What a mild winter we've had this year!  Our valley is normally trapped under a layer of smog the end of February.  This February, we have actually seen the sun and satisfied my vitamin D cravings.  It's still cold enough for take a toll on our skin.  If not properly cared for,  cold - sunny - air can mean dry, flaky, rough skin prone to chapping, cracking and sometimes infection.

To help you look your best, here are some winter skin savers – solutions to those cold weather skin problems.

1. Take fewer, faster baths or showers in warm – not hot – water.  Long soaks in hot water strip our skin of the natural oils it needs.  Add bath oil in the tub or put on before a final rinse in the shower.  
2. Allow at least half an hour before going out if you bathe or cleanse your skin.  Your skin needs time to replace its natural protective oils. Just before bed is best.
3. Increase your use of moisturizer or switch to a heavier one that has more oil than water in the formulation.  While moisturizers do not add water to your skin, they do form a protective film of oil to seal in water and slow its evaporation from your skin.  Apply moisturizers while your face or body is still damp – not dry.
4. Turn down the thermostat to 68 degrees or below for healthier skin.  When you feel chilly, put on more clothes, not heat.
5. Surround yourself with plants to help humidify the air.  Or buy a humidifier for your home or office to add moisture.

Taking care of the environment is important! Start with the environment you live in….your skin.

1. The Tight-Lipped Smile
It sends the message that the smiler has a secret or a withheld opinion or attitude that they will not be sharing with you.  It’s a favorite of women who don’t want to reveal that they don’t like someone and is usually clearly read by other women as a rejection signal. Most men are oblivious to it.

2. The Twisted Smile
The Twisted Smile is peculiar to the Western world and can only be done deliberately, which means it can send only one message – sarcasm.

3. The Drop-Jaw Smile
This is a practiced smile where the lower jaw is simply dropped down to give the impression that the person is laughing or playful, but they are faking enjoyment.

4. Sideways-Looking-Up Smile
With the head turned down and away while looking up with a Tight-Lipped Smile, the smiler looks juvenile, playful, and secretive.  This coy smile has been shown to be men’s favorite everywhere, because when a woman does it, it engenders parental male feelings, making men want to protect and care for females.  This is one of the smiles Princess Diana used to captivate the hearts of people everywhere.

5. The George W. Bush Grin
President George W. Bush always has a permanent smirk on his face.  Ray Birdwhistell found that smiling among middle-class people is most common in Atlanta, Louisville, Memphis, Nashville, and most of Texas.  Bush is a Texan and they smile more than most other Americans.  As a result, in Texas, an unsmiling individual might be asked if he was “angry about something,” while in New York, the smiler might be asked,  “What’s so funny?” President Jimmy Carter was also a Southerner who smiled all the time.  This worried the Northerners who feared that he knew something they didn’t.