Sadly our skin is the last organ to get any benefit from the nutrition we consume, because it doesn't hold as a high of an importance like the liver, the kidneys, the intestines, brain, the blood, muscles etc. it only gets given the scraps of the left over vitamins, water, and oils. Because of this our skin can have a tendency to dry out; even oily skin can go through cycles of this. The way to get the balance back to your skin is with good moisturisation, this can realign the skin back to a stable state, even oily skin benefits from specific modified moisturisers to help keep sebum to a minimum which can stabilise and control the equilibrium of oil produced in the skin.

In winter strong cold winds deplete skin of its natural outer lipid layer, which is a protective film that keeps the skin from drying out. The dry air from radiators and the lack of humidity, both in- and out-of-doors, creates another factor to allow the air to exhaust the skin of its moisture, leaving it feeling flaky and itchy. To keep skin soft and supple, your goal is not to just add moisture to the skin, but to keep moisture in.

A few techniques to help combat the drying of our skin are as follows:

Use lukewarm water never hot.
Hot water dries out the skin especially if combined with drying associated chemicals like soaps and some exfoliants.

Invest in a humidifier.
The body needs at least 30 percent moisture in the air so not to dry out and radiators can bring moisture levels down to a staggering 10 percent, humidifiers can bring this level back up.

Aloe Vera
When it comes to skin, especially troubled skin, aloe is the best thing to use it has amazing proprieties that the skin thrives off so try and find gels and creams with this ingredient.

Milk
Adding a bit of milk to your bath can help your skin retain moisture, the lactic acid in milk serves as a mini absorber of moisture and leaves your skin feeling soft, if it was good enough for Cleopatra it's good enough for me.

Water
The magical properties of water strike again, though not the be all and end all of moisturisation a good intake of water daily can help keep your skin smooth.

Omega 3
Fish aren't known for their smooth skin but their oils do marvels for ours, replenish your dry skin with an all-natural balm.

If you continue to experience chronic dry skin, you may unknowingly have a skin condition that may require prescription strength medicine. Make an appointment with your health care provider and/or dermatologist to have your skin thoroughly checked out. The winter months can be rough for many reasons but your skin need not be so good luck and stay moist!