Help, before I become a shriveled raisin!
January 13, 2018 10:12 PM Subscribe
How do you stay hydrated?
I have a lot of trouble staying hydrated in the winter. I carry a water bottle around with me and am drinking all day, use creams and lip balm etc - and yet I am still dehydrated on the inside and out. I don't have a medical condition - I'm not like this when in humid, warm weather - it's the winter that gets me.
How do you stay hydrated?
I have a lot of trouble staying hydrated in the winter. I carry a water bottle around with me and am drinking all day, use creams and lip balm etc - and yet I am still dehydrated on the inside and out. I don't have a medical condition - I'm not like this when in humid, warm weather - it's the winter that gets me.
How do you stay hydrated?
Yeah, I’d say a humidifier is key. I don’t have one this year (got rid of my old one and haven’t replaced it) and I am a lizard that gets electrocuted multiple times a day due to the lack of humidity in the house.
posted by Autumnheart at 10:42 PM on January 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Autumnheart at 10:42 PM on January 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
Humidifiers and damp towels on radiators, when I lived in places that had radiators. (I no longer live in a place where either of these is necessary, but that's how I managed it when I did.)
posted by rtha at 11:30 PM on January 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by rtha at 11:30 PM on January 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
shea butter on the hands and feet
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 1:40 AM on January 14, 2018
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 1:40 AM on January 14, 2018
Put lotion on just after showering. It's when your skin is most able to lock in moisture.
posted by youcancallmeal at 1:42 AM on January 14, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by youcancallmeal at 1:42 AM on January 14, 2018 [5 favorites]
OOOoh I live in a dry & cold climate, and me and my momma are dry are bones throughout the winter season so we've come up with some hacks:
– for dry mucus membranes (you know when you blow your nose and its hella sensitive and blood starts coming..um. tmi. yes.) i eat sea buckthorn capsules, and you can pry 'em out of my cold, dead somewhat less dry hands.
– eat up all the omegas: fish, almonds, hazelnut, walnut, avocados & oils
– also for the face: meet the Hada Labo hyaluronic lotion, which was a little bit of a mystery for me too, but pop a goog on a blog review on this stuff and you'll be plenty informed – long story short, it's hella moisturizing
– use a really mellow shower gel if you gotta, and moisturize your beautiful bod with a dry oil right after
– also, i just switched my facial cleanser & moisturizer to super gentle Avene ones, and they've helped a lot – i dunno about the price in the States though
– and last, just leave some bowls, glasses of water etc. around the house to soak into the air, especially near a fireplace if you have one
hope these help!
posted by speakeasy at 4:18 AM on January 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
– for dry mucus membranes (you know when you blow your nose and its hella sensitive and blood starts coming..um. tmi. yes.) i eat sea buckthorn capsules, and you can pry 'em out of my cold, dead somewhat less dry hands.
– eat up all the omegas: fish, almonds, hazelnut, walnut, avocados & oils
– also for the face: meet the Hada Labo hyaluronic lotion, which was a little bit of a mystery for me too, but pop a goog on a blog review on this stuff and you'll be plenty informed – long story short, it's hella moisturizing
– use a really mellow shower gel if you gotta, and moisturize your beautiful bod with a dry oil right after
– also, i just switched my facial cleanser & moisturizer to super gentle Avene ones, and they've helped a lot – i dunno about the price in the States though
– and last, just leave some bowls, glasses of water etc. around the house to soak into the air, especially near a fireplace if you have one
hope these help!
posted by speakeasy at 4:18 AM on January 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
Vitamin D and E. Put lotion on right after the shower and get your hands and feet damp before a pre-bedtime lotion slather. I like aveeno and the knockoff drugstore versions. For my fingernails/cuticles I like clear eucerin in a tube and the knockoff versions.
I have gotten immense relief from a nasal emollient. I got a bottle of Ponaris from an ENT and just a little drop takes care of both nostrils. It comes with a dropper. I feel like moisture escaping my body through my nose was making me dry up much more.
posted by bilabial at 6:32 AM on January 14, 2018
I have gotten immense relief from a nasal emollient. I got a bottle of Ponaris from an ENT and just a little drop takes care of both nostrils. It comes with a dropper. I feel like moisture escaping my body through my nose was making me dry up much more.
posted by bilabial at 6:32 AM on January 14, 2018
Every winter, I turn into a lizard. Here's what's worked well for me:
- using a water-drinking app, just because I'm generally not very good about remembering.
- No more shower gels, unless they're fancy ones with a ton of oils in them.
- Get soap that's specifically formulated with oils and butters. (For whatever reason, I find solid soap less drying.) I get mine from a store on Etsy.
- After your shower, rub in cocoa butter or straight-up coconut oil ALL OVER. (If you do the coconut oil, admire yourself in the mirror. There's a reason body builders and actors use it!) Get the real stuff, or as close to it as you can, not just 'body butter'. I have a giant tub of Queen Helene cocoa butter that's lasted me ages. I use a lighter moisturizer on my face (Nivea Creme), but definitely hit that too.
In general, I get a lot of mileage out of looking for products targeted for Black skin care. There is just considerably less fucking around and way more emphasis on getting cocoa and shea butters and coconut oil specifically into my ashy skin. (Also coconut oil is the most useful thing in the world to keep around. Use it on your hair! Remove make-up! Cook with it!)
posted by kalimac at 6:54 AM on January 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
- using a water-drinking app, just because I'm generally not very good about remembering.
- No more shower gels, unless they're fancy ones with a ton of oils in them.
- Get soap that's specifically formulated with oils and butters. (For whatever reason, I find solid soap less drying.) I get mine from a store on Etsy.
- After your shower, rub in cocoa butter or straight-up coconut oil ALL OVER. (If you do the coconut oil, admire yourself in the mirror. There's a reason body builders and actors use it!) Get the real stuff, or as close to it as you can, not just 'body butter'. I have a giant tub of Queen Helene cocoa butter that's lasted me ages. I use a lighter moisturizer on my face (Nivea Creme), but definitely hit that too.
In general, I get a lot of mileage out of looking for products targeted for Black skin care. There is just considerably less fucking around and way more emphasis on getting cocoa and shea butters and coconut oil specifically into my ashy skin. (Also coconut oil is the most useful thing in the world to keep around. Use it on your hair! Remove make-up! Cook with it!)
posted by kalimac at 6:54 AM on January 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
I lived in Utah for a year, and the humidity was so low it dried out ky lungs and caused breathing difficulty. I solved this by buying an evaporative humidifier for my bedroom, which went through a gallon of water a day. It was a model highly rated by Consumer Reports, that used a UV bulb to inhibit mold/mildew growth. I also picked up a hygrometer off of Amazon for $30 so I could monitor the effectiveness.
For internal hydration, lots of fresh veggies in the diet, omega 3's, and I also found that soaked chia seed in bottles of water or juice seemed to act like "slow release" water.
posted by ethical_caligula at 8:07 AM on January 14, 2018
For internal hydration, lots of fresh veggies in the diet, omega 3's, and I also found that soaked chia seed in bottles of water or juice seemed to act like "slow release" water.
posted by ethical_caligula at 8:07 AM on January 14, 2018
I like to drink electrolyte powder mixed with water with my favorite brand, Ultimate. You can get Pedialyte and store brands, but they have sugar, unlike Ultimate. Electrolyte have made a world of difference in how I feel after a hot day.
posted by SillyShepherd at 2:30 PM on January 14, 2018
posted by SillyShepherd at 2:30 PM on January 14, 2018
-Humidifier in bedroom
-Simmer water in a big pot on the stove (esp. if you have a fan to help circulate the steam)
-In the shower, apply oil of choice (olive, almond, etc) to skin and leave it on while you wash your hair, etc. (or take a bath with a shot glass of said oil added to the water)
-Moisturize right after the shower while your skin is still damp
-Oil or vaseline on lips. Lip balm just doesn't do it for me (actually seems to dry them out more) but this has been a godsend.
-In my experience, bowls of water on the radiator/woodstove/what-have-you seem to help a liiiiittle bit, but bowls of water sitting anywhere not on a heat source do next to nothing.
-Keep water bottle next to your bed in case you wake up with a dry mouth during the night.
-Try to cover your face when you're out in the cold/wind.
posted by leeloo minai at 6:27 PM on January 14, 2018
-Simmer water in a big pot on the stove (esp. if you have a fan to help circulate the steam)
-In the shower, apply oil of choice (olive, almond, etc) to skin and leave it on while you wash your hair, etc. (or take a bath with a shot glass of said oil added to the water)
-Moisturize right after the shower while your skin is still damp
-Oil or vaseline on lips. Lip balm just doesn't do it for me (actually seems to dry them out more) but this has been a godsend.
-In my experience, bowls of water on the radiator/woodstove/what-have-you seem to help a liiiiittle bit, but bowls of water sitting anywhere not on a heat source do next to nothing.
-Keep water bottle next to your bed in case you wake up with a dry mouth during the night.
-Try to cover your face when you're out in the cold/wind.
posted by leeloo minai at 6:27 PM on January 14, 2018
I keep a vase of water right next to the air vent in my bedroom. Probably not as effective as a humidifier, but just having some standing water there that can evaporate has made a difference for me.
My hands are always the worst for dryness, so I try to keep a hand lotion near me and reapply lotion every time I wash my hands--that has helped tremendously when I actually remember to do it, haha.
Eating a lot of soups and stews have been good for warming my insides and also getting me to ingest more water. Keeping a water bottle handy at work and at home have also helped as long as I put it somewhere noticeable.
posted by helloimjennsco at 8:13 AM on January 16, 2018
My hands are always the worst for dryness, so I try to keep a hand lotion near me and reapply lotion every time I wash my hands--that has helped tremendously when I actually remember to do it, haha.
Eating a lot of soups and stews have been good for warming my insides and also getting me to ingest more water. Keeping a water bottle handy at work and at home have also helped as long as I put it somewhere noticeable.
posted by helloimjennsco at 8:13 AM on January 16, 2018
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posted by brainmouse at 10:14 PM on January 13, 2018 [4 favorites]