Winter Beauty Tips to Keep Hair, Skin, and Nails Healthy

During the cold winter months, your beauty routine needs an extra kick. Summer humidity, as rough as it is, actually helps keep our skin, nails, and hair from drying out. Harsh winter conditions, along with the dry heat of the indoors, can cause our skin to crack, our nails to split, and our hair to break off. But there are some things you can do and some products that you can use to protect your skin, nails, and hair without spending a fortune at the salon.

Tea tree oil is an excellent product to use during the harsh winter months. Tea tree oil is from Australia's Melaleuca tree. Tea tree oil has been found to have antibacterial and antifungal properties and even helps calm episodes of dandruff. Even though it is oil based, tea tree oil works well on blemishes of those with oily skin. There are many products on the market containing tea tree oil, but I prefer to use Jason's pure tea tree oil on my face. Jason's products are pure and organic, so you don't have to worry about chemicals and impurities. A one-ounce bottle of Jason's Tea Tree Oil is about $11, but it will last for quite a while if you use it properly. Apply tea tree oil with a cotton ball; a few drops will cover your entire face. To help with dandruff and dry scalp, Jason's also carries tea tree oil shampoo and conditioner.

Though we tend to think of summer as the time of year when we should protect our skin from excess sun, the winter sun can be even harsher. The brightness of the winter sun reflecting off of snow and ice can lead to damage, spots, and skin cancer just as easily as in the heat of summer. Always use a sunscreen before going outside. If your moisturizer doesn't contain sunscreen, apply sunscreen first, and then moisturizer, followed by your makeup. For those who don't want skin damage from harmful UV rays but still like to have a little color in their face, there are many moisturizers available with a mild self-tanner in them. I've used Jergen's Natural Glow in both the face and body formulas. They add a touch of tan without the obvious orange tinge that some self-tanners can leave behind. They don't contain sunscreen, so you'll have to add that yourself.

If you're into high-priced moisturizers, you may be surprised by a recent test by Good Housekeeping magazine. Good Housekeeping tested several brands of moisturizer and found that Oil of Olay's Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream outperformed many brands, even some which sell for over $100 each. Some of the Regenerist products have sunscreen, but not all. Regenerist products average at about $30 each, so they aren't cheap, but are a great value based on their performance. For those looking for a less expensive moisturizer, Oil of Olay has a great reputation for producing quality products and has many other product lines on the market in a wide variety of price ranges.

Use a mild, daily facial cleanser that won't dry your skin. Dove beauty bar is an inexpensive product that will remove oil and buildup while keeping your face and body soft and smooth. Noxzema cleanser and Pond's cold cream both are inexpensive beauty products that have stood the test of time. If you like these products but want to save even more, both formulas are available in generic form as well.

Using hand lotion daily or several times per day will help keep your nails and cuticles moist and prevent chipping. Bag Balm is an intensive moisturizing cream that was created to keep cow's udders from chapping in cold winter months. Someone realized that it also kept farmers' hands soft as well, so they put it on the market. It is relatively inexpensive and will help keep even the roughest elbows and heels soft and supple.

Keep your hair from suffering during the winter months by conditioning it every time you wash. Use a quality moisturizing shampoo and conditioner that won't dry your hair or scalp. Once a week or every two weeks apply a deep conditioning treatment and leave it in for an hour or so before rinsing it out. Nexxus Humectress leave-in conditioner will also help keep your hair soft and silky while fighting static as well. Nexxus was once available only in salons but is now widely available in retail stores.

There are also some habits we have that can lead to damage during the winter months. Don't use extremely hot water when washing your face and body in the winter time. Excessive heat can dehydrate and worsen dry, chapped skin. Don't use anything during the cold, winter months that will dry your skin further such as clay or oatmeal. Avoid scrubbing your skin because this can cause damage by over exfoliating, leading to dry or raw patches of skin. And don't forget to keep your body healthy on the inside. Take a multivitamin, get plenty of rest and exercise, and stay away from junk food and you will keep your skin glowing and fresh.