Hi everyone! I Hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving!…Why yes mine was lovely, thanks for asking!

Now that the Holidays are upon us, those cold, cozy, wintery days are not far behind. To me this means a lot of great things. Good times with family and friends, good food, shopping (WOOT WOOT!) and decorating!!

Unfortunately it also means dry itchy winter skin. But after years of living on the cold snowy East Coast I have learned a few tricks to help keep it at bay. So if you want to learn how I avoid that chapped, itchyness keep on reading!

First and foremost, I don’t know about you, but I tend to be less diligent about hydrating myself when it is cold. I mean the last thing I want to do is drink a bottle of water when its chilly out. But you MUST continue to hydrate! Good skin starts from the inside out!

If drinking cold water is just too much for you to deal with in the winter, you can always get your hydration with a hot drink. Just keep a few things in mind…avoid trying to hydrate with caffeinated beverages. Caffeine is a diuretic, so it will actually serve to dehydrate you more than anything. In other words you can’t rely on your morning coffee to help out here. Hot chocolate may also sound like a good alternative to you, but we are trying to avoid winter skin, not put on a layer of blubber to protect us from the cold here folks…

If you need a hot beverage go with a caffeine free herbal tea, or my favorite at home recipe is hot water with fresh squeezed lemon and a sprinkle of cinnamon. These will help you get your daily water, and also help get the chill out of those bones.

Now that we have the inside covered, lets start with the outside.

To start with, I know know a hot shower can feel really good and help get the chill out, but don’t let it be too hot. Super hot water can make your skin dry out even more.

You should moisturize as soon as you get out of the shower, while your skin is still a bit damp. This will help lock some of the moisture into your skin.

After years of experimenting my favorite way to do this is to mix coconut oil into my daily moisturizer.