Ways to Reduce Skin Chapping in Winter You May Not Know About

In the heart of winter, you are at the highest risk for chapping skin.  If you asked most people why this is, they would most likely tell you that the exposure to the cold and wind outside is the culprit.  That answer is true, however, it does not tell the whole story.  The truth is your skin is under assault from both the outside and the inside.  Excessively cold air is the enemy of your skin, but what many do not realize is, the central heating that you use during the winter is also an antagonist.  The heater is your friend for many reasons, but one of its drawbacks is that it makes the air inside dryer.  Moving from cold and wet to warm and dry can wreak the havoc of redness and soreness on exposed skin.

Other causes of chapped skin can be excessive use of soap, and some cosmetics that have a high basic pH can have a drying effect on the skin, stripping it of the oils.  Constantly wearing clothes that are too tight can contribute to chapping via constant friction.

Evening primrose.  Oil that is made from this plant can be used to treat chapped skin.

Author: Charles de Mille-Isles from Mille-Isles, Canada, under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

Raise the Humidity of Your Home

As stated above, central heating has the unwanted effect of taking a lot of the moisture out of the internal air.  An obvious remedy for this is to use a humidifier.  If you don't have a humidifier and you are suffering from chapped skin, an alternative solution is to place bowls of water near the heating vents in your house until you are willing and able to purchase one.

Evening Primrose Oil

The evening primrose plant has a long history in naturopathic and alternative medicine.  Primrose oil contains a type of essential Omega-6 fatty acid.  If you have chapped skin, the recommended dosage is 1500 mg, split up into 500 mg three times daily until the chapping subsides.  This should not be done as a preventive measure; only take this treatment if your skin is chapped.  This is due to the fact that it is Omega-6, and taking it long term can put an excess of Omega-6 in your body, upsetting the idea Omega-3 to 6 ratio.

There are a few potential risks of primrose oil if you have certain preexisting conditions.  It potentially can heighten risk of nausea and seizures for anyone taking phenothiazines. These are used to treat some conditions of psychosis such as schizophrenia.  For those who take antiplatelets and anticoagulant medicine, it may heighten the risk of bleeding.  Also, if you have excessively low blood pressure, you should be careful with evening primrose.

For those with no preexisting conditions, there have been occasional incidents of headaches or nausea.  However, these are very uncommon.

Herbal Remedies

A topical application for chapped skin is oil from the calendula plant.  Calendula ointment is also used to treat inflamed hemorrhoids, varicose veins, nosebleeds, and some other wounds which have trouble healing.

St. John's wort, or Hypericum perforatum is used to treat a wide variety of conditions, including depression.  It also is an antioxidant which contains anti-inflammatory properties.  Depending on the condition, it can be taken orally or topically.  For chapped skin, use the latter.  The best time to apply it on the skin is immediately after a bath or shower.