KIDS with rosy cheeks look very cute and when you get rosy cheeks in winter, you may also look cute to others. But the reality is that you find it very painful because your rosy cheeks are due to dry skin and not natural glow!

Ha, winter is here and everything on the outside and inside seems to change. Accompanied by a chill in the air, there is also dryness, leading to irritation in the nose, sometimes bouts of cold and cough, dry and cracked skin, chapped lips, unmanageable hair and what not. As it is, getting ready for school in the morning is not easy and you have to also brush your hair that suddenly seems to be charged with enough static electricity to light a bulb, and your chapped lips and dry skin are so itchy and irritating.

Everyone needs to pay some extra attention to themselves in winter. There are many things and tips that can help you retain the natural beauty and health of your hair and skin. And these can be done by people of all ages, unless otherwise specified, and babies, being the soft and gentle souls that they are, need more specialised and different ways and products as they are very sensitive.

So read on to see how you can also turn up at school all radiant and glowing (not due to dry ‘rosy’ cheeks) that makes everyone wonder how you can been so composed when they are all losing their cool in the cold weather!

An effective dry skin care routine along with a healthy diet is the answer to maintaining good skin in winter. We will not touch upon the diet part here as it is altogether a different and lengthy topic on its own, as is hair care that we will discuss some other time, so let’s start off with skin care.

A hot bath — a bad idea!

A HOT bath or shower in winter may seem very comforting, but it only makes your hair and skin drier. You must not use hot water but warm water, and don’t take very long baths as the longer you stay there, the drier your skin will get.

Did your grandmother or some elder ever tell you to add a few drops of oil, like olive or coconut oil in the bath water and use it? That’s what you should do if you can, as it will not let your skin get too dry when you bath.

Another good home remedy is to rub a bit of olive oil or such moisturising products (or whatever your mother recommends) on your body, or face, hands and legs, before taking a bath and you will find that you skin is not too dry after the bath. This helps to lock your natural skin moisture and prevent it from striping off under the effect of water and soap.

And always oil your hair before you shampoo, for the same reason.

Soap show

DON’T use antibacterial or deodorant soaps as they may make your skin drier. Try using a moisturising soap or face wash on your face. Don’t over soap yourself and if you can, use soap only where you really need it — your face, hands, armpits, groin and feet.

Moisturising is a must

THIS is a very important step of skin care. Ask your mother which moisturising cream or product you can use and remember to use it regularly. Being an adult, she will know what is the right one for your age and do remember to use it on your face, hand and feet — at least but not at the most — each morning before going to school, and always before going to bed.

And also apply a moisturiser soon after taking a bath as putting on a cream, ointment, or lotion helps trap upper layers of skin and decreases dryness and itching.

Petroleum jelly is an excellent moisturiser, especially for bedtime use and your hands, feet and lips. Creams have more oil than water, lotions are less oily, so choose according to what suits your skin and what makes you comfortable.

Lips tips

YOU must use a good sun-protective lip balm to prevent chapping. Always wear it to school, otherwise you will have chapped lips that will be very irritating and painful. Keep one with you and avoid sharing it with others. And also please avoid very cheap lip balms as they will do more harm to the lips and it is better to simply use a winter/moisturising cream instead if you don’t have a lip balm.

Sunscreen on!

JUST because it is winter doesn’t mean that the sun is not shinning and its harmful rays are not hitting us. You need to use a sunscreen.

Cover up

THE cold, harsh winter wind is really bad for our skin and hair so keep yourself covered with hats, gloves, scarves and sunglasses to protect the parts that your winter clothes don’t cover.