Downside of dry cold - January 13, 2009
Skin, hair, nails -- all crack under the constant blast of furnaces and sub-zero days
By Jennifer Fong, The Edmonton Journal

One thing many Edmontonians like to boast about is our city's "dry cold."

Yes winter temperatures do dip down to a cool - 30 C, but that's OK. With little humidity in the air, the bite isn't nearly as bone-chilling as it would be for our neighbours to the east.

But for all our "cosiness," we also get staticky hair, brittle nails, chapped lips, and scaly skin.

"Our climate is very tough on the skin," says Edmonton dermatologist Dr. Norman Wasel.

"We live in a part of the world that has low humidity, and in addition to that, the winters are very cold. The central heating that people have in their homes makes it tough."

Combine the elements outside with moisture-sucking furnaces blasting inside, and we might as well be living in the Sahara.

The good thing is that there are plenty of ways to protect ourselves so that we look just as radiant as we did that long lost summer six months ago.

Here are what some local experts suggest:

SKIN

Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize -- at least once a day, says Wasel, but really, "there is no maximum."

Dry, scaly, flaky and cracked skin is a common sight this time of year, he says, but you can give your skin a break by resisting the urge to take long, hot showers.

"The hot water can strip the skin's surface of the essential oils that help seal in moisture," Wasel says. So take a lukewarm shower, then moisturize right away.

Calyn Johnson, manager of Beauty Junkie at West Edmonton Mall, suggests using a heavier body butter for arms and legs and a lighter cream enriched with vitamin E and SPF for your face -- "You can still get a burn in the winter," she warns.

Eye creams are also increasingly popular, Johnson adds, even among women who are decades away from wrinkles.

"They say girls should start using them when you're about 12," says Johnson. "The skin around your eyes is different. It's one of the areas on your face where when you smile or squint, the skin will fold there more and the moisture gets lost."

NAILS

Master nail technician Pam Lewis has two rules for winter nail care. One: wear gloves.

"There are a lot of people out there who do not wear gloves," she says. "Wearing gloves is a necessity, right off the bat."

And two: use high quality natural hand creams, every time you wash your hands.

Lewis prefers lotions by Alberta's own Wild Prairie Soap Company because "it's a more natural, more pure product," infused with ingredients such as sweet almond oil and shea butter.

"Because of the high quality, a little goes a long way, and it's moisturizing -- it's going right into your tissue," she says. "Cheaper products will just sit on your hand because of all the fillers."

Brush problem nails with strengtheners such as Orly's Nail Armour, enriched with real silk fibre, or Tough Cookie, with African okoume tree extract. Most drugstore polishes will dehydrate nails, says Lewis, so using a base coat will help guard against chips.

Then, dab cuticle oil anywhere your hand cream might have missed -- underneath your nail plate, for example -- and you'll get extra nourishment that will last at least a couple of hand washes.

LIPS

There's probably nothing less sexy than dry, chapped lips, so to spare your significant other, put some care into your pucker.

Smith's Rosebud Salves have been around for more than a century and are known to be extra powerful on irritated lips. Because it's so strong, Johnson applies the old-fashioned lip balm before she hits the sack to let it do its magic through the night.

Meanwhile, those with flaky lips can clear away dead skin with The Lip Scrub by Sara Happ.

"It's a sugar-based scrub with jojoba oil and vitamin E, and you go in a circular motion and it exfoliates anything dead and keeps your lips soft," says Johnson.

Available in such mouthwatering flavours as vanilla bean, peppermint, cocoa, and cinnamon sugar, it'll be a miracle if your partner doesn't try to steal a smooch.

HAIR

Most hair experts generally caution against overloading hair with product, but you can get away with much more during the winter.

"If you don't have anything on your hair, your hair just automatically gets attacked by the environment right away," says hairstylist Lauren Hughes, owner of Mousy Brown's salon and spa on 124th Street.

Hughes recommends pampering your locks with a hair mask once a week to boost moisture and repair damage, while a daily spritz of leave-in conditioner will keep static at bay. Silicone-based hair products can also help get rid of frizz and add extra shine.

And while the instinct for those with long hair might be to yank it all into a ponytail, be careful, Hughes warns. "Elastic bands really rip out your hair, so make sure you don't sleep with them in."

And don't forget the golden rule of hair-washing: only once every two to three days. Daily shampooing, explains Hughes, can strip your hair of its protective natural oils, leaving scalps dry and irritated.

"It's just important for people's natural oils to get past the root," she says. "It's a really good conditioner for the hair."

jfong@thejournal.canwest.com
© Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal

Tuesday, January 13, 2009