Are You in Hot Water?

You already know that it’s best to stay away from proverbial hot water. But when it comes to your skin, it’s best to stay out of the real stuff, too.

Long showers, especially during the cold winter months, dehydrate the skin, causing not only a loss of water, but also electrolytes. When your skin is dehydrated, it becomes scaly, taut, irritated—and makes you look older.

So let’s face the facts and see how best to protect your skin.

• Wash with tepid water and shower only once a day. Hot water will dehydrate and damage your skin.
• Keep your showers as short as possible. The chlorine in tap water can cause skin damage, so less exposure is preferred and a 5 to 10 minute shower is generally recommended.
• Look for cleansers that have moisture boosting ingredients like sodium hyaluronate, panthenol, and allantoin. We recommend the ZO Skin Health Hydrating Cleanser for this reason.
• Immediately after towel drying, apply a good body lotion, such as ZO Skin Health Body Emulsion, which has a high concentration of lactic acid and does an excellent job of hydrating the skin. It’s good to apply it while your skin is slightly damp and your pores are open, so make it part of your morning shower routine.

To combat the effects of chilly fall and winter weather, work to protect and strengthen your skin by keeping it hydrated and protected from the elements. Brrrrrr…