It can be difficult to maintain healthy skin during the long winter months.
The summer glow you had a few months ago is probably fading right about now, and your skin might be dry, dehydrated, and dull.
Here are a few things you can do to better help your skin during the winter months.
These seven winter skin care tips and tricks for dry skin will help you combat the dryness that comes during the cold winter months.
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Tip #1
Get a humidifier to keep your skin hydrated
Yup, a humidifier will change the game for your skin.
Having a humidifier running in your space during the wintertime changes the way your skin responds to the environment.
Because the air is so dry during the winter and heaters tend to suck all the moisture and humidity out of the air, all the moisture in your skin evaporates.
And when that happens your skin barrier takes a beating and starts to break down and takes more time and effort to heal.
So using a humidifier helps restore some of that lost moisture and helps to keep your skin hydrated and supple.
That being said, your humidifier needs to get cleaned regularly. If it’s not cleaned it will grow mould and that can lead to all sorts of problems.
So if you do get or already have a humidifier that you use regularly during the winter months please clean it often.
Product recommendations:
Tip #2
Use a hydrating cleanser that won’t strip your skin
If you find that your skin feels dry or irritated during the winter months then you probably need to use a more hydrating cleanser.
Try a cleanser that will cleanse and hydrate your skin without stripping away your skin’s natural oil barrier.
Cream cleansers are ideal and work really well for dry dehydrated skin during the winter.
If you find that your skin tends to get super dry during the winter months, not only should you switch up your cleanser but it’s also perfectly fine for you to skip the cleanser in the morning and just use it at night.
Product recommendations:
- Laneige cream skin: this cleanser will take off your makeup while hydrating your skin. It won’t make your face feel oily and it’s gentle enough that it won’t strip your skin.
Tip #3
Use a face mist to restore moisture
After you cleanse or even first thing in the morning if you’re going to skip using a cleanser, you can always use a face mist.
Similar to a humidifier a face mist will add much-needed moisture to your skin which is important when the air is so dry.
If you’re not able to get a humidifier a face mist can be a decent substitute.
Product recommendations:
- Evian facial spray: this face mist is really good for rejuvenating and hydrating your skin throughout the day.
- Briotech topical skin spray: this cleansing mist with hypochlorous acid might be better for you if you get a lot of breakouts (and a great substitute for the tower 28 ) it does have a chlorine smell so keep that in mind. However, it works really well if you have acne or eczema.
- Avene thermal spring water: this mist is not okay hydrating but it will also help to reduce the look of redness. So if your face gets dry, irritated and red this might be a good option for you.
Tip #4
Use a soothing hydrating serum to help repair your skin barrier
After you mist in the mornings and at night it’s a good time to follow it up with a hydrating serum.
A hydrating serum can work really well If your skin barrier gets damaged and needs repair.
Serums are a great way to get a high concentration of beneficial and helpful ingredients right into your skin.
And depending on the active ingredients, they’re fine to use in the morning and at night time.
After using a serum, if you want to use an eye cream this would be the time to use it. When it comes to eye creams it all depends on your pain point.
But the K-OX Eyes by Isdin has vitamin k and hyaluronic acid and targets under-eye puffiness, dark circles, redness as well as fine lines and wrinkles.
With this eye cream, a little bit goes a long way, so it will last you a while and it takes care of everything.
Product recommendations:
- Aveeno hydrating serum: this serum is lightweight and hydrating and works well for sensitive skin. It’s a great value for the price and will leave your skin nice and dewy.
- Avene hydrants intense: I wouldn’t recommend this if you have sensitive skin, because it does have added fragrance which could potentially cause irritation however if your skin tends to get red this will help to reduce it.
- Dieux deliverance serum: this is a nice calming serum that works well to soothe irritated skin. Use it 2x a day to get the best results.
Tip #5
Pamper your skin and lips overnight with a hydrating mask
This step I would recommend doing this at night just before bed as part of your nighttime routine.
So the idea is to use a thick hydrating cream as the last step in your routine to create a seal over your skin that will help prevent transepidermal water loss.
It will also help replace all the moisture lost throughout the day and rehydrate your skin.
For this step, some people will use vaseline or petroleum jelly which is okay and it works fine.
However, if you’re looking for something with more active ingredients then Cicaplast balm b5 by La Roche-Posay is a good one to try.
This product will be very calming and very soothing for your skin if you have any irritation and if your skin barrier needs repair.
If you find that your lips also get dry and chapped in the winter, you can do the same thing to your lips.
You can do this two or three times a week using this 10% Glycolic acid serum by L’Oreal to help exfoliate your lips but start slowly maybe once or twice a week if you’re new to acids then work your way up to three.
After you use the glycolic serum follow it with a thick cream like this one from Weleda. It’s full of skin-hydrating oils that will melt into your lips leaving them nice and soft.
Tip #6
Don’t forget to use sunscreen
Even though it’s winter time it still really important that you use sunscreen.
Sunscreen is important all year round and not only in the summertime when you’re going to be outside all day.
So even if you never leave the house you should still apply your sunscreen; the sun’s rays can and do penetrate through glass.
So don’t forget to apply your sunscreen after your moisturizer.
If you’re like me and you don’t like using a moisturizer and sunscreen or you don’t have time in the mornings you can try this awesome moisturizer with SPF 30 from La Roche-Posay.
It will keep you hydrated all day and it’s safe for sensitive skin, so if that’s you, you won’t have a problem and it won’t leave a white cast if you have a darker complexion.
Tip #7
Keep your hands and body moisturized
Your hands and your body just like your face needs love too. It’s easy to neglect them because they’re all covered up and I know my hands can get super dry and look a mess in the winter.
And using hand sanitizer multiple times during the day just makes it worse. So for dry cracked hands, O’Keeffe’s is the answer.
It’s a great moisturizer that you can use at night to help repair and hydrate the skin on your hands especially if you use a lot of hand sanitizer during the day.
And last but not least is your body. My body is always dry during the winter so I’m always moisturizing. I tend to use whatever moisturizer I have available or can get quickly and sometimes I like to change it up.
However, if you get really dry and you haven’t found your go-to winter moisturizer then try the Aveeno eczema therapy.
It’s like a glazed balm for your body. It goes on tacky but melts into your skin fairly quickly so it won’t leave a mess on your sheets or your clothes off if you use it in the mornings.
If you do use it before bed when you wake up your skin will feel amazing!
These are some of the tips and tricks that I’ve tried to help soothe dry skin during the winter and I hope they’ve given you some new ideas about how to care for your own.
