The winter season can bring many long, cold and dry days. This weather can leave your skin dry, dull and flaky. Your skin is an extremely important part of your overall health, and not keeping it healthy (and hydrated) can be a big problem. Continue reading for tips on keeping your skin healthy, naturally.

Avoid These Unhealthy Skin Care Practices

Many of us keep up with at least some sort of skincare routine but accidentally mistreating your skin can be very destructive. Holiday party season is a good time to think about how you care for your skin – from the facial products you use to the cosmetics you wear.

Makeup: One of the first things to be aware of is what's inside your makeup. Most women wear various cosmetics, but studies show that many commercial makeup brands may include harmful chemicals, such as parabens, phthalates, fragrances, and metals such as lead. Instead, switch to natural mineral powders and other products from natural makeup brands, such as Jane Iredale and Zoya, whenever possible.

In addition, be careful not to sleep in your makeup. Leaving your makeup on for long periods of time can lead to irritated skin and acne. Sleeping with makeup on can also clog pores and cause unwanted breakouts and overall unhealthy-looking skin, so always be sure to remove it before the end of the day using safe, gentle makeup remover wipes.

Also, be mindful of how much makeup you are applying. Using too much heavy and oily makeup can also trap oils and bacteria in the pores that cause breakouts. Try to keep your makeup application light and tasteful. This will help to prevent acne and also give your skin a more natural look.

Skin Care: The second thing to think about is the skincare products you use. Highly processed skincare products can be very harmful to your skin by filling it with harmful chemicals. Trying something more natural this winter can be a great alternative to putting potentially toxic chemicals on your skin. Also, be sure to always hydrate your skin before you go to bed and after you wake up in the morning with a natural moisturizer with SPF.

Why Try Natural Skin Care?

Did you know that the average person uses about 10 different skincare products every day? This statistic gets even more problematic when you realize that our skin absorbs a very high amount of those chemicals we rub into it.

The many processed products out on the market today are required to be approved by the FDA, so that means they should be safe to use, right? Wrong. In very small doses they may be harmless, but using some of these products on daily means that over time more and more chemicals have the chance to sink into your skin.

Many studies show that using natural skincare can actually be many times more effective than the alternative. More than that, by using natural substances, your skin benefits by absorbing healthy nutrients as opposed to chemicals.

Using skincare products that are heavy in chemicals can actually damage your skin. Chemicals, such as parabens and synthetic colors can leave your skin dry and irritated. Parabens have been associated with an increased chance of developing breast cancer and other health complications. Parabens can be found in body wash, shampoos, conditioners, perfumes, lotions, and other skincare products.

"Fragrance" is another thing to watch out for in the products you find in your beauty cabinet. It can be difficult to really know what "fragrance" really even is. The cocktail of chemicals that are mixed into products to create fragrances can be very scary. It is a better idea to stick with products that use natural fragrances like flower essences or essential oils. These are derived from natural substances and are much safer than the "fragrances" you might find in more commercial products.

The skin is the largest organ of the body, so filling it with harmful chemicals can be very damaging to your skin's microbiome. Keeping your skin happy and healthy will bring health to the rest of your body. Take good care of your skin, it is your body's first line of defense.

Written by Guest Author for The Healthy Moms Magazine and legally licensed through the Matcha publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@getmatcha.com.