Winter Skin Care Tips: How to get rid of dry, flaky skin once and for all
Winter's in full swing, which means freezing cold temperatures and, for many of us, an increase in dry, flaky skin. Thankfully, keeping your skin hydrated and healthy doesn't have to be hard.
According to Dr. Terrence Keaney, an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at George Washington University, dry skin is common during winter due to a "decrease in temperature and humidity." Read: Winter air speeds up water loss from your skin, thus causing your skin to dry out.
Here are a few of our favorite winter-time, dry-skin-vanishing beauty products.
Facial products:
Keeping your face hydrated is a vital step to help avoid dry, flaky skin and cracked makeup coverage — and it's going to take a whole lot more than your average drugstore moisturizer. Dr. Keaney suggested combating dry skin with heavy moisturizing creams or ointments during the winter months.
Here are a few of the best facial products on the market that will keep your face flake-free throughout winter.
Lush's Skin Drink, $25.95
While Lush is most well-known for their luxurious bath bombs and ultra-foamy bubble bars, the company offers a host of other beauty products that are fragrant, effective and all-around wonderful. When it comes to dry skin, opt for their facial moisturizer, appropriately named Skin Drink.
A hydrating avocado and aloe vera cream, this moisturizer keeps your face from drying out without making you feel greasy. Oh, and if you're looking for a quick solution to revitalize your lips, give their lip scrub Mint Julips a try.
Yes to Coconut's Ultra Hydrating Facial Soufflé Moisturizer, $14.99
If you're looking for a heavenly scented cure for extraordinarily dry skin, Yes to Coconut's ultra hydrating facial soufflé moisturizer should be your go-to product.
Not only will it make your skin smell like a tropical island, the shea butter combines beautifully with the virgin coconut oil to keep your face extra-hydrated. If you're looking for added hydration in other areas, pretty much anything in Yes to's coconut collection will become your saving grace.
Glossier's Priming Moisturizer Rich, $35
The latest product from Glossier is the ultimate moisturizer for the makeup obsessed. Thick and luxurious, their Priming Moisturizer Rich hydrates your skin and helps makeup go on flawlessly. That's right — no foundation-covered dry skin flakes can be seen.
Thankfully, this nourishing moisturizer doesn't make your face feel greasy and keeps your makeup feeling lightweight throughout the day.
Laura Mercier's Tinted Moisturizer, $44
For those times when you just don't want to wear makeup, Laura Mercier's tinted moisturizer is there to save the day. While a bit on the pricier side, this product should be a staple in everyone's beauty bag.
Smooth, creamy, and all around perfect, this tinted moisturizer adds just enough color (and hydration!) to keep your skin glowing all day. Oh, and it has SPF 20 to help protect your skin from the sun. Hooray!
Benefit's Hello Flawless! Oxygen Wow liquid foundation, $36
When you have dry skin, it seems to affect every aspect of your beauty routine — even if you moisturize like it's nobody's business. Once you go to put on your foundation, it seems to crack almost immediately. Thankfully, Benefit Cosmetics' Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow liquid foundation is the creamy, winter-time savior your skin needs.
It blends perfectly with your moisturizer to make sure no unwanted flakes of dry skin can be seen. If you're looking for a little extra coverage, or find the underneath of your eyes a bit drier than normal, try Benefit's Fakeup Hydrating Undereye Concealer.
Fresh's Sugar Poppy Tinted Lip Treatment, $24
Your lips deserve an extra bit of love during the winter too. Keep them soft and hydrated with one of fresh's tinted lip treatments. Not only will these nourishing balms help prevent your lips from becoming chapped, but they will leave a gorgeous tint on your lips, so there's no need for lipstick.
We suggest using Fresh's Sugar Lip Polish to help scrub away dead skin prior to applying the tint. If you're looking for a scented lip balm to cure your winter woes, check out Glossier's Flavored Bomb Dotcom skin salve. Trust us, it's amazing.
H2O+ Beauty's Shaken Not Stirred Makeup Remover, $18
An important step to keeping your skin happy and healthy during the winter months is making sure to use a makeup remover that doesn't dry out your skin. Thankfully, that's where H2O+ Beauty's Shaken Not Stirred Makeup Remover comes in. The dual-phase formula helps remove makeup while simultaneously hydrating your skin and lashes.
Although this product is meant specifically for your eyes, we've used it to take off makeup on other areas of our face just fine. However, if you're looking for a full-face makeup remover makeup remover, we suggest trying Fresh's Soy Face Cleansing Milk. It's a silky, two-in-one product that removes makeup and dirt without dehydrating your skin.
Benefit Cosmetics' Foamingly Clean Facial Wash, $16.50
Having a face wash that doesn't dehydrate your skin is yet another way to combat dry skin. There are hundreds of hydrating facial washes on the market, each designated for a different type of skin. We prefer Benefit Cosmetics' Foamingly Clean Facial Wash not only because it can be used on all skin types, but it's gentle enough to be used more than once a day.
If you suffer from more acne prone skin and are hunting for a charcoal facial cleanser that doesn't dry out your pores, try Yes to Tomatoes' detoxifying charcoal cleanser.
Herbivore Botanicals' Blue Tansy AHA + BHA Resurfacing Clarity Mask, $48
Help keep your skin healthy and hydrated throughout the year by adding a face mask to your weekly skin treatment regimen. One of our all-time favorite face masks comes from indie beauty brand Herbivore Botanicals. Their Blue Tansy mask, although a bit pricey, helps refresh and clarify skin without harmful chemicals. That's right, their products are non-toxic and use only natural ingredients to help maintain your skin's health.
A few of our other favorite masks include Aria Starr Beauty's Dead Sea Mud Mask, Origins' GinZing Peel-Off Mask, and Glossier's Moisturizing Moon Mask. When picking out a face mask, make sure it suits your skin type — not all masks are created equally. Some masks may be better suited to oily skin types, while others can be used for a variety of skin types.
Origins' GinZing Energy-Boosting Treatment Lotion Mist, $22
When you're on the go and need a little bit of moisture rejuvenation for your skin, opt for Origins' GinZing Energy-Boosting Treatment Lotion Mist. A quick spritz of this citrus-scented mist will give your skin the pick-me-up it needs to stay hydrated throughout the day.
If you're looking for a mist with less of a scent, check out Lush's Breath of Fresh Air mist.
Body products:
When it comes to skin hydration during the winter, don't forget to treat the rest of your body with nourishing products as well. Contrary to popular belief, Dr. Keaney says the shower happens to be one of the biggest culprits when it comes to dry skin during the winter.
"Patients often use harsh soaps that strip the skin of its natural oils and lipids and bathe in long hot showers, increasing transepidermal water loss," he said. In order to rehydrate your skin, you should apply a moisturizer, or other hydrating skin product, to your skin to "replace the lipids that have been lost during the cleansing process."
Here are a few body products we'd recommend to help thwart dry skin all over.
Lush's Let the Good Times Roll Cleanser, $12.95+
Alright, alright, we are obsessed with Lush — but, we can't help it. The Let the Good Times Roll Face and Body Cleanser is the perfect in-shower hydration treatment for your skin.
Not only does it act as an exfoliant, thus preventing dry skin from building up, this hydrating cleanser keeps your skin healthy and moisturized during the day. Oh, and did we mention it smells like sugar cookies? Yup. It's perfect.
Dr. Bronner's Almond Pure-Castile Soap, $6.69
If you're looking for another in-shower way to keep your skin moisturized during the winter, try one of Dr. Bronner's many pure-Castile soaps. Made from olive oil, Dr. Bronner's Castile soaps help keep skin nourished without toxic chemicals.
Dr. Bronner's offers eight different types of castile-soap to choose from. In addition to being used as a moisturizing body wash, this soap can be used on your face, hair and even your dishes. Talk about versatile. To top it all off, Dr. Bronner profits are dedicated to making the world a better place.
Drunk Elephant's B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Gel, $52
Drunk Elephant is one of the leaders in the realm of non-toxic skin care — and for good reason. A bit on the pricier side, Drunk Elephant's products never fail to deliver. If you're looking for an all-over moisturizer to keep your skin flake-free, opt for the B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Gel. It's ultra-hydrating and full of nutrients to keep your skin bright and supple.
If you'd prefer to use a cream, Drunk Elephant's Lala Retro Whipped Cream is a great choice. It's not too greasy and provides a "steady dose of moisture" to your skin throughout the day. Lala Retro is especially useful as a hand cream, FYI.
Aria Starr Beauty's Coconut Milk Body Scrub, $15.95
The wintertime cure your dry, flaky skin needs might just be Aria Starr Beauty's Coconut Milk Body Scrub. In addition to being all-natural, this beauty product contains six essential oils to hydrate, soften and protect your skin from harsh winter weather. It also acts as an exfoliant to scrub away dead skin.
The best part? It makes you smell like a tropical oasis — everything else is just a bonus!
The Estée Edit's Rescue Balm, $50
The miraculous Rescue Balm proves Esteé Lauder outdid themselves this time. Lightweight and ultra-creamy, this product delivers an instant rush of hydration to any area. Although it can be used on your face and body, we like to use it as a heavy-duty hand cream. It's lightly scented and perfect for the office. Don't forget to give your cuticles some extra care during the winter with Lush's Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter.
In addition to beauty products, you can protect your skin from dehydration and flakiness by drinking water (duh!) and minimizing skin exposure when outside. That means bundling up with scarves and gloves, people! According to Dr. Keaney, the cold, dry winter air can lead to skin irritation and dryness, so make sure to protect yourself from Jack Frost.
See our review of these products and more, here.
