Tips to beat dry skin and scalps

Does all this grim wintery weather play havoc with your hair, scalp and skin? You’re not alone.

Flakes, dry patches and dandruff are all too common for lots of us, so here at Celebricious we’ve been perusing what products are on offer for this testing time.

Hair heroes

As you can’t see your scalp, its health is often neglected, but it has a huge influence on the look and feel of your hair. If you shampoo infrequently your scalp is likely to become irritated and that’s when you become prone to blocked pores and spots.

Looking after your scalp will improve your hair’s strength, elasticity and manageability, reduce breakage and brittleness and also encourage hair growth.

Most people have had or will experience some degree of dandruff during their life. Your skin is shed and replaced constantly including the skin on your scalp, this becomes more noticeable when there is an imbalance of bacteria on the scalp or you aren’t washing your hair frequently enough.

So with this advice in mind, we tried out a targeted anti-microbial shampoo and scalp toner – Philip Kingsley’s Flaky Itchy Shampoo, (quite costly at £24 for 250ml) and Flaky Itchy Scalp Toner(£21 for 250ml) and they are certainly worth the money.

After one wash I noticed the condition of the dryness of my hair, which has taken a beating these last few months. It smelled fruity and a 5 pence blob was enough for my shoulder-length hair. I wouldn’t go back to any other product after giving this stuff a whirl.

Anabel Kingsley, a trichologist at Philip Kingsley, said: “The scalp is the bedrock for the hair follicle, and if it is not in good condition the chances of you experiencing problems with hair growth and health increase significantly.” See Anabel’s tips below on how to keep some of the most common scalp problems in check and what products she would recommend.”

Skin Saviours

Dry, cold weather can lead to dehydration and fracturing of the stratum corneum barrier of your skin. The continued drop in temperature and humidity creates more aggravation of the skin, which becomes “winter itch.” This is typically experienced on the hands, feet, legs and lower back. Treating winter itch daily with anti-inflammatory and barrier repairing products from Epionce heals and protects the skin from future damage for beautiful, healthy-looking skin.

I was very pleasantly surprised when I tried the Epionce Intensive Nourishing Cream as ten minutes in the cold wind usually sets me back a week of itchy skin. An ultra-rich cream, it was fab on dry skin and sunk in beautifully. After just a week of using, I noticed the difference in the texture of my skin as it was much smoother. It also helps reduce lines, wrinkles and uneven skin texture. It was £79 a pot, which is a lot more than i’d usually spend on such a product but it doesn’t really compare to anything else I’ve used in terms of how it transformed my skin.

More tips for dealing with winter weather

Avoid hot showers that draw moisture out of the skin
Eat nutrient-dense foods and drink plenty of water to support skin health
Wear sunscreen daily – yes, even when there’s sleet outside, those pesky rays can still get you
Lower the indoor temperature to help prevent a drying effect on the skin from extreme temperature differences between inside and outside
Consider a humidifier in your home to help regulate moisture levels to keep skin balanced