How to take care of your hair, skin and body in winter

If you want to make it through winter without dry hair, dull skin and flakey lips, you need to learn how to take care of your hair, skin and body now.

RELATED: Golden rules of glossy hair

Don’t wait until it’s too late: prevention is always better than trying to reverse damage! So, to stay beautiful all winter long, add these healthy hair tips and top-to-toe beauty saviours to your routine… Bye, bye, winter blues!

#1 Dry hair defenders

Leaving the house with wet hair in the cooler months is a sure-fire way to get the sniffles, which is why most of us turn to hairdryers and heat styling. Combine this with whipping winds and less humidity in the air, and your hair will soon become dry and lifeless – unless you do something to stop it. Once a week, after you’ve shampooed and conditioned, apply a hair mask for a few minutes (or however long it says on the instructions). Here are some of our favourite hydrating hair masks:

Hair oils are another must-have healthy hair tip. Most can be used on both wet and dry hair, making them super handy for when you’re in a hurry. These ones are great at controlling frizz and flyaways too:

#2 Lip saviours

If you wait until your lips are cracking and chafing before buying a heavy-duty lip balm, you’re going about it the wrong way. To keep lips perfectly kissable from the get-go, apply a slick of balm every night before you go to bed. The temperature is coldest at night and even though you’re snuggled under a bevvy of blankets, your face is usually left out to face the cold, which dries out your lips (especially if you tend to breathe through your mouth). To combat this, keep these nifty balms by your bed:

It’s also a good idea to exfoliate your lips every few days, so your balm can nourish them even more. You can do this by simply brushing your lips with your toothbrush using circular motions, or with the help of a lip exfoliator, like Lush Lip Scrub.

#3 Skin-brightening boosters

Even if you stay in the shade in summer, you’ll still experience a lack of vitamin D in winter, which can leave the skin a little dull and draw more attention to pigmentation and other imperfections. To make sure your glow sticks around, add some brightening products to your skin care routine. Take your pick from these three, which contain vitamins and antioxidants to even out the skin tone and illuminate the complexion:

Aveda Enbrightenment Brightening Correcting Serum
Natio Skin Brightening Face Balm
Doctor BABOR Brightening Cellular Skin Brightening Cream ($152, au.babor.com)

#4 Headache helpers

Sniffling and blocked noses are inevitable in winter, but for some, they can also cause splitting headaches. And we all know that when you have a headache, you can’t focus on much else. So to stop something as little as a runny nose from turning into a thumping headache, stash these goodies in your first aid cupboard (they’re great alternatives to paracetamol):

#5 Body buffers

One of the biggest downers about winter is dry, itchy skin. Thanks to long, hot showers and indoor heating that’s cranking non-stop, our skin finds it harder to hold onto moisture. Most people try to combat this by applying richer moisturisers, which is great and definitely helps, but one thing that can prevent it in the first place is exfoliating. By buffing away dead skin cells, you’re not only smoothing the texture of your skin, but making it easier for the lotion you apply to sink in and nourish more deeply for longer-lasting moisture. So, give your skin a gentle scrub using these shower pals:

Eminence Organic Skin Care Citrus Exfoliating Wash ($61.00, eminenceorganics.com.au)
Babescrub Coffee Body Scrub ($21.95, local.babeaustralia.com)
Nutrimetics Loofah Shower Gel

#6 Vitamin valours

Of course, no matter how much we do on the outside, sometimes our best defence against the unflattering effects of winter is what we do for our insides. So, along with staying active (no matter how cold it gets!) and continuing to eat well, try adding a vitamin to your routine. What is the best hair, skin and nail vitamin, you ask? These ones provide protection for the hair, skin and nails, helping to strengthen and enhance the health of all three!

Hand must-haves

Dry hands can be difficult to deal with at the best of times, but the struggle is super real in winter. In addition to everyday tasks such as hand-washing and house work, the colder temperatures and indoor heating are also bound to take their toll on your mitts. To ensure your mitts stay moisturised and nourished, keep one of these rich creams handy (pun intended).