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Amazing Solutions to Protect Your Face and Body in Winter in Canada

Freezing Rain in Ottawa, December 2012

Snow, ice, freezing rain and minus-way-too-cold temperatures are the hallmarks of our Canadian winters. It’s getting chilly up there and we all feel like hibernating these days!

Yet, we’d better enjoy the season—winter won’t be over anytime soon and it can actually be a fun time of the year. Snowy landscapes are beautiful, the sun shines on the coldest days and there are many festivals to come such as Winterlude.

Here are a few products that should make your winter more enjoyable. Nobody paid me here. These are just brands that I found worked well for me. Do share your favourite tips and brands in the comments!

For your lips

Your lips are exposed to the wind and the cold and can get very dry—I learned to always have some kind of lip balm in my bag. I like Burt’s Bee lip balms (some are tinted too!), you can find this popular American brand at Walmart, Shoppers Drug Mart, etc., and most lip balms are around $5. If you want to splurge, I definitely recommend the French Nuxe’s ultra-nourishing Rêve de miel which comes as a stick (about $7) or in a jar (about $20). The honey smell is wonderful and it’s a great balm to leave overnight for very dry lips.

For your face

I’m a big fan of Nuxe products. The very nourishing honey-scented Rêve de Miel (around $40) and the classic Crème Fraîche de Beauté (around $45) are my favourites, and they last a long time so it’s a small investment. I used to splurge on Shiseido creams… but splurging is the word here, their products don’t come cheap and they are hard to find in Canada!

For your hands

For very dry hands, the best cream I found is Glysomed (around $4): the texture is light, the cream is very nourishing and the smell isn’t too strong. Herbacine Kamille comes second, it’s a bit more expensive. To splurge, I head to The Body Shop and pick up the Almond Hand & Nail cream or the very nourishing Hemp Hand Protector (both $20 each). And don’t forget your gloves in the first place! The iconic Red Mittens are always a useful and collectible hit ($10).

For your body

Nivea is always a good value with their extensive range of body milk lotions, you can find this brand just about anywhere—the Pure & Natural (around $7) is my latest favourite for very dry skin. The Body Shop line of Body Butter creams (around $20) is another favourite, although some fragrances are very strong. To splurge, you can go with L’Occitane’s Almond Supple Skin Oil ($45). Yes, it’s expensive but a bottle lasts for a while and it really helps dry skin. I used it a lot when I was pregnant to prevent stretch marks (and I didn’t get any!).

For your feet

Before I even start putting on cream, I invest in a good pair of socks. Old Navy and Roots both sell very comfy plush “winter” socks. Ardene is also a good place to stock up on funky and comfy socks, I got 5 pairs for $10 recently. If your feet are very dry, Vaseline is a good inexpensive way to moisturize your skin. Neutrogena’s foot cream is also popular and very effective.

What are your favourite products to fight the cold and winter blues?

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Zhu

French woman in English Canada.

Exploring the world with my camera since 1999, translating sentences for a living, writing stories that may or may not get attention.

Firm believer that nobody is normal... and it’s better this way.

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