Your morning routine my be great for waking you up in the morning but it can play havoc on your skin. Everything from your shower to that cup of coffee can be the cause of your dry skin not to even mention the central heat and air you were sleeping in.
That long hot shower is where the bulk of the damage happens. Things such as the temperature of the water, the soap you choose and even the way you dry off can help lead to dry skin. The longer you stay in a hot shower the more oil and moisture is pulled out and away from your skin. Try turning the temperature down a bit and don’t stay in longer than 10 minutes.
Further oils can be stripped by the soap or body wash you choose. That body wash may smell great and help you wake up but you are better off going with the doctor recommended Dove soap for your morning routine. When you are done with your shower be careful how you dry off. You want to keep some of the moisture you got from your new lukewarm shower routine and rubbing your towel back and forth over your body could remove it. Instead of rubbing try patting yourself dry. In fact its is even recommended to leave yourself a little damp and follow up with a moisturizer.
There are many dry skin remedies available for moisturizing but that lotion you have been using may not be helping as much as you think. If you have really dry skin the typical lotion isn’t going to help much. This is because lotions are made with mostly water which evaporates quickly on dry skin. Instead swap your lotion for a cream or ointment which will help lock in moisture for extended periods of time. Some creams only have to be applied once a day and after your shower is a perfect time.
After you are showered and dressed its time to think twice about that cup of coffee with breakfast. Caffeine constricts your blood vessels which in turn dehydrates the body. This becomes particularity noticeable in your face where the skin is thinnest and can result in dry skin around eyes or even more wrinkles. If you are like me however and there is no way you are going to give up your morning coffee, just add another glass of water to your diet for every cup of coffee you drink and that should do the trick. Now if you can just avoid the harmful skin drying sun and smog on your way to work you should have the best skin on the block.