With Winter looming right around the corner I wanted to share a few tips for keeping your skin soft and protected. Colder air and more exposure to the dry heat of furnaces and central heat can do lot of damage to your skin, especially if it tends to be dry or sensitive.

The last thing any of us wants is to feel greasy or gunky, and a lot of heavier makeups tend to feel that way. A lighter option is to go for a tinted moisturizer with a built in SPF of 15 or higher. You can use this as your makeup or under your regular makeup for a light shield of protection against the elements. I like to use moisturizer, let it set, then use my mineral makeup. That way I stay moisturized and protected with a good coverage of SPF 15.

If you have super dry skin you can use cocoa butter or coconut oil as your moisturizer. Leave it on for 10 minutes and blot off the excess. The cocoa butter feels icky and heavy at first, but is a heavy duty moisturizer/protectant. It also blots off nicely, which is why I sometimes use it before bed. In the morning you do your usual face wash routine and your skin is very soft and smooth! Same thing goes for coconut oil, however it is lighter in feel but very slippery at first. The coconut oil usually soaks in after a few minutes.

Either of these heavier moisturizers can work under tinted moisturizer or makeup, but you must blot off the excess or you will have a mess! You can also use cocoa butter as a lipbalm. It works very well for that. I personally use Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula. It is the one brand I am not allergic to! Also, there is no stinging or burning.

Guys can use these moisturizers too, but remember to blot off the extra.

Regardless of where you live, don't forget the SPF of 15 or higher to shield your delicate skin against the UVA and UVB rays. The rays that can cause skin cancer can still get through in the winter as well as reflect off snow. If you enjoy outdoor sports, like skiing, you are at risk so be safe and sun block with an SPF.

Also protect your hair with caps or hoods. Did you know your hair can actually freeze and break off? Yeah, weird right? I usually cram mine up under a warm cap or wrap a warm winter (woolen) scarf over my head and around my neck. Keeps me warmer and protects my hair too. On really cold days I love my old gray sweatshirt hoodie. It is so soft and so thick, I just pull that hood up over my head and snuggle back in the cocoon of warmth. It's also great under a heavy coat.

Okay, I kinda got off my usual track. *laughs* But I wanted to share a few tips that work for me with my sensitive skin that remains very pale year 'round. I hope some of these little tips will work for you too.