Tip of the week: How to avoid dry winter skin

Don’t take hot showers. “Long, hot showers strip the skin of essential oils.” You may not want to hear it, but make your showers short and “as cool as you can stand.”

Switch soaps. Most soaps are “too harsh.” Use the gentlest one you can find, and watch out for “lye, artificial scents, and antibacterial agents like triclosan.”

Wash strategically. Cut down on soap exposure by lathering up only the areas of the body “that tend to smell.” If you have an itchy scalp, shampoo just once a week.

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Moisturize better. Moisturizers that come in a pump-top bottle are “too thin to hold in moisture.” Moisturizers should be thick, and “the fewer ingredients, the better.”

Increase indoor humidity. Dry indoor heat is “often worse than winter weather.” Use humidifiers, and clean them weekly. Houseplants can also help circulate moisture.

Source: Men’s Journal