Keep skin soft and hair shiny even in winter

• Because most people sweat less during winter, you probably don't need to shampoo your hair as often as you do in summer, as long as your scalp doesn't feel too greasy. If it does feel a little oily, sprinkle and massage some baby powder into the roots to absorb some of the oil. This will strip less moisture from your scalp and lengths than if you shampoo your hair every day.
   
• Switch to a gentler shampoo. A milder formula won't be as dehydrating.
   
• This applies year-round, but is especially important in winter: only shampoo your scalp. This way you won't dry out the lengths, which shouldn't be too greasy anyway. As you rinse the shampoo out, it will slide through your hair, which should be enough to clean the ends.
   
• If you develop a dry, itchy scalp or dandruff, take a palmful of olive oil and massage it all over your scalp, into your roots and through the lengths, right to the ends. Tie your hair into a bun and cover it with plastic food wrap. You can wrap a towel around the outside for an even more intensive treatment. Leave it for 30-60 minutes, and then shampoo and condition as normal. Do this once a week or once a fortnight for smoother, softer hair, and no more dry scalp. Adjust the amount of olive oil to suit your hair and scalp type.
   
• If your scalp tends to be dry, massage conditioner from the roots of your hair all the way to the ends. If your scalp tends to be oily, just smooth the conditioner from your mid-lengths to the ends.

Bonus: the olive oil will condition your hands, nails and cuticles as you're working it through your hair. To make the most of this, rather than washing your hands when you have rubbed the olive oil through your hair, put on plastic gloves and let the olive oil sink in until you wash your hair.

• Use a body moisturiser that's more nourishing. Look for ingredients like shea butter, vitamin E, royal honey or cocoa butter.
   
• An easy way to make sure your skin is soft and hydrated is to slather on your moisturiser within three minutes of towelling dry after you shower, so keep your moisturiser in the bathroom. The heat from your skin and the damp air around you will help it sink in faster and more effectively. If that's still not enough, wait for about 10 minutes, then apply another layer of the same moisturiser, or a layer of a richer body butter if your skin is extremely dry.
   
  Apivita Royal Honey Rich Moisturizing Cream (HK$270)
• You still need to exfoliate during winter but, as with your face, use a gentler one, or use your regular exfoliator less often. Using more moisturiser, or more nourishing products, can lead to a build-up of products on your skin which can clog your pores. This stops products from moisturising your skin properly, so exfoliate once a week to get rid of the accumulated product.
   
• For a home-made remedy to treat your dry skin, mix together 1/2 cup of soft brown sugar, 1/4 cup of olive oil, and four tablespoons of honey and scrub it all over your body. Leave it for five to 10 minutes if you can before rinsing off for smoother and softer skin.
   
• You can use this formula and technique on your face, too! And if you don't use the whole mixture in one go, just store it in the fridge and take it out 15 minutes before you want to use it.