How to combat the Winter dilemma; Dry itchy skin.

Ever wonder why your skin seems so dry in the winter. Winter air is dryer than the moist summer breeze. Seems like as soon as the air chills and the wind blows, your skin starts to lose its moisture and gets itchy. To add insult to injury, the heaters go on in the house, car and while your inside and the heat sources we use do their part in removing additional moisture from the air.

So what’s a person to do when your skin starts to show the effects dry air can have? Its times like these that a very simple 3 step skin care regime becomes even more important.

First and foremost, we recommend that you use a good handcrafted soap. You can find Trés Spa Artisan soap at our on-line store: www.tresspa.com. You can also search for a local soap maker at the Hand Crafted Soap Makers Guild

Second step, use a good exfoliate to deep clean and unclog your skin pores. Extra exfoliation helps remove the dead dry skin, thereby relieving the itchiness. At Trés Spa we have four different body scrubs to choose from. Each one is an excellent addition and it really is a matter of personal preference. For the winter months, I tend to use the Java Scrub on my body as it is a strong exfoliate and it is very stimulating to the skin. Of course some may talk about the cancer fighting power of caffeine and a myriad of other benefits, but I tend to like it for the warm scent. We also have oatmeal based scrub called Old Fashioned Country, a sugar scrub called Sweet Stuff, and last but not least, our mineral rich Sea Scrub.

Third step in your regular skin care regime, moisturize. The skin needs a little extra help now more than ever. A good moisturizer will work with your skin cells to help in creating a moisture barrier; locking moisture in the skin. There are so many choices out there for you to pick from and even different types of moisturizers. Some are very thick and take longer to absorb (I personally prefer these in winter since I really want the extra protection)like a butter or cream, and others are thin and fast to absorb (but often need reaplying during the day). This is the time of year you really can reap the full benefits of a good Body Butter. The Trés Spa Whpped Body Butter is a whipped combination of nut butters and oils that are scented with pure essential oils. If you want to avoid any scent, you can select the Naked Butter. For your face, a good cream would be highly beneficial. Trés Spa also has an amazing cream called Defiance! that you can use morning and night. Lotions are great but they tend to be much thinner than a butter or a cream and you may need to apply them more than once a day. The Trés Spa lotions contain an excellent blend of oils and extracts that make excellent skin conditioners. We only use pure essential oils in our scent blends.

So what about baths in the winter?
I love a good soak any time of year and certainly no dry chilly winter is going to keep me out of the tub! But, soaking in water can tend to dry out the skin if you aren’t adding the right ingredients to your bath water. Salts are great for detoxifying and re-mineralizing, but salts alone don’t add anything for retaining moisture. For the winter months I rely more heavily on a milk bath and/or a moisturizing fizzy bath bomb. Milk works great in helping your skin stay moist and supple. The EFA’s (Essential Fatty Acids) act to help calm irritated skin. It is naturally hydrating and provides gentle skin-renewing exfoliation with its natural alpha hydroxy acids. The Trés Spa Royal Silk Milk Bath has the power of buttermilk as well as the mineral benefits of the Himalayan Pink Sherpa Sea Salts. The Trés Spa Fizzy Bath Bombs also contain a touch of Jojoba oil; an oil that is used to help create a moisture barrier for your skin.