With the holidays long behind us, but the weather still not really what we would consider ideal, sometimes it feels as though winter will never end, and even though it’s still a little chilly and chances are you’re wearing pants or tights anyways, there are things you can do to help you have softer and smoother legs for the spring.
For starters, why do our legs get so dry and scaly in the winter? You would think that because you’re covered up all the time that your skin would be holding in moisture and getting a little break, but our legs actually dry out more during winter months. This is because of the constantly changing temperatures our bodies are encountering when we move from inside to outside, in and out of the shower, and to and from central heating.
While there’s not too much you can do about the changing temperature, (aside from waiting out the cold weather in one, heat-controlled room, essentially like a bear in hibernation), there are a few things you can do to help soften your dry skin and make it much smoother.
Here’s three easy tricks to try in order to have softer, less irritable legs during this final stretch of cold weather leading us into spring.
1. Stay Hydrated
You obviously can’t keep your skin hydrated without keeping yourself hydrated, that’s just science. On average, you should be drinking about two liters of water a day, which is easier to do if you have a cute water bottle. We recommend treating yourself (make hydrating fun) and getting yourself a new water bottle you like. Then, sport that thing around everywhere. Staying hydrated will not only help with the dry and itchy skin on your legs, and all over your body, but drinking water also burns calories, so it’s a win, win.
2. Wear Soft, Natural Materials
Our skin is easily irritated by synthetic fibres and material blends, especially in these colder months when we are constantly covered up. While it might be hard to swap out our everyday wear with all natural and comfortable materials, there are some areas of your life that should be purged of synthetic fibres before spring.
Harsh fabrics love the hide in our bedding and pajamas unfortunately. This is probably because we don’t check the material blend of our bedding as often as we just “feel it” and are drawn to the overall look of it in our homes. Since you are spending 6-8 hours a night in your bed and pajamas though, making sure that at least those blends are all natural materials will give your skin some much-needed rest after taking on the day.
3. Moisturize!
Real cutting edge stuff here, but yes, if you do moisturize regularly, your skin will be less dry and itchy. Let the key word here be “regularly.” Most people only moisturize after getting out of the shower, or once their skin already feels dry, and while, yes, this is helpful it is not as helpful as getting in the habit of moisturizing every day.
Not only will moisturizing everyday penetrate your skin to treat the dryness itself, but also natural oils protect your skin by acting as a barrier between it and the elements or temperature.
By being aware and incorporating these three simple steps into our everyday routine, we can combat dry and itchy skin in these final winter weeks. And, if our skin is feeling softer and more comfortable, then chances are we will too!
