Before space heater season leaves your skin dry and flaky, put a few extra skincare rituals like these to good use to preserve moisture and keep your skin glowing through the new year. Don’t underestimate simple rituals like facial steaming and oil bathing to make a difference from week to week.
4 Winter Skincare Rituals We Swear By
Steam Your Face to land naturally glowing, dewy, hydrated skin for summer? Get your facial steam on once a week to make sure your face is getting the moisture it so desperately needs. Hovering your face over a gentle stream of steam will not only soften your skin so it can better soak up any moisturizing ingredients you slather on after, but if you add hydrating ingredients like herbs, flowers and essential oils to the water, the steam will help carry their healing benefits deep into your pores.
How to do it: After cleansing your face completely, bring 3-4 cups of water to an almost-boil and pour it into a large glass bowl. Add your herbs/flowers/oils, then lean over the bowl so your face is 6-8 inches above the water and create a tent around your head and bowl with a large, clean towel to keep the steam diverted to your face. Stay like this for five minutes, breathe deep, and let the steam do its thing. A facial steamer like this one will make all of this a cinch too.
Take An Olive Oil Bath | Taking a bath sounds simple — and it is — but doing so can truly work wonders on your dry, flaking skin if you add the right ingredients to the water. Just make sure the water isn’t too hot as that will dry your skin out even further.
How to do it: Fill up your tub with warm water. If you’re feeling particularly itchy and dry, mix together a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and 1/2 cup of finely ground oats, and add them to the water. The olive oil will moisturize your skin while you soak and the oatmeal has anti-inflammatory properties that help remove dead skin cells. If your muscles are sore, add ½ a cup of Epsom salts and a few drops of your favorite essential oil to the water. The salt will help relax and soothe your muscles (and exfoliate your skin), while the essential oil relaxes and soothes your mind.
Get Your Gommage On | A homemade body scrub is truly one of life’s greatest pleasures. In short, a gommage is simply a mask used on dry skin. Use it all over or on particularly rough patches (knees, elbows, etc.) to slough off dead, itchy skin that may build up over the cold winter months. Just be sure to load up on moisturizer after to keep that skin hydrated and comfortable.
How to do it: This one is so easy it hurts. Combine two parts granulated sugar (white or brown — it doesn’t matter) with one part oil (coconut or olive oil work wonders) and 10-20 drops of your favorite essential oil if the mood strikes. Store the mixture in a sealable glass jar and get to scrubbing!
A DIY Moisture Mask | In addition to your daily serums, oils and moisturizers, consider whipping up a dryness-combating mask once a week. This mask utilizes nourishing ingredients you likely already have in your kitchen or medicine cabinet. Be sure to actually apply this to your face…you may be tempted to eat it with a spoon or spread it on toast.
How to do it: Combine 1 teaspoon of honey, ¼ of a ripe avocado and 1 teaspoon of your favorite hydrating oil (no blends here — stick to one like vitamin E or jojoba). Spread it around your face and hang out for 15 minutes. The oil will serve as a hydrating antioxidant, the avocado and its fat will soothe dry patches and the honey will round things out by retaining all that good, good moisture.
Read Next: This 4 Step Overnight Routine Will Save Your Winter Skin