Shower habits that can worsen dry skin

You know it's winter when dry skin is most prevalent. But when you shower in the wintertime, daily hot showers can dry out your skin even more so than cold water.

Here are four common shower habits that dry out skin:

• Hot Showers

   Anyone who has dry skin knows they should avoid hot showers and baths. However, many people who take showers or baths don't consider that what you do in the shower has a direct impact on dry skin.

• Long Showers

   Keep your showers short and to the point, five to 10 minutes at a time.  

• Cold Water

   Cold water is no friend of dry skin, either. If you want to take a shower in the winter but have dry skin, consider taking a warm or cool shower.

• Soap

   The right products for dry skin can help ease dryness and irritation. However, soap is not one of those products. It can dry out your skin even more over time. If you've tried to dry your skin with dryer sheets or dousing it in rubbing alcohol, you know the effects of dryness. Many dry-skin sufferers don't realize that common shower habits can dry out dry skin even further. Most hot showers and long showers exacerbate dry, irritated skin rather than soothing it.

   To avoid this problem and care for dry skin, consider taking short showers and using the right products. Cold showers and dry skin dry skin don't mix. If you want to take a shower in the winter but have dry skin, consider taking a warm or cool shower. When it comes to soap, don't use it if dry-skin sufferers think they need it. Just like dryer sheets dry out skin, so does soap.

   For dry skin sufferers, shower habits can have a direct effect on dry skin. Be sure to avoid hot showers and baths as well as taking long showers and using the wrong products. To keep dry skin at bay, consider taking short showers with warm or cool water and moisturizing afterward.