Is winter giving you dry, itchy, flaky skin? If so, your’re not alone. Reaching for the bottle of hand lotion several times a day may temporarily relieve some of the dryness but until the dryness of our environments change, dryness is going to continue to plague.

So what to do? Well, how about making some changes in that environment yourself? A home humidifier to add moisture to the air not only has health benefits (as well as making the house feel warmer) it can help alleviate some of the causes of dry skin. Working from the inside, we can keep our bodies hydrated too by drinking plenty of water and not just colas and coffees. The water content of a cola or coffee beverage compensates for caffeine’s diuretic properties, but you aren’t going far in hydrating your body.

Do moisturize and use a lotion or cream that contains a moisture barrier shield, to protect skin from losing moisture. These products are most effective if applied directly after showering when skin is still moist.

Eating a healthy, balanced diet and keeping hydrated as well as using preparations to protect and moisturize will help your skin weather the long winter.

Oh, and look at the calendar…Spring is only 35 days away.