Harsh soaps, lack of moisturising and other normal acts can strip your skin of its essential oils and this leads to those itchy patches you would rather do without. In fact, there are several daily habits you are probably into that strip the moisture from your skin without you even realising it.
Bad Habit Number One: hot showers! Having a steaming hot shower or bath will surely dry out your skin, and it is unfortunate since most of us just love a hot bath at the end of a stressful week, or a steaming shower to start the day.
Why must you stop this wonderful part of your life? The high temperature of the water burns the uppermost layer of your skin and leaves a dry, cracking layer behind.You may notice that after you get out of your shower, you immediately feel itchy and tight in your own skin.
The obvious solution to this problem is to add moisturiser immediately, and this is the correct thing to do, however moisturiser will never repair the damage completely.
Opt for a warm bath instead of the scalding kind, and your skin will hold onto more natural moisture. Then when you go to moisturise after the bath, you will actually be adding more moisture to your skin instead of simply repairing the burned layer.
Bad Habit Number Two: scrubbing yourself dry. Do not give in to the urge to scrub your body dry with a thick towel after getting out of the bath. While it is a natural tendency, and most people do it, this simple action acts like an exfoliation.
Exfoliation before or during your bath is great, but afterwards your skin is softened and too much of the top layer will come off when scrubbed with the towel. If you do this, your skin loses its protective upper layer, and with it, natural moisture.
It can be very difficult (and sad!) to have to stop scrubbing yourself dry, but it is for the best if you want to look after your skin. The solution? Pat dry! It is easier to dry off than you probably think, so next time you step out of the shower just calmly pat dry and you will notice very soon that your skin does not feel so dry and tight.
Bad Habit Number Three: Drinking too much alcohol. You probably love a good drink every now and then, just like everyone else. Alcohol is very drying, however, and works from the inside of your body out to dry out your entire system and eventually your skin.
If you are having issues with dry skin and are not sure what has been causing it, think about your drinking habits.
Do you have a drink every day, or once a week? Chances are, the more you drink (and the more often you drink it) will have a direct affect on the state of your skin. Skin needs a great deal of water to stay moisturised, and alcohol is the anti water.
In fact, the reason you will get a headache after a heavy night of drinking is because of the dehydration of the membrane in your brain! Keep that in mind next time you are confronted with a drink, and remember that whatever happens on the inside will come through, eventually, on the outside.
If you want to keep your skin moist and healthy, remember these bad habits and work to stop them. You can do it!
