Not just sun and sea, a problem for skin and hair may be also wind, cold weather and temperature changes, pollution, dry indoor air and outdoor humidity with the result that in Autumn and Winter our skin may become grey, dull, dry, with redness and wounds and the hair may appear brittle and less luminous. How can we protect hair and skin in this period of the year? The cosmetic products are really helpful but, instead of purchasing creams, serums or hair masks, that too often contain chemical substances, petrol derivatives able just to clog the pores, as we are learning thanks to the posts dedicated to INCI of cosmetics, we can create by ourselves with a few ingredients some products that may take care of our beauty in a natural way. Let’s see these ingredients that should always be present in the beauty case of the cold months.
Shea butter
Shea butter has highly nourishing and emollient properties, it is able to repair the protective skin barrier, it is antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, for this reason it results perfect in case of wounds and irritations (Tzu-Kai Lin et al, Int J Mol Sci, Jan 2018 - Purnamawati et al, Clin Med Res, Dec 2017). Shea butter is a beauty ingredient really versatile for hands, face, body and hair. Take a small amount of butter, let it melt between your hands and apply it on hands as a normal hand cream, or you can use it on lips, just put a thin layer mixed for example with a drop of honey, characterized by antiseptic and healing properties that will accelerate the healing of dry skin and little wounds at the corner of the mouth. For what concerns the face, you can apply a little product directly on damp skin. Moreover, if you like DIY creams, try to include in the formulation the shea butter in order to guarantee protection to the skin, you can use this plant based butter also if you have an acne prone skin because it is non comedogenic. And for what concerns the hair, you can create by yourselves a quick and easy hair mask. For brittle hair, apply a spoon of shea butter on damp hair, wrap with a plastic wrap and leave on for 30 minutes, then wash the hair with your shampoo. And what about if hats and caps have worsened dandruff and itching of the scalp? Also in this case shea butter may be really useful, apply and massage the shea butter on the scalp and go on also on all the lengths. Wrap the head in a plastic wrap and leave on for 30 minutes, then wash with your shampoo.
Argan oil
This special plant based oil is rich in antioxidant substances such as tocopherol and polyphenols and is considered a powerful product to keep the hair moisturized (Gavazzoni Dias, Int J Trichology, Jan-Mar 2015). Pour 2-3 drops of argan oil on the palm of your hand, warm the product between the hands and apply on dry hair. In this way the argan oil will make a barrier to protect the hair from the external agents and will also keep frizz at bay! Argan oil is useful also for the part around the eyes, where the delicate, thin skin is also more exposed to atmospheric agents and tends to show quickly the signs of aging and to become dry. Before going to bed apply a drop of argan oil on the skin below the eyes and go on until the eyebrows. Massage gently until the product has been absorbed.
