Tips and Products for Preventing Dry Skin
As Beijing's winter begins, it's often accompanied by, for many of us at least, dry skin. The combination of the capital’s dry winter air with indoor heating means many of us suffer from this condition during the winter months. Well, to help you win the battle this year, we’ve compiled some tips and product recommendations so that you can kiss your dry skin woes goodbye!
Moisturize, Moisturize, Moisturize!
Sure, this may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s really important you’ve got a daily moisturizing routine under your belt that uses a range of different products to target each area. Here are some of our personal favorite products to use to combat that dry skin.
Body Moisturizer
During the winter months, you should be applying a general body moisturizer regularly and always after showering. When looking for a moisturizer, you want to find one that is rich in ingredients like urea, shea butter and natural oils like avocado oil. Skin care brand NIVEA does a great range of different moisturizers, and they’re also relatively inexpensive, so applying them daily or more won’t break the bank!
Our recommendation: NIVEA Intensive Moisture
Price: RMB 47.9/440ml
Product notes: 48hr moisture, contains vitamin E, grape seed oil, avocado oil
Where to buy: Taobao, Watsons
Face Moisturizer
The skin on your face is different from the skin on your body, with your face skin being thinner and more sensitive, so you'll want to use a moisturizer that’s been specifically designed to be used on the face.
Our recommendation: innisfree Green Tea Seed Hyaluronic Serum
Price: RMB 129/50ml
Product notes: Contains hyaluronic acid, green tea seed oil
Where to buy: Taobao, at an innisfree store
Hand Cream
Hands contain the areas of skin that perhaps suffer the most during the dry winter, so it’s a good idea to keep a tube of hand cream on you at all times to ward off that dry skin.
Our recommendation: L'Occitane Powdered Shea Light Hand Cream
Price: RMB 95/30ml
Product notes: Contains shea butter and olive oil
Where to buy: Taobao, at a L'Occitane store
Lip Salve
Another place that bears the brunt of Beijing’s winter wrath is our lips, so it’s best to keep your lip salve of choice on hand. In our opinion, when it comes to your lips, you can’t do better than Vaseline. Vaseline has a long history of treating chapped lips across the globe, plus their tiny Vaseline lip salve tubs are just adorable.
Our recommendation: Vaseline Lip Therapy Cocoa Butter
Price: RMB 13.5/7g
Product notes: Contains cocoa butter, Vaseline® Jelly
Where to buy: Taobao, Watsons
Moisturizing Shower Gel
A great way to lock in some extra moisture is to make sure you’re using a moisturizing shower gel. There are a number of options available, but Dove is easy to find in most large supermarkets and is reasonably priced.
Our recommendation: Dove Deeply Nourishing Body Wash
Price: RMB 95.9/730g
Product notes: 24hr moisture, Sulfate-SLES-free
Where to buy: Taobao, Watsons, most large Chinese supermarkets
Face Masks
Finally, to give your dry skin that extra bit of hydration, and a little pampering to go with it, you can use hydrating or moisturizing face masks.
Our recommendation: innisfree Vitamin C Moisturizing Essence Mask
Price: RMB 79/box of 5 masks
Product notes: Contains vitamin C
Where to buy: Taobao at an innisfree store
Buy a Humidifier
It’s not just the outside air that’s dry during winter in Beijing; having the heating on full blast inside dries out the air in our homes and offices. Luckily, there is an easy solution to this: Invest in a humidifier. You can easily buy a humidifier on Taobao by searching 空气加湿器 (kōngqì jiāshīqì) and there are a number of relatively cheap ones available, including smart ones you can link to a home app from places like Xiaomi and Huawei. You can also get mini humidifiers that are perfect to put on your desk while at the office.
Stay Hydrated on the Inside
It’s all well and good to moisturize and keep your body hydrated on the outside, but it’s important to make sure it’s hydrated on the inside, too. Be sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day, and you can also eat foods that are high in water content, like cucumber or watermelon, to help. Drinking green tea can also help moisturize the skin as it naturally contains vitamin E.
Have Shorter Showers With Warm (Not Hot) Water
Although the idea of having a long hot shower (or bath, if you’re lucky enough to have one) may seem like a great idea for combating dry skin, it’s actually not. This is because exposing yourself to hot water for a long period of time actually strips away the “good” oils from your skin and draws moisture out of your skin. Instead, for those suffering from dry skin, it’s better to use warm water when showering and try to keep the shower length relatively short.
READ: Winter Warmers: More Cozy Drinks for the Season
Images: Freepik, Unsplash, Canva, Taobao
