Winter Beauty

Winter is officially here! Chilly temperatures, damp air, whistling winds, central heating - winter invariably wreaks havoc with your skin, hair and nails. Just when you want to look stunning in your LBD and strappy Louboutins for the office party you’re confronted with cracked heels, chapped lips, dry skin and frizzy hair - fantastic! Never fear, with our winter beauty tips and tricks you’ll keep the worst of the weather at bay and ensure that you’re the belle of the ball come party season.

As tempting as it is to take super-hot, super-long showers and baths to warm up, avoid too-hot showers in winter as prolonged exposure to water will strip your skin, hair and nails of essential oils, drying them out. Instead use warm water, which will do the same job without drying out the skin and limit your showers to 10 minutes or less. Same goes for facial cleansing.

When venturing out into the cold in winter ensure you’re well wrapped up so that you limit the amount of surface area exposed to the elements. Always wear a hat, gloves and scarf through the colder months to protect your skin, hair and nails from the wind, rain and snow and keep you toasty warm. If you have really static hair, wrapping it in a silk scarf before you put on your beanie will stop the dreaded hat-hair!

Whilst you may not feel dehydrated, try and drink at least 8 glasses of water a day throughout the winter; your body really does need it to replace lost moisture from the inside out and help stop dryness and cracking.

To cure dry skin follow in Cleopatra's footsteps and take a milk bath. The proteins and fats in milk can help rehydrate and soothe dry, rough skin. Add a few cups of full fat milk to a warm bath and have a relaxing soak. Alternatively dip a cotton bud in neat milk and apply to dry patches directly.

Apply a rich moisturiser to your skin every time you bathe to replace lost moisture. Within 3 minutes of exposure to water is the optimal time for applying lotion so don’t hang about.

Vaseline is a winter must have so ensure you always have a tub in your bathroom cupboard during the winter. It can be used anywhere and is one of our favourite winter remedies; chapped lips, cracked heels, dry eyelids, flaky nose, patchy elbows - vaseline has got it covered.

Keep up your exfoliation routine throughout winter to keep skin smooth. Not only will it remove the dry patches but will also ensure the moisturiser can soak in properly and do the job. For the colder months it’s worth considering moving from a mitt or loofah to a richer sugar scrub which will hydrate at the same time. You can easily make one at home using a scoop of sugar, a glug of oil and a squeeze of lemon - slather onto damp skin in the shower, scrub all over and then rinse well, really well.

Like the hair on your face and body, in winter your scalp can also dry out and produce less essential oils. This results in lifeless, brittle hair which is full of static. Always condition hair really well during winter and treat your barnet to a hair masque or deep conditioning treatment once a week to replenish lost moisture. Hair that is deep conditioned is more manageable, softer and far less prone to breakage and frizz. You can use your normal conditioner to perform a deep condition by simply leaving it on your hair for half an hour. Use the time to exfoliate or simply relax with some cucumbers over your eyes!

Frequent use of heated appliances unfortunately does cause damage to your hair and in the winter when your hair is already stressed the combined results can be doubly bad. We all use them but try and give your hair a few days off a week and let it dry naturally and use creams and waxes to style instead of heated appliances every now and then.

Winter weather strips nails of moisture like nothing else, leaving them rough, brittle and prone to breaking. Throughout winter use a nail oil each night to condition both the cuticle and the nail and always always wear marigolds when washing up and gloves when out in the cold. Keep a tub of hand cream next to all of the sinks in your home and also on your desk and apply liberally every time your remember.

Central heating is another beauty killer. The warm dry air in your home and office literally sucks moisture out of the environment which in turn dries out your skin, hair and nails. If your skin is particularly dry, try out a humidifier - some women swear by them.

Follow these tips and you’ll have beautiful, soft skin, hair and nails all winter long and one less thing to worry about.