Have you ever noticed that you use more bottles of lotion, facial moisturizers, and sticks of lip balm during winter? It’s almost painful to speak because of cracked lips and you can almost write an entry for your journal on your dry skin. Not to mention, your complexion seems to mimic the gloomy feel of the winter season because it looks dull and lifeless. Blame it on the combination of cold dry wind, low temperature, low humidity and indoor heating during winter that leaves your skin, lips, and other parts of the body dry, itchy, irritated, and flaky. It’s as if the cold temperature removed all of the moisture from your skin, leaving it dull and lifeless.
While moisturizing products can do wonders for your skin during winter, it is still important to pay close attention to what you’re eating to bring back your skin’s vibrant glow during the cold season. A healthy diet can help prevent skin dryness and ultraviolet (UV) sun damage, minimize wrinkles and other signs of aging, and leave your skin smooth and glowing! Some foods can also be used on your skin to leave it healthy and beautiful during winter. We listed them below:
1. Olive Oil
One of the top ten solutions for dry skin especially during winter season when the skin tends to become super dry and flaky is olive oil. It is rich in vitamin A, vitamin E, plus other minerals and fatty acids that hydrates the skin and helps maintain its elasticity and softness. Olive oil also helps fend off the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines and other signs of skin aging. It also guards the skin against damage caused by free radicals.
Here’s how:
- Rub warm olive oil over your face, the backs of your arms, your elbows and your knees. Massage gently in circular motions for a few minutes and then treat yourself to a nice, warm bath. Gently pat your skin dry and remove excess olive oil afterwards. Your skin will feel soft and smooth in an instant.
- You can also use extra-virgin olive oil in salad dressings and cooking. Mixing olive oil with the food you eat will also benefit your skin.
2. Grapefruit
Grapefruit contains loads of vitamin C – an antioxidant that’s very effective in protecting the skin from free radical damage and helps keep your skin smooth and silky. It also contains potassium that helps prevent wrinkles, age spots, and protect the skin against the harmful UV rays from the sun. The amino acids, on the other hand, can make your skin firm, soft, and silky. Grapefruit contains a unique phytochemical called “naringin” and its role is to remove toxins in the liver. As a result, you get healthy, glowing skin.
Here’s how:
- Prepare a grapefruit face mask and use it once a week. To make the mask, all you have to do is mix ½ grapefruit juice, one tablespoon of honey and ½ cup of oatmeal powder. Mix the ingredients properly and apply it to your face. When it’s dry, wash your face with lukewarm water. This grapefruit mask will bring back your skin’s smoothness and radiance.
- To keep your skin hydrated and soft during the cold season, drink fresh grapefruit juice regularly.
3. Avocado
Avocado can help soothe your dry skin and lock in moisture especially during winter. That’s because it contains vitamins A, C, E, and other mono-unsaturated fats that hydrates the skin. It also contains other essential for healthy skin: folic acid, magnesium, and potassium. It also makes your skin young looking by reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Here’s how:
- Make an avocado hydrating face mask. Scoop the flesh out of a ripe avocado (you can eat some if you want), and then mash it properly until it turns into paste. Add one teaspoon of honey and one teaspoon of olive oil. Mix the ingredients together. Apply the avocado paste to your face and then allow it dry. Rinse it off after a few minutes with warm water. Do this once or twice a week.
- Use avocado oil to treat dull, dehydrated and itchy winter skin. It’s best to apply avocado oil and massage it on your skin before taking a bath.
4. Carrots
The cold air during winter can be very harsh on the skin that’s why you’ll need to load up on carrots during this season. Carrots are packed with vitamin A and other antioxidants that can effectively keep your skin healthy, vibrant, and glowing. It can also prevent various signs of skin aging like wrinkles, pigmentation, and uneven skin tone. Carrots also contain carotenoids, beta-carotene, and lycopene that can act as a shield from the sun’s harmful UV rays. The high potassium content in carrots can also moisturize your skin.
Here’s how:
- Make your own carrot moisturizing face mask. Just mix two teaspoons of pureed carrots, one teaspoon of honey, one teaspoon of milk cream, and a few drops of olive oil. Make sure your face is clean before applying the mixture. Let it sit for about ten to fifteen minutes and rinse it off with cold water. Using this mask two to three times a week can help keep your skin soft, glowing, and moisturized.
- Keep your skin hydrated by drinking one glass of carrot juice every day.
5. Broccoli
Did you know that broccoli is packed with skin-boosting ingredients such as vitamins A, C, and other natural estrogens that can benefit your skin? Vitamin C triggers collagen production that helps keep skin healthy while vitamin A protects the skin’s cell membranes and helps prevent skin damage caused by intense sun exposure. Broccoli also contains vitamin B which helps treat dry skin, flaky patches, and all sorts of skin problems that occur during the cold winter season.
Here’s how:
- Give your skin complexion a natural beautiful glow by eating broccoli regularly. Go for steamed, roasted or blanched broccoli to maximize the benefits.
6. Almonds
More than having weight loss benefits, almonds can also do wonders for your skin. It contains vitamin E that helps nourish and protect the skin from the sun’s harmful UV rays. You must definitely “look at the flick of these nuts” because they are loaded with anti-aging properties that help reduce wrinkles, fine lines, and other signs of aging.
Here’s how:
- Massage your body with either almond oil or milk before taking a bath. This will help treat that dull complexion caused by the cold season and bring back your skin’s radiant complexion.
- You can also make your own almond body scrub. All you have to do is soak a handful of almonds in water and leave it overnight. The next day, peel the almonds and grind them. Add milk or yogurt to form a paste, and use it one to two times a week for best results.
7. Spinach
Popeye’s favorite food contains plenty of nutrients that help keep your skin cells healthy and fight the skin’s natural aging process. Spinach contains high levels of vitamin A (an antioxidant that improves your skin tone) and vitamin C that helps repair skin cells and keeps your skin beautiful and young looking. Spinach also contains iron which can help combat iron deficiency (this condition leaves your skin pale), and lutein that protects the skin from sun damage.
Here’s how:
- Prevent dry and irritated skin by drinking ½ glass of spinach mixed with lemon juice.
- You can try to experiment a little and add spinach to your favorite dish, soup, and salad.
8. Green Tea
Green tea is more than just your favorite afternoon tea- it contains antioxidants that fight skin damage caused by free radicals. It also contains properties that prevent dryness, flaky skin, and improves your complexion. Green tea also contains polyphenols that help prevent and reduce signs of premature aging such as wrinkles, age spots, and saggy skin.
Here’s how:
- The process is simple: just splash cold green tea on your face and then rinse with cold water.
- A homemade green tea exfoliating mask can do wonders for your skin. To make the mask, mix the contents of a green tea bag with some honey to make a paste. Apply the paste on your facing using upward strokes, leave it on for fifteen minutes, and then rinse. For best results, do this one to two times a week.
- Maximize the benefits of green tea by drinking two to three cups daily.
9. Salmon
Including salmon in your diet can help you achieve healthy and glowing skin even during winter. It contains high levels of omega-3 fatty acids that nourishes the skin from within. It protects the skin from the drying effects of the winter winds and central heating while maintaining the skin’s plumpness and moisture. Salmon also contains selenium which is a mineral that can help protect the skin from the sun’s harmful UV rays, and zinc which triggers the production of new skin cells.
Here’s how:
- Eating two servings of salmon weekly can put an end to the negative effects that the cold season has on your skin. It is highly recommended that you eat grilled or baked salmon to achieve healthy, young-looking skin.
10. Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate, especially those with seventy percent cocoa content, can benefit both your heart and your skin. It is loaded with flavonols that protect your skin from the sun’s harmful UV rays, fight free radicals, keep skin soft and supple, and increase blood flow.
Here’s how:
- Try putting dark chocolate face mask on your face to add glow to your dull skin. Just melt a bar of dark chocolate in a double boiler, mix in a teaspoon of gram flour, one teaspoon of milk cream, and some lemon juice. Apply the paste all over your face, leave on for twenty minutes, and then rinse off with warm water. You can use this face mask once a week.
- This is good news for chocolate lovers: eating two to three ounces of dark chocolate every week can help keep your skin beautiful and glowing. How’s that for a tasty and healthy treat?
