The cold season calls for special care for your skin. Both indoors and outdoors, humidity levels are lower, and this quickly shows on our skin, or rather on its outer layer – the epidermis.
In winter, choose nourishing and intensely moisturising balms for skincare
The skin has three layers, each with a different role. The lowest, or inner, layer is made up of subcutaneous fat, the body’s fat reserve. The middle layer of the skin is the dermis, or connective tissue, which contains glands, blood vessels and nerves. The epidermis is the outer layer of the skin, where a cell regeneration cycle takes place on average every 30 days – the skin renews itself.
In winter, choose nourishing and intensely moisturising balms or creams that restore the skin barrier. If we don’t pay enough attention to dry skin, over time it may be joined by itching, irritation and cracking. In winter, the skin condition may worsen for those who have psoriasis, eczema or atopic dermatitis.
When using protective skincare, check whether it contains water. If it does, apply it to the skin at least 20 minutes before going outside so that it has time to absorb. Water-free balms can also be used while outdoors in cold weather, for example when walking in nature or doing sports.
The cold season calls for special care for your skin.
Which natural ingredients protect and nourish the skin in cold weather?
1. Plant butters such as shea butter, cocoa butter, mango butter and others, which are naturally rich in skin-nourishing lipids and fatty acids.
2. Nourishing oils, such as olive oil, almond oil, jojoba oil, hemp seed oil, etc. These oils have a high content of mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids. For example, sweet almond oil contains more than 30% linoleic acid, an essential omega-6 fatty acid. Studies* show that the presence of this fatty acid in the skin reduces water loss from the epidermis, ensuring better hydration. Plant oils also contain vitamins D, E and A, as well as B vitamins, which are essential for the skin.
3. Protective waxes – beeswax or plant waxes such as carnauba or candelilla wax. These waxes help form a thin protective layer on the skin to shield it from harsh weather and environmental influences. Studies** show that beeswax also has mild antimicrobial activity, which helps heal scars and micro-cracks in the skin.
It’s important to remember that caring for your skin also means taking in vitamin D and enough water from the inside.
The Silmachy Remedies hand balm is rich in oils, butters and waxes that contain vitamins E, C, A and B, as well as many trace elements that help the skin of your hands regain its natural moisture level.
*Healing fats of the skin: the structural and immunologic roles of the ω-6 and ω-3 fatty acids. Clinics in Dermatology, Volume 28, Issue 4, July–August 2010, Pages 440–451
**Beeswax: A minireview of its antimicrobial activity and its application in medicine, Filippo Fratini, Giovanni Cilia, Barbara Turchi, Antonio Felicioli, 26 July 2016