Author: CityWomen

November 19, 2018 at 11:45AM Once cold temps come barreling in full-force, the skin issues that wreaked havoc on your complexion during the warmer months instantly start to feel like a distant, NBD memory. Of course the sunburns of summer are no joke, but the painful cracked, red skin that comes about in the relentlessly frigid winter is seriously painful, too. When it comes restoring your skin though, you’ve gotta know the problem you’re troubleshooting. And in this case, that much is easier said than done because it’s tough to differentiate between two very common seasonal issues: windburn and super-dry skin. Both situations can look and feel very similar: dry, red, and all sorts of irritated. A great clue as to what you’re dealing with though? Think about what you were doing before your skin started acting up. “Windburns are the result of cold temperatures as well as low humidity in the air. The combination depletes the natural oils in the skin, making it vulnerable to dryness and redness,” New York City-based dermatologist Dendy Engelman, MD, tells me. “Dry skin, on the other hand, can also be red, tight, and irritated, but it’s not always due to environmental factors. It could be from lack of a moisturizer, washing with hot water, over-exfoliation, rosacea, eczema, and other issues.” “Windburns are the result of cold temperatures as well as low humidity in the air…. Dry skin can also be red, tight, and irritated, but it’s not always due to environmental factors.” — dermatologist

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November 19, 2018 at 11:31AM Thanks to the devastating wildfires (which are still being contained and have killed dozens of people) sweeping throughout California, the air quality in parts of the state has become even worse than that of China and India, according to the New York Times. While there isn’t a ton of research on the long-term health effects of wildfire smoke, many experts believe that inhaling lots of particles from wood fires can affect the immune system and potentially trigger asthma, allergies, and breathing problems. So…yeah, that smoke is a pretty BFD. Even though there’s no quick way to undo the fire’s aftermath (air-related or otherwise), one simple hack that’s been circulating online can help Californians breathe a little bit easier within the walls of their own homes without having to shell out for a pricey air purifier. The trick involves placing a filter in front of a box fan to catch any pollution and smoke particles circulating throughout the house, according to a video posted by YouTube user ThriftStore Hacker. He says that he first saw the hack circulating on Facebook, and wanted to make a video to show people how to do it. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVolkM5JvdY?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281] To get started, all you need are a 20 inch box fan and a “20x20x1” furnace filter (MERV 13 or higher). Once you have your materials, place the filter in front of the fan with the airflow direction (the little white arrow in the video below) pointing away from the fan, and secure the two objects

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