by Julie Gabriel

Created on: January 20, 2009

Harsh winds, frosty weather, low humidity, and central heating make our skin evaporate water at much faster rate.

To lock up moisture inside our skin, we must strengthen our skin cell membranes with lipids, and here's when plant oils come handy because they are chemically very close to skin's own oils.

I do not recommend using products that contain lots of beeswax in winter (if beeswax is listed second or third in the ingredients list, this means the product has lots of it) because it tends to get stiff and hard on skin surface. That's when you get a crust around your lip line from lip balms with lots of beeswax. Plain coconut or jojoba oils are more pliable on skin when thermometer takes a plunge.

Cleansing products should become oilier and more gentle, and double-cleansing with cleansing oil may help prevent skin dryness. For toners, switch from astringents to alcohol-free floral waters or at least witch hazel diluted with water. Instead of a grainy scrub, once a week rub your face with half a lemon for one minute and quickly rinse the mush with tepid water and follow up with a rich moisturizer that contains no mineral oils.

Makeup-wise, it may make sense to switch from powder mineral foundations to creamy versions and use rich organic lipsticks instead of lip glosses.

Plant oils such as olive, grape seed, avocado, wheat germ, evening primrose, rosehip are excellent either as a part of your moisturizer or on their own, applied underneath your regular cream or lotion. There's a specific class of moisturizer ingredients called humectants that help attract moisture from outside environment. These include vegetable glycerin, hyaluronic acid, quillaia, or lactic acid. I usually spice up my regular moisturizers with extra vegetable glycerin and hyaluronic acid if I plan to spend more time at home, and when I hit outdoors with my daughter, I wear a rich oily moisturizer like Weleda's Skin Food that keeps the water inside my skin.

In fact, plant oils do not hydrate per se - they simply lock the moisture in, but they must be natural and preferably organic or biodynamic to perform best.

Jojoba oil chemically resembles skin's sebum and therefore is least likely to cause an irritation. It is also able to penetrate deep enough in epidermis to make a difference. Jojoba oil is a brilliant multitasker that will cleanse your face, nourish your hair, and help during your body massage. Unlike mineral oils that sit on skin surface and lock everything good and bad inside, plant oils both sit on the surface and penetrate, too, strengthening skin cell membranes and supporting them with vitamins and minerals.

I personally like lightweight oils that are rich in antioxidant phytonutrients such as olive, grape seed, pomegranate seed, rice bran, and avocado oils. Put them on your face, hair, or nails, the results will be lovely, and your wallet will love these green solutions, too.

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