When winter comes around, your skin and complexion will face a new set of challenges. The cold, dry air outside, windy conditions, and the heated, dry air inside your home can all impact your skin’s moisture barrier. Humidity drops, and the air will be pulling moisture out of your skin. Consequently, your skin may feel tight, rough, and even flaky. You may also find some areas are itchier, redder, and may start cracking (especially in areas of dry skin like your face, hands, lips, and heels). 

The good news is your skin and complexion don’t need to suffer all winter long! With a winter skin care routine focused on hydrating, protecting, and repairing your skin, it is easy to maintain moisturized, soft, and glowing skin, regardless of how cold it is outside.

Throughout this blog, we will provide you with 10 simple winter skin care tips that will prepare and protect your skin, and keep it soft, supple, and glowing even on the coldest winter days.

1. Switch to a Hydrating Cleanser

Cold air and indoor heating can be particularly harmful to our skin during the winter months, severely dehydrating our skin while adding sensitivity and irritation. If you are using a harsh foaming or gel cleanser, you might already be feeling the consequences of dehydration, wear and tear of our natural oils will only lead to more tightness, dryness, and ultimately discomfort. This is also why hydrating or cream cleansers are crucial. Hydrating and cream cleansers will still gently cleanse away dirt and impurities without compromising or dehydrating the skin. Be sure to look for some moisturizing ingredients, such as glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and ceramides, which help draw moisture in and help hold moisture more effectively. 

Another great tip-if it is cold outside, do not wash your face with hot water! Hot water can compound the lipid barrier on the skin, and dryness and/or irritation will occur. Instead, use lukewarm water to cleanse the face. It will cleanse without abusing the skin and resulting in less unnecessary dryness. This may seem like a minor set of changes to the skincare habits, but it will have a profound impact on keeping the skin feeling soft, supple, and balanced during the winter transitional months.

2. Moisturize Immediately After Washing

Winter dryness can be managed effectively by applying moisturizer immediately after washing or showering your body, while your skin is still wet. This simple timing technique helps to lock water into the skin prior to it evaporating out of the skin. Your skin will look more hydrated and plump, and you will also be helping to bolster your skin’s natural protective barrier, which can weaken in cold, dry air. If you take too long to moisturize, you can lose moisture and cause your skin to feel tight and flaky.

In the winter, it is a good idea to have a rich, nourishing moisturizer. Ingredients like shea butter, squalane, and cocoa butter leave the skin feeling cared for while providing hydration, and keep a seal over the skin. Emollients keep your skin feeling healthy by preventing transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and also calming irritation or redness from the cold weather. Providing a seal over your skin right after cleansing will help you maintain healthy, glowing skin all winter!

3. Don’t Skip Sunscreen

Many people think sunscreen is only required in the summer. The truth is that UV light that is damaging to your skin is present in winter, even when there is no sunlight. Snow, for example, can reflect up to 80% of UV rays, so you can actually be getting a higher level of exposure while increasing your risk of sunburn, accelerated aging, and skin cancer. This is why you should be using a broad-spectrum sunscreen of SPF 30 or greater year-round, if you are outside, or especially at higher elevations, like skiing or hiking in the mountains, because the direct sun exposure will be greater.

To make it easier for you and also add moisture benefits, you can use a daily moisturizer that has SPF in it. You can hydrate your skin and protect it in just one step! Just use your SPF as the final step of your morning skin care routine—don’t forget the lips, ears, and the back of your neck. By building sunscreen into your daily routine—even in Winter, you’ll be able to have youthful-looking, healthy-appearing skin, while limiting the short-term effects of sun damage over the long term.

4. Use a Humidifier at Home

Winter air, especially when you’re indoors, can be harshly dry. And one reason that they’re dry is largely because of the heating units, which also lower the humidity. When the humidity is low, even indoor air is too dry for skin to be comfortable. With low moisture levels in the air, skin feels tight, itchy, and flaky. A humidifier can help with this drying effect by adding moisture to the air, which will make the air more skin-enhancing for moisturization to prevent dry irritation from poor moisture levels. 

By putting a humidifier which has been demonstrated to moisten the air in whatever space you occupy most, like your bedroom or living room, you will be helping your skin maintain its ideal hydration levels regularly during the day and night. Using the humidifier while you sleep is particularly effective as your skin is actively repairing itself during the night. Furthermore, using a humidifier regularly can also help to prevent and/or reduce the dryness of your throat, cracks in your lips, and discomfort from cold weather.

5. Exfoliate Gently Once a Week

Exfoliation is essential for delivering radiance to the skin because it eliminates dead skin that leads to dullness or uneven skin tones. The only time we do not exfoliate is in winter. Cold temperatures and low humidity can prevent your skin barrier from functioning optimally, and if you have any sensitivities, you are most likely in-geling yourself with products that irritate your skin barrier. Over-exfoliation can lead to redness, irritation, or microtears in your skin in winter.

We recommend maximum exfoliation every other day, depending on your skin type, the condition of your skin, and the products you are using (unless otherwise indicated in the product instructions). It might be more prudent to consider more gentle exfoliation, with products like lactic acid, fruit enzymes, or soothing oatmeal scrubs.

Avoid the more abrasive, physical exfoliation products that are for physical exfoliation, utilizing large jagged granules, as these will damage your winter skin more, because the skin is more fragile and more prone to irritation. After your exfoliation procedures, you should follow hydration by applying a high-quality moisturizer for replenishment of your newly exposed skin cells. Mild exfoliation can lead to healthier, glowing skin in the winter months, assist in the absorption of other skin care products, eliminate dry patch build-up, and reduce damage.

6. Stay Hydrated from the Inside Out

Dry skin in the winter is not just a surface issue; it is frequently an inside-out problem. Cold temperatures and indoor heating can lead to dehydration in your body, which ultimately reflects in your skin because dehydration affects your whole body, so drinking a sufficient amount of water during the day is incredibly important, even if you are less thirsty than you are in the summer months. Herbal teas such as chamomile, green tea, or rooibos are another way to stay hydrated, as they also contain antioxidants to help your skin. 

You can also combine fluids with water-filled foods in your winter nutrition plan. Water-rich foods like cucumbers, oranges, watermelon, celery, and leafy greens allow you to meet daily hydration goals while consuming healthy nutrients. They contribute to hydration even at a cellular level and assist with the hydration effort internally, whereby you maintain the moisture levels in your body. Cellular hydration contributes further to your external moisturizer assistance, preventing your skin from feeling dry, and allowing it to feel soft and dewy, appear plump and healthy, while also maintaining its moisture level against the elements.

7. Layer Your Skincare Products

Layering skincare in the winter months is similar to wearing clothing in winter; you are providing the skin with protection one layer at a time. Start with the lightest weight water-based hydrating serum (for example, one containing hyaluronic acid), which will draw hydration onto the skin, and then add a thick consistency of moisturiser to hold in the hydration. If your skin is particularly dry, you could layer nourishing facial oil or balm so that you can ‘seal’ it all on and create an even deeper layer to lock in hydration and prevent trans-epidermal water loss, especially in cold and windy conditions.

The beauty of layering allows each product you use to do its proper job on the skin while extending the time any hydration will last. Think of it as protecting your skin from the elements outside. Layering skincare in the right order assists with having the skin deal with the difference in temperature between inside and outside.

Through the layering process, you can continue to keep your skin looking hydrated, soft, and glowing even in the harshest conditions where your skin feels dry and uncomfortable!

8. Pamper Your Lips and Hands

Lips and hands have thinner skin and fewer oil glands, which means they are likely going to take on the winter stressors much more than any other part of your body. Cold air, wind, and repetitive hand washing can really do a number on your lips and hands, especially making them cracked, chapped, and maybe even bleeding. So, how do you protect your lips and hands? For your lips, use a lip balm that is thick and contains ingredients like beeswax, lanolin, or shea butter, as these will create a barrier to lock moisture in your lips.

For your hands, use a thick, moisturizing hand cream with the same ingredients, and be consistent and use it daily, because especially when you wash your hands, you can lose moisture rapidly.  Make it part of your nighttime routine, before bed, to slather your hand cream on thick, and put on cotton gloves to lock in the moisture overnight.

Keep lip balm and hand cream everywhere you might find yourself, your purse, the car, or your office! You never know when that dry winter air is going to hit you again, but you will be ready! With consistent use, your lips will remain soft and kissable, and your hands will remain soft and comfortable the rest of the cold season.

9. Avoid Long, Hot Showers

Taking a long, steamy shower may feel great on a cold day, but it may be more detrimental than good for your skin. These longer, hotter showers also remove natural oils and damage your skin’s barrier, which may worsen dryness and encounters with environmental irritants and allergens. Try to limit showers to less than 10 minutes, and lukewarm water is key to reducing moisture loss.

After your shower, be sure to towel dry (pat, don’t rub!) and quickly apply a moisturizer while your skin is damp. This helps lock in moisture and replace the moisture barrier you lost while bathing. A very small change in your routine could drastically improve hydration and comfort in your skin for the winter.

10. Try Overnight Treatments

Night is when your skin is at its most reparative phase, making it the perfect time for deep, moisturizing treatments. An overnight cream or sleeping mask with some combination of ceramides, niacinamide, or peptide ingredients is a great way to deeply nourish and support the skin barrier while you are sleeping. This category of ingredients helps to replenish the moisture levels in the skin, soothe inflammation, and improve elasticity.

If you know you have dry or sensitive skin, consider applying an extra layer of a richer moisturizer or using an occlusive balm as the last step in your routine to seal it all in. Being consistent with your nighttime care will ensure you wake with skin that feels soft, supple, and refreshed. If you continue to use these products regularly, you will notice a HUGE difference over time in the resiliency of your skin to maintain a healthy glow well through the winter.

Quick Recap: Winter Glow Essentials

• Gentle, hydrating cleanser
• Moisturizer is applied to damp skin.
• Sunscreen
• Humidifier for your space
• Gentle exfoliation (1x/week)
• Hydrate with water
• Layer your skin care.
• Protect lips and hands.
• Short shower/bath, lukewarm water
• Overnight treatments

Final Thoughts

Winter doesn’t have to be a boring, dry, or irritated skin season! Use these ten important winter skin care tips to keep your skin looking beautiful, healthy, and glowing no matter how cold it gets. Winter skin care is fairly easy—it’s just a matter of being consistent in your hydration, gentle care, and protection routine. You’ll need to pay attention to your skin type as you select your products, be aware of how you layer your products, and be sure to layer moisture. If you can just stick with these few steps, your skin can get through the rest of winter soft, supple, and strong!