Everyone has faced the struggles that come with winter and what it does to your skin. Dried out skin cracks and breaks, not to mention the painful acne that it can lead to. Nobody enjoys these torturous facts of winter and, sadly, it sometimes seems that even the best of lotion does not always do the trick. So here are 10 healthy lifestyle tips that you should use this winter, or even all year long, to fight off dry skin.
1. Clean your face twice daily
I know that cleaning your face takes time, can be messy, and you never feel as cool as those girls in the commercials look, but cleaning your face twice a day is a big deal. This should take place once you have woken up and once before you go to bed. Make sure to use only warm water as hot water has the tendency of drying out your skin out even more. Make sure that the cleanser that you use is designed to work well with your skin type as well as keep moisture in.
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2. Moisturize after washing
Now, personally, I am a bit of a skin care freak and I am all over researching what is the best product for me and my skin type. Mind you, I do have sensitive skin and so I am shopping with that in mind. Luckily, you can find some very good moisturizers for under $20. In my opinion, every penny is worth it if it works well for me. I would definitely encourage you research what would be the best for you and give it a shot.
3. Witch Hazel
Now witch hazel goes hand in hand with the moisturizing in number two. Witch hazel is a natural astringent that helps keep your skin tone even. It is also great for fighting off acne and reducing blemishes on your skin. Another magical use of witch hazel is that it can help eliminate under eye bags and puffy eyes by tightening the skin around the area. It is also known for helping close up your pores to help keep makeup out of them and other dirt and oil. 
4. Honey
Okay I know what you are thinking, "Why honey?" Well, yes, it may seem like a weird idea, but if you take honey and spread it evenly over your face the way that you do for a normal face mask and leave it for about 20 to 30 minutes then you will be left with soft skin that has the moisture sealed in and the dirt from your pores pulled out. Just use organic, non processed honey once a day or every other day right before your shower or even before bed and you will start to notice a world of difference. You can also mix in lemon to help even your skin tone or oatmeal to help reduce redness.
5. Always Pat Never Rub
Patting your skin dry is always the preferred method for drying your face or body. Why is that? Well, it's because if you rub the towel against your skin you are irritating the skin as well as sometimes causing the skin to dry out a bit and flake. Nobody wants flaky skin hanging around.
6. Don’t Pop the Pimple
Popping pimples can lead to infection, which just makes all the steps that you took to keeping your face clean, clear, and healthy fall behind. Another issue with popping pimples is that you are releasing all of the oils and dirt in the one pimple onto the rest of the pores in that area, which can cause even more pimples!
7. Face Masks Galore
There are many cheap and effective face masks out there that you can get your hands on. All of them can focus on one specific thing or work towards multiple issues. My advice is to use a face mask a day and it doesn’t have to just be a clay face mask, using fruit face masks have been known to help with breakouts and evening your skin tone. If you do enough research on them then you can find some really cute recipes for your own DIY at home face masks! (Which, in turn, make really cute gifts!)
So with the approach of a stressful and dry season, hopefully with these six tips you can help achieve or maintain healthy clean, clear, and smooth skin. Also remember that these are things that you can do even with a college student budget, so don't stress out even more and think that you need to spend more money to achieve good skin. Lastly, is a tip that might not need to be stated, but, just in case, drink lots of water to help stay hydrated.
