steaming or soaking, we have about 2 minutes to apply a moisturizer before our skin starts drying up! I LOVE soaking in my hot tub or a mineral rich hot springs and I wish I could stay in that water all day. To combat the drying nature of hot water (which sound ironic, doesn't it?), I immediately take a warm shower and use our shea-butter infused sugar scrub all over (except for my face). After rinsing off, I pat myself dry and either massage in a nourishing, ceramide rich body oil or body butter.

Is your face chapped, raw and red?
I totally understand. That's what happens to my face anytime I'm out in the cold and wind - and I'm out in it a LOT! Backcountry skiing is a passion of mine and I try to keep my face covered, but sometimes it's not possible. Whatever skin is exposed, turns bright pink and feels painful once I get home.
My remedy? Well, I've found a few that work. First, I very gently rinse the sunscreen off my face with warm, not hot water and a cleanser like our Hydrating Cleanser. If I'm staying in a backcountry hut, water is precious, so I bring the Apple Chamomile Micellar Water and use that with a soft cloth. It takes off sunscreen like a champ and never sensitizes my face. Next, I place a dab of the Honey Avocado Rescue Mask in the palm of my hand, add 3-4 drops of the Blue Sapphire Concentrated Brightening Oil, blend it with a fingertip and massage it all into my face and neck. The next morning, my skin is always happy again.

Help! My hands are always red and cracked in the winter!
If you suffer from dry hands, winter can be especially brutal. Once your skin is unhappy, the problem can seem to get worse no matter what you do and a lot of creams and lotions can be irritating or even painful. But don't worry, our Skin Doctor salve comes to the rescue. I've had countless customers tell me that it's the only thing that will keep their hands happy. Have you tried it yet? Just massage a little in at night. Don't worry if you have open cracks or wounds- it's antibacterial. Just apply it right over everything. Do this every night and again during the day if you wash your hands a lot. We guarantee it will work or we'll refund your money.

My Lips are Peeling and Cracked- nothing helps!
Our poor lovely lips. The skin is thin, not well hydrated naturally and you can't just apply a moisturizer- most lip products just rub off quickly anyway. If your lips are flaky and dry, scrub them with one of our sugar scrubs (or just any sugar you have at home). Here at aos, we're all obsessed with having super soft lips and so we pack all of our lip balms with super moisturizing oils like castor oil, cocoa butter, mineral sunscreen and protective beeswax. Best of all, they last for hours! They're so hydrating, we list them along with all our facial moisturizers in our online store.

Need some extra help? Please reach out! We're always here to help you bring your uniquely gorgeous skin back into balance.