Winter skin health

So what can you do to counteract these winter effects:

• Daily moisturising with a face cream and body lotion will go a goes along way to keep skin feeling and looking healthy. After your bath or shower, pat (rather than rub) your skin dry, and then immediately apply moisturiser all over your body. This will trap additional moisture into the skin and help prevent dryness and flaking.
• With their constant use and exposure, hands need extra attention all year round, but especially in winter. Applying a moisturising hand cream each time you wash your hands will help to keep them healthy. If your  hands are severely dry during the winter months, try covering them with a  thin layer of Vaseline Petroleum Jelly before you go to bed and putting on a pair of light cotton gloves that you will keep on during the night. While you sleep, the gloves will help the Vaseline to penetrate your dry skin by trapping in the moisture.
• Feet can also get particularly dry and cracked during winter. You can soften them with a relaxing soak at the end of the day, filling a large bowl with warm water and some lavender oil (the lavender is wonderful for helping you relax at the end of the day!). Scrub with a loofah or foot file to remove dry, flaky skin. Follow with a lightweight lotion suitable for dry skin. As with your hands, you can give dry feet a wonderful treat by massaging in some Vaseline Petroleum Jelly into your feetand wearing thick socks overnight to seal in moisture.
• Using hot water in your bath or shower dries your skin and removes the essential natural moisturisers your skin needs to stay healthy. As an alternative, consider having shorter baths and showers with warm water.
• To prevent lips from getting chapped, applying a product such as petroleum jelly to lips before going out provides a protective barrier against the drying effects of wintry weather.
• When you are cleansing, be careful to avoid alcohol-based cleansers as well as vigorous exfoliation. Be gentle on your skin as too vigorous exfoliation can also remove some of the skin's protective barrier function.
• Counteract the drying effects of central heating with a humidifier, which puts water back into the air and helps your skin stay moisturised. Placing a dish of water near the radiator can also help.
• The golden rule when the elements are at their worst is moisturise, moisturise, moisturise… keeping bottles or tubes of lotion in different places makes it easier for regular moisturising  to become part of you and your family's daily routine. Keep a moisturiser to hand in the bathroom, the kitchen, the car and your handbag.