Is It Freezing Outside? Protect Your Skin Moisture Barrier!

Winter often means chilly air and family dinners. Unfortunately, it also means skin that stings, flakes, gets dry and sometimes even splits. Although many people will be staying indoors this winter, they still have to turn on the heaters to keep warm, which irritates their skin and dries it out, usually making it even worse. The heaters in our homes can irritate and dry out our skin. But what if the problem isn’t the heater, but the moisture barrier of your skin? 

The Skin’s Moisture Barrier

Another term of this protective layer is the acid mantle. It contains lipids, ceramides and fatty acids. Unwanted bacteria and rough external environments are prevented from inflicting damage. Moisture is also absorbed and maintained by this layer by helping to keep transepidermal water loss (skin dehydration) from happening.

It’s easy to see and feel when a person’s skin has a moisture barrier that’s been compromised. The most obvious signs include:

• Dehydration
• Dryness
• Flaking
• Itching
• Persistent acne
• Redness
• Shiny, tight skin
• Skin wrinkling
• Stinging

Thankfully, there are a number of readily available ways to help a compromised moisture barrier get back into shape. Aside from patience and consistency, the right products will go a long way.

Here’s how to best protect your skin’s moisture barrier:

Start from the Basics

A damaged moisture barrier with a compromised skin barrier needs even more attention than usual. Super gentle care is required because overly harsh ingredients can worsen the problem. Be gentle when you cleanse your skin, too: harsh cleansers with sulfates are a no-no for damaged skin, so be sure to use a milder cleanser. 

Get a Humidifier

As the temperature drops outside, you are usually turning on the heat, making the air inside feel cosy but drier. Air that is drier can pull moisture from your skin, and you may run the risk of waking up with a dry complexion. 

Thankfully, there is an easy solution. A humidifier can help by putting moisture into the air. This will bring your skin from a desert to a tropical rainforest. You can also turn on a humidifier before bed to aid in your skin repair while you sleep.

Use Products That Enforce the Barrier

The best way to protect your skin from the elements is to use products with ceramides, fatty acids and squalane. Ceramides act like glue to fill in cracks in your skin’s moisture barrier, and fatty acids and squalane reproduce natural oils. It is also best to avoid over-cleansing or over-exfoliating the skin, weakening the acid mantle.

Finish Things Off with Oil

Transepidermal water loss (TEWL) is the unspoken enemy for moisture barrier repair. If TEWL is high, it might be because your products are evaporating before your skin can absorb them. The easiest way to address this challenge is to seal everything with facial oil. 

Conclusion

When the temperatures drop, skin can flake, dry out and even split. It’s important to keep the skin’s moisture barrier protected. Start from the basics, use products that enforce the barrier and finish things off with oil.

The MoistLoc hydrating double action cleansing milk of NUViT will be great for your skin in frigid weather! We’re on a mission to propel cosmeceutical care towards a whole new era. Shop our products today!