As a nurse who has to work long hours and wear different hats at work, you might not always have time to take a break and do an elaborate skin care routine. However, since recent winters have been particularly harsh, you should start giving it a second thought.
Failure to take extra good care of your skin during this cold season can mean a number of problems. Just think about itchy flaky skin and bleeding cracks. Sounds uncomfortable, right?
Before any of those things happen to you, here are some simple yet effective winter skin care tips you can actually use.
1Keep your hair healthy with a rejuvenating hair mask
Waking up to a bad hair day simply ruins the rest of the day. Keep your hair soft and bouncy with this quick hair spa. This Banana Avocado Coconut Oil hair mask should do the trick.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of coconut oil
1 ripe avocado
1 ripe banana
Place all ingredients in your blender and mix them until you get a homogenous texture. Once you get the right consistency, apply it on your hair and let it sit for around 20 to 30 minutes. Rinse it off with shampoo and conditioner after. (This is a good chance to listen and chilll to your favorite Spotify playlist.)
Bananas contain a good amount of oils and vitamin to reduce hair breakage and strengthen your hair strands. Avocados, on the other hand, have components that can help with hair growth. Coconut oil works best in retaining moisture in your hair.
2Combat dryness with a hydrating face pack
The skin on your face is a lot thinner than the rest of your body. This means that it’s more prone to drying, irritation, and damage when exposed to extreme weather conditions.
While a moisturizer can hydrate your skin, it may not be enough to combat the severely drying effects of the cold season. This is where a hydrating face mask fits in.
One of your easiest options is this Cucumber and Aloe Vera face pack. Together, these two ingredients can hydrate and soothe your dry skin like no other.
Ingredients:
½ cucumber
2 tablespoons of aloe vera gel
To create this mask, you need to skin the cucumber first. Remove the seeds and cut it into smaller pieces. Blend the pieces using your blender until you get a really smooth consistency. Transfer it to a small bowl and then add the aloe vera gel.
Using your fingers, apply a good layer of the mixture on your face and neck. Let the mask sit on your face for 30 minutes. Rinse it off with cool water after.
3Keep your hands and body fabulous with a DIY lotion
With frequent hand washing and fewer oil glands, keeping your hands nourished and hydrated during winter won’t be that easy. You have to make sure you don’t miss out on moisturizing your hands or else, your skin can end up with dry patches and cracks. They may even bleed!
So, to make sure none of these annoying things happen to your hands, you should consider making this DIY hand lotion. You can customize how it smells so you won’t have any excuse not to pamper your hands with it.
Ingredients:
½ cup of coconut oil
½ cup of beeswax
1 cup of olive oil
½ teaspoon of vitamin E oil
20 drops of your favorite essential oil
First, combine the coconut oil, beeswax and olive oil in a small jar. Place the jar in a saucepan and fill the pan with water. It should be enough to submerge ¾ of the can.
Remember:
There should be no water inside the jar.
Place the pan on your stove and turn on the heat to a medium. Stir the mixture until melted. After that, you can set aside the jar until it goes back to room temperature. Check it every 15 minutes, giving it a gentle stir with a fork each time. After an hour, you can add the vitamin E oil and essential oil.
See Also: Heal Your Healing Hands: The 10 Best Hand Creams for Nurses
4Give your feet some love with a homemade foot cream
Having no sebaceous glands, the skin under your feet tends to remain dry, making it more prone to calluses, cracks, and peeling. If your feet are already experiencing these things from the long hours of walking, standing and running around during your shift, you can try soaking them first in warm water. Once the skin is soft, you can use a scrub or a pumice stone to gently buff away dead skin cells.
After exfoliation, you can pamper your feet with this homemade foot cream.
Ingredients:
¼ cup of coconut oil
¼ cup of shea butter
3 tablespoons of beeswax
10 drops of oregano essential oil
10 drops of peppermint essential oil
Place all the ingredients in a mason jar and put it in a pan with 1 inch of water. Start heating the pan until all the ingredients are melted. Once melted, let it cool to room temperature.
See Also: 5 Cheap Pampering Tips For Happy Nurse Feet
This is optional but you can get a smoother consistency by giving the ingredients a good mix using your blender. If you don’t have any blender around, you can just give the mixture a good stir. Once you have the right consistency, you can add the essential oils. Give it one final mix before storing the cream in your fridge.
Happy Moisturizing!
