Winters can be magical, with cozy sweaters, hot drinks, and crisp air, but for your skin and hair, the season often brings challenges like dryness, flakiness, and dullness. A little extra care during these chilly months can keep you glowing from head to toe and trust us when we tell you, it’s not all that tough!
All you need is a simple winter wellness ritual that will help your skin and hair stay healthy and happy all season long.
Why do you need extra wellness for cold weather?
Before we go into setting the winter rituals, you need to understand why it is that winters affects your skin and hair so much.
- The cold hair and the low humidity in the air sucks moisture from your skin and hair, leading to dryness and irritation.
- You are constantly sitting in indoor heating, which will keep you warm, but that heat will further strip away moisture.
- Though tempting in winter, hot water showers can dehydrate your skin and weaken your hair.
Here is how you set you nourishing winter rituals
At indē wild, we are all about keeping it simple – rather than building super elaborate care rituals, we are all about investing in a handful of products, which are potent and practical. In addition to our range of carefully created products, we also believe in nourishing winter rituals and here are some suggestions for you to try out:
- Hydrate from within - Healthy skin and hair start with proper hydration, but during the winters, it is easy to forget to drink water because you don’t feel as thirsty. So, what do you do? You can sip warm water with lemon throughout the day or you can add hydrating foods to your diet, like cucumbers, oranges, and soups. Herbal teas are another delicious way to stay warm and hydrated.
- Cleanse better – Your cleansing routine for both your skin and hair needs to change for the winters, because you need to ensure that the natural oils are not stripped away. For your skin, switch to a cream-based or hydrating cleanser instead of a foaming one and wash your face only as and when required (ideally twice a day) with warm water, rather than hot. For your hair, you should opt for sulfate-free shampoos that cleanse without being harsh and do remember to follow up with a conditioner. Try to keep hair washing for once or at the most, twice a week, because you want your hair to retain the natural oils.
- Lock in the moisture - Winter is all about sealing in hydration for both your skin and hair and at indē wild, we have created products that will ensure that locking in the moisture is super easy. Your skin will say thank you, if you apply a thick moisturizer immediately after cleansing, but for your face, our AM and PM serums will be more than enough. With ingredients like hyaluronic acid and squalane, you have nothing to worry about, but for your body, you can consider a rich body butter. To keep your hair protected during the winter months, a good warm oil massage, at least once a week, is an absolute must!
- Protection partners for your skin and hair - Winters can be harsh, which is why taking protective measures is essential. For instance, even in the winters, sun protection is a must, which means that you need to keep your bottle of sunscreen handy. Cover exposed areas of your body with scarves, hats, and gloves to protect against windburn and consider investing a humidifier for your home to counteract the drying effects of indoor heating. Use a silk or satin scarf under wool hats to prevent friction and breakage and try not to step out of the house, when your hair is still wet, as this could cause immense damage.
- Exfoliate with care – Yes, you need to exfoliate in the winter months too, because exfoliation helps remove dead skin cells and enhances the absorption of moisturizers. For your skin, you need to use a very gentle exfoliator, once or at the most, twice a week, while your hair, you can use a scalp brush, every time you are washing your hair. This scalp scrubbing is also a really good way to stimulate blood flow and promote healthy hair growth.
- Easy on the styling - Winter is not the time for harsh treatments or over-styling – this means that you need to avoid excessive heat styling, which can exacerbate dryness and opt for loose hairstyles to minimize tension and breakage. And in case you do have to use heat tools, use a heat protectant first. You should also be cautious with waxing or other treatments that can irritate sensitive winter skin.
- Lips and hands need care too – Most of us pay a lot of attention to our skin and hair during the winters, but tend to overlook hands and lips. You need to ensure that you exfoliate your lips gently with a sugar scrub to remove flakiness and then follow up with a nourishing lip treatment product. When going out remember to wear gloves to protect your hands and lather them up with a good quality hand cream to keep them soft.
You see, setting up a winter skincare routine is not all that tough – all you need are some basic essentials from indē wild and you are set for the cold days ahead!