Winters can be especially harsh on the skin, and you may buy a dozen moisturizers to combat dryness but to no avail. So, what can you do to protect your skin despite dropping temperatures? There are certain superfoods that can help. Here are our top 10.
Just remember:
- Use whatever is freely available to you.
- Keep it simple: Food for skin
- Eat whatever resonates with your choices. And, stretch a little if you can.
- Be patient. Even superpowers take time to show results. The key is to be consistent
- and enjoy whatever food you’re consuming. Your skin will show the glow.You could stick to a few food items or use a mix of all.
Natural Skin Care Tips for Winter Season:
So now that you’re ready, let’s dive into some amazing winter skin care tips.
1. Olive Oil
Olive oil contains nutrients like vitamins A and E, and fatty acids. It has emollient properties that help hydrate the skin and maintain its flexibility. Olive oil is rich in antioxidants that eliminate free radicals and prevent discoloration and other damage.
How: You could add it to your salads, cooking or even take a little and apply it on your skin.
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2. Avocados
Avocados contain loads nutrients like vitamins A, C and E. They also contain monounsaturated fats, which help the skin to acquire and retain moisture. They also remove dead skin cells effectively from the skin. Avocado deeply penetrates into the skin to restore the nutrients. It also helps in increasing the blood circulation in the skin, which is essential for the skin. The glutamine amino acid present in avocados cleanses your skin and offers it enough protection against harsh environmental factors.
How: You could make a great avocado shake, add it to your salad or even make some guacamole.
3. Grapefruit
Grapefruit is rich in vitamin C. Vitamin C helps fight many skin ailments. Grapefruits are also rich in lycopene, a chemical that helps keep the skin smooth and protects it from UV rays.
How: You could make a great Grapefruit shake, add it to your salad or even make some guacamole.
4. Broccoli
Broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable that is good for the skin. It is rich in Vitamins A and C. Vitamin A helps keep the skin healthy and reduces scars. Vitamin C helps to maintain collagen production. Broccoli also contains B-vitamins that help reduce dry and flaky patches.
How: Make a bowl of soup with some almond slivers. Toss some broccoli in your salad, or even add some to your regular vegetables. It will add its unique flavor.
5. Carrots
Carrot is one of the must have super foods for skin in the winter season. It is rich in Vitamin A, and other antioxidants, which help keep the skin healthy, nourished and glowing. These antioxidants help fight wrinkles, discoloration, and scars. Carrots also contain lycopene, which protects the skin from the harsh sun rays.
How: Add it to your salads, have juice, or even make a vegetable with grated carrots, a light tempering, and some coriander leaves.
6. Spinach
Apart from being a rich source of iron, spinach is also another must-have if you want to have glowing skin. The leafy green is a storehouse of nutrition. It contains Vitamins A and C, and antioxidants that fend off all sorts of skin infections. Spinach is rich in iron and can help you fight anemia and adds color to your pale skin.
How: Have a warm spinach cream soup or make spinach and cheese parathas. A rich aromatic spinach gravy with fresh paneer drives away the blues.
7. Almonds
Almonds are natural emollients that hydrate the skin and prevent dryness. They are also rich in Vitamin E, which helps protect the skin from the harmful UV rays of the sun. Almonds contain many antioxidants that combat the signs of aging on your skin.
How: Soak 4-5 almonds every night and eat them the next morning.
Add almond slivers to your soups and salads. Better still, have almond halwa.
This food for skin is just right for the winter season.
8. Green Tea
Green tea is full of antioxidants, which eliminate free radicals and prevent flaky skin. The antioxidants also help reduce fine lines and wrinkles.
How: Have a cup post lunch. Slip slow and enjoy the warm ride.
9. Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate is one of the best foods to keep your skin looking and feeling wonderful. It contains flavonols that help the skin glow even in the harsh winter. It also offers sun protection to your skin naturally.
How: A piece post lunch or dinner would make the meal just perfect. You could also opt to have some dark chocolate granola as a midday snack. If anyone wonders at your chocolate snacking, just tell them your skin loves this food.
10. Blueberry
This is a superfood high in antioxidants and helps reduce free radicals.
How: Snack on a handful as you begin your day. Add some to your salad or even make a little fresh blueberry jam and smear on your bread/rotis.
Remember to be patient with these winter skin care tips and enjoy! Go ahead, glow on.
Include Olive Oil, Avocados, Grapefruit, Broccoli, Carrots, Spinach, Almonds, Green Tea, Dark Chocolate, and Blueberries in your diet.
Include healthy fats in your diet: Ghee, Olive Oil, Avocados. Indulge in Abhyanga, Ayurvedic body massages customized for different body types - these nourish, rejuvenate and detoxify skin. Practice yoga and pranayama which also help in detoxification and rejuvenation. For dry skin, apply a few drops of coconut oil on the face and navel.
Yoga! Yoga asanas help increase blood circulation to the head and face area, which will further aid in naturally beautiful skin tone. Yoga and pranayama aid in cleansing and detoxifying the face and body. Know which yoga poses can help you to get that glowing skin.
Keep moving. During very cold winters, we tend to become lazy and not move much. So make an extra effort to move more: Join a Yoga class, go for walks, cook your own food. Moving helps in blood circulation, metabolism and stimulation of the lymphatic system.
Avocados and blueberries! Avocados contain loads nutrients like vitamins A, C and E. They also contain monounsaturated fats, which help the skin to acquire and retain moisture. They also remove dead skin cells effectively from the skin. Avocado deeply penetrates into the skin to restore the nutrients. It also helps in increasing the blood circulation in the skin, which is essential for the skin. The glutamine amino acid present in avocados cleanses your skin and offers it enough protection against harsh environmental factors. Blueberries are a superfood high in antioxidants and helps reduce free radicals.
If you are facing face dryness durng winters, apply a few drops of cocounut oil. You can also use this special face mask: In 4 tablespoons of mung, chickpea flour as a base add ½ tsp Triphala, ¼ tsp turmeric, ½ tsp dried neem, 2 tsp’s rosewater; mix into a paste. Add a few tablespoons of milk too.
This DIY Ayurvedic face pack is the ideal thing to apply during winters: In 4 tablespoons of chickpea flour as a base, add ½ tsp Triphala, ¼ tsp turmeric, ½ tsp dried neem, 2 tsp’s rosewater; mix into a paste and add a few tablespoons of milk.
Coconut oil is moisturizing, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory - making it the perfect oil to use during winters.
Broccoli, Carrots and Spinach are excellent for the skin. Broccoli and Spinach are rich in Vitamin A that helps keep the skin healthy and reduces scars, and in Vitamin C that helps to maintain collagen production. Carrots are rich in Vitamin A which help keep the skin healthy, nourished and glowing.
