want glowing skin? don't sweat... erm, actually...

source: pinterest

oh the irony, despite the fact that this winter’s been wetter than most, our skin still suffers from winter dry out, resulting in dull complexions, flaky skin and cracked, dry lips and hands. the main reason we struggle so much is that although it’s wet outside we retreat indoors to put the heating on and stay put. the longer we spend in those warm, dry indoor conditions, at home or in the workplace, the drier our skin becomes. now that warm weather is on it's way, it's time to say no and fight back so we're left looking better than ever this summer.

so, what’s the solution for your skin? well of course most of us just reach straight for the moisturiser and slap it on as liberally as we can afford or as often as we remember. however, the trouble is that moisturisers only really have any effect on that top layer of skin and given that it's actually a layer of dead skin cells (ewww) anyway, unless you use a face mask, exfoliate or steam before moisturising, the moisturiser itself (however expensive) is actually only going to offer limited effects.

taking inspiration from old-style winter remedies. most of us are familiar with that good old-fashioned remedy of head-over-basin-of-steaming-water, especially recommended for seasonal colds, but although it’s been shown that humidity does benefit dried up sinuses, cracked lips, and some respiratory problems which go hand in hand with chesty colds, it’s taken a while for the message to come through about benefits to the skin too. a humidifier is one of the best contemporary solutions for dry indoor air which relentlessly removes the moisture from your skin.

different types of humidifiers

there are many different types of humidifier on the market, to suit most budgets and environments. below humidification experts air and water centre discuss the pros and cons of the most common humidifier types.

1. ultrasonic humidifiers: these expel a cool mist, using an ultrasonic vibration.
2. air washers: these too expel a cool mist, but using a rotating disk.
3. central humidifiers: these act like central heating and air conditioning and can raise humidity throughout your home. however humidifiers like this tend to be used for commercial or industrial purposes.
4. evaporators: an evaporator is essentially a fan which blows air through a wet filter, wick or belt, adding moisture into the air as it’s pushed through.
5. steam vapourisers: these heat water via electricity, to create steam which then cools before leaving the machine. a common downside is that, when switched on, these hold hot water inside which can causes burns if spilled, so these are not really recommended around children.

using a humidifier correctly can hold significant health and skin benefits and leave your skin feeling soft and supple again. so what do you think? are you just going to go for a dewy foundation and hope for the best? or give your skin a little more TLC.

*this is a sponsored post*

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