How to Take Care of Dry Skin in Winter
Do you suffer from dry skin in winter? Luckily, there are ways to adjust your skincare routine and lifestyle to help prevent dry skin. Picking skincare products with ingredients like glycerin and ceramides can also help keep your skin from drying out in the winter months.
What causes dry skin in winter?
Winter weather can be challenging for your skin. The temperature drops and there are lower levels of moisture in the air (lower humidity). These changes in weather often cause people to suffer from dry skin.
Low humidity and cold temperatures reduce the amounts of fatty acids, cholesterol, and ceramides on your skin, all of which are crucial for strengthening your skin barrier.1 The skin barrier helps lock in moisture, so a weaker skin barrier leads to drier skin.
How do you know if your skin is dry?
The key features of dry skin include dehydration which leads to more noticeable fine lines, as well a rough texture and flakiness. Extreme dryness can cause cracks and sore skin. The location of dry skin on the body can vary from person to person. Hands can get very dry and sore in the winter (especially if you wash your hands a lot), so can the soles of your feet, and many people get dry, chapped lips. Dry skin can be itchy, and if you scratch it, you can make it raw and irritated
Lifestyle tips for preventing dry skin in winter
The good news is that there are ways to prevent dry skin naturally in the winter. You can achieve this by implementing a few lifestyle changes.
Invest in a humidifier
Humidifiers increase moisture levels in the air. This can help to hydrate your skin and prevent dryness
Cool down your water
Although hot baths may be tempting in cold weather, these should be avoided as they can strip your skin of essential oils leading to increased dryness. Instead, try baths and showers at a lukewarm temperature.
Avoid Irritants
It might help to avoid perfumed skincare products, soaps, and laundry products, as these can all irritate your skin and exacerbate existing dryness. Instead, opt for fragrance-free options if your skin is very dry. Also, try to avoid harsh washcloths and body scrubbers as they can damage your skin.
Take care when shaving
You can adjust your skincare routine to nourish your skin during the colder months, including products that will help protect the skin barrier to lock in moisture.
Skincare tips to care for dry skin in winter
You can adjust your skincare routine to nourish your skin during the colder months, including products that will help protect the skin barrier to lock in moisture.
Adjusting your skincare routine in winter
Cleansing and washing your skin correctly in winter is important. Excessive washing can strip your skin of essential oils, leaving it dry. Try to reduce the number of times you wash your face and use gentle hand soaps for regular hand washing. Include hydrating cleansers into your routine, such as Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser.
Exfoliating your skin can be helpful but you may wish to reduce exfoliation frequency in winter to prevent excessive stripping of the skin barrier.
What are our best creams and lotions for dry skin in winter?
Creams and lotions are designed to keep your skin hydrated. Lotions are often more lightweight whereas body creams are thicker and tend to contain more oil. To learn more about the differences read What's the Difference Between Face or Body Creams & Lotions?
To help keep moisture locked in during the winter months, moisturizing your skin while it’s damp can be helpful. Cetaphil DailyAdvance Ultra Hydrating Lotion is a good lotion for winter skin as it contains shea butter, hydrating glycerin and panthenol.
Ointments are also very hydrating as they have a thicker consistency with more oil than creams.
If your skin becomes particularly irritated and dry, try Cetaphil Pro Ad Derma Skin Restoring Moisturizer. This rich formulation will help restore your skin barrier and help soothe your skin.
Should you use sunscreen in winter?
Although it may seem strange, you should still apply sunscreen in the winter. In fact, in the coldest conditions, such as when it’s snowing, your skin can be at greater risk since ice and snow reflect the sun’s rays. Additionally UVA rays, one of the main types of sunlight we’re exposed to, are the same strength all year round and can penetrate clouds – so sun protection is important.
You can use a moisturizer that is boosted with SPF, such as Cetaphil Daily Defense Cream SPF50 or you could try a Cetaphil Sun SPF 50+ Light Gel as the final step in your skincare routine. Find out about adding sunscreen to your skincare routine in our blog article What’s the Best Order to Apply Your Skincare Routine?
How overnight moisturizers are beneficial in winter
Using skincare products overnight is beneficial in winter as it allows more time for ingredients to be absorbed. This can help prevent dryness during the day. Products which contain emollient properties are particularly beneficial as these create a protective film over the skin to keep moisture locked in.
Emollient properties can be found in products that contain panthenol, urea, and sweet almond oil.
Need help with dry skin in winter? Ingredients to look out for
There are some key ingredients you should look out for to help manage dry skin in winter.
Hyaluronic acid
Hyaluronic acid occurs naturally within the skin and helps to retain moisture. This makes it a great ingredient to take care of dry skin in winter. Not only can it combat dryness, but it can also boost your skin’s elasticity.
Glycerin
Glycerin is also found naturally within the skin and helps defend against dryness. Using a skincare product that contains glycerin can help you boost your skin’s resilience against the cold weather in winter as it improves the skin barrier and promotes hydration.
Panthenol
Panthenol’s emollient properties help lock in moisture by preventing its loss from the skin.
Ceramides
Ceramides are essential lipids found within the outer layer of the skin. You can boost your 15 classes of ceramides with skincare products to help enhance your skin barrier.
Sweet Almond Oil
Sweet almond oil is packed full of nutrients such as vitamin E, which can soothe dry skin. Fatty acids within the sweet almond oil also help you maintain a healthy skin barrier which can help the skin retain hydration.
Look out for Cetaphil products with a range of these hydrating ingredients, such as Cetaphil Optimal Hydration Skin Replenishing Water Gel, which contains glycerin, panthenol, and hyaluronic acid.
You can find out more about the ingredients used in Cetaphil products on the Cetaphil ingredients page.
How to care for acne-prone skin in winter
Acne may get aggravated in colder weather, but some products can help to manage acne-prone skin in winter. f you want to learn more, check out our dedicated article on What Causes Acne and How to Manage It and explore Cetaphil products for acne.
The bottom line
As dry skin is a common concern in winter, it’s important to address it by adjusting your skincare routine accordingly to include products that support hydration. By following the tips in this article you can help manage your dry skin in winter, keeping it smooth and hydrated throughout the season.
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