Winter skin care

Winter is now upon us! The air is crisp and cool outside and as we hustle and bustle taking care of our business, we bundle up against the freezing cold. So we seek refuge in the comforts of our homes, our office, our cars - all equipped with heat to keep us warm. 

Frost on the pines, photo by Janice Summers

But no matter how hard we try, our skin pays a hefty toll between the cold dry air and the warm dry heat. You may find yourself feeling itchy or irritated. For some this can be the most painful time of year with dry cracking flaking skin and bouts of exzema breaking out. and the older we get, the more we feel the toll of the super dry air around us. Why, because it gets harder for us to retain the lushly plump skin from our youth as we age. But no matter the age, we are all susceptible to the pains of dryness and in winter it can go beyond the slight tightness.

If you find yourself chapped and chaffing here are some things we recommend trying:

• Get some moisture into the air with a humidifier. Humidifiers come in many shapes and sizes if you want to purchase one. If you have no budget, a simple tea kettle or even a pot of water on the stove will work just fine.  Kick it up a notch with a drop or two of your favorite Tres Spa Synergy blend to add some aroma therapy while you are at it.
• If you have been sloshing about in the cold and you've gotten wet. Dry off! Wet socks and gloves can cause your skin to feel very irritated. It may sound odd, but water can really be drying.
• Moisturize your skin!!! Do it often, as often as you need to. But choose what you moisturize with wisely. Winter is the time to favor the butters and the body oils over the lotions and creams. Why? Because they tend to lay down a thicker layer and take their time to absorb into the skin. We recommend our Whipped Body Butters and our Body Oils.
• But what about your face? The face gets the full brunt of it no matter what time of year it is and you want to take extra care here. But most butters and body oils are not formulated for the face. You want to make sure you are using readily absorbed oils that will not clog he pores of the face and cause other problems. If you are using Tres Spa products, you are in luck! We have amazing face oils and a thick rich cream called Defiance!. For super dry face's I always recommend Sahara as it contains avocado oil but you can also use our body oils since we formulate using what are called "dry" oils.
• What is you have those deep cracks in your feet or hands? Butter 'em up with a good whipped butter and then place them in a plastic glove or booty and give the oils plenty of time to absorb in. The trapped moisture in the plastic helps to soften calloused super tough skin and the protective cover makes sure the butter stays on your feet and hands and not on your sheets or rugs or whatever else you may touch.