Top Tips for Avoiding Dry Winter Skin
Winter time can exacerbate skin conditions and the wind and heaters can make your skin dry, itchy and lifeless.
Here are some tips for keeping your skin lovely and soft over the cooler months. I also have some of the best natural skincare products that are all especially for repairing dry skin!
♥ Stay hydrated!
The cold weather can mess with our thirst mechanism a little. Lots of water will keep your skin smooth and moist. Try drinking herbal tea or hot water with lemon if water is a struggle.
♥ Good fats
Making sure you have enough essential fatty acids in your diet. Keep up the avocado, nuts, seeds, good oils and healthy fats.
♥ Upgrade your face moisturiser
You may need to swap your moisturiser in winter for something richer and more hydrating, especially at night time.
Try: Antipodes Avocado Pear Night Cream or Mukti Marigold Hydrating Creme
♥ Swap to a cream cleanser
I love a foaming face wash – they are so quick and easy in the shower but I find in winter they are just too drying. Swap over to a lovely cream cleanser and see the difference.
Try: Cloud 9 Deep Cleansing Balm or Vanessa Megan’s Petitgrain Creme Cleanser.
♥ Add in a serum
If you love your moisturizer, don’t ditch it, just add in a serum underneath. They are so beautiful and you only need a few drops.
Try: Pomegranate and Rose Hydrating Serum or Good Vibes Omega Facial Oil.
♥ Use a hydrating mask
A lovely rich mask once a week is a nice thing to do for your skin in winter. You could just use avocado mashed up with some honey (yum) or find a nourishing face mask. Avoid clay face masks as they will dry out your skin even more.
Try: Antipodes Manuka Mask or Madara’s SOS Intense Moisture Mask
♥ Don’t wash so often
Now I am not suggesting you get all whiffy! If you are in the habit of having a hot shower or bath twice a day, cut that back to once a day and lower the temperature. Hot water will quickly dry out your skin.
♥ Ditch the soap
Don’t use soap!! It’s so incredibly drying. Switch to a rich cleansing bar, body wash or even skip all together and use a body cloth.
Try: Mokosh Olive Oil Soap or Divine Moisturising Body Wash.
♥ Use a body moisturiser daily
I know I can get a bit slack with this in summer, but if you are using something to hydrate your whole body daily, you will notice the difference in the colder weather.
Try: Blissed Out Body Oil or Lhami’s Lavender Body Lotion.
♥ Oil Bath
Seriously divine – add a good splash of body or massage oil to your next warm bath. It’s a bugger to clean the bath, but it’s worth it for the soft, soft skin you get afterwards!
♥ Don’t get too crazy with that towel
Don’t dry yourself too thoroughly in winter. Just pat skin dry and quickly put your body moisturizer on, sealing in some of the moisture.
♥ Exfoliate
Gently exfoliating weekly in winter will get rid of the dry skin cells. Use a body brush or a scrub on your body and a gentle exfoliant on your face.
Try: Lhami Wattleseed Exfoliating Cream for the face and Eco Tan’s new Organic Pink Himalayan Salt Scrub for the body.
♥ Keep it handy
Hands can really get dry, red and irritated in winter, but we have to wash our hands to keep germs at bay. Use a moisturising hand wash and keep a hand cream next to your bed or next to the kitchen sink to remind you to pop it on. Always use gloves to wash up and for cleaning. You can even coat your hands thickly and pop some cotton gloves on overnight to really replenish.
Try: Vanessa Megan’s Peruvian Flower Hand Cream or MV Skincare Hand Rescue.
♥ Pucker up
Keep your lips nice and hydrated with a lovely nourishing lip balm. I keep one next to my bed and in my handbag and apply often. If your lips are really dry and scaly, you can rub them gently with a clean toothbrush to get the flakes off and then apply your balm.
Try: Suvana’s Paw Paw and Honey Organic Lip Balm or Physic Garden’s Winter Lips Balm.
♥ Cover Up
If the weather is really wild and windy, protect your skin with gloves and a scarf.
♥ Spritzer
A hydrating spritzer can bring relief. Use it regularly throughout the day or pop on before your moisturizer.
Try: Raindrops on Roses Hydrating Tonic or Black Chicken’s Hydrate My Face.
♥ Extreme care
If your skin is really red and irritated, it calls for serious heavy duty products on the sore spots. Coconut oil is always my go-to, but you may need something a bit more intense. I advise against the popular pawpaw ointment on the market.
Try: TLC Intensive Repair Oil, Physic Garden’s Soothing Skin Salve or the always popular Weleda Skin Food.
♥ Eczema
Got eczema? Try these tips from our community.
I hope these tips were helpful and you find some relief from that dry, itchy winter skin! I would love to know your tips as well, leave me a comment and let me know what you do!
Great tips thankyou! I need to remember to drink water in winter. It’s like as soon as it gets cool I have a switch that blocks water drinking.
Thanks Sallie
How easy is it to slack off on drinking enough water when it gets cool! I’m guilty of that one. Great list!!
Thanks Erica!!
Have really been feeling the affects of the cooler weather. Full top to toe exfoliation happening tomorrow, makes a huge difference.
Go easy on the coconut oil baths, as it solidifies quickly, it can be prone to causing blocked drains. xx N
Yes it does! Forgot about the oil down the drain!
I got bored with the post-coconut oil bath cleaning (all that scrubbing dried my hands out!) NOTE to people who don’t like cleaning the bath…just EAT THE COCONUT OIL, or add it in to frothed warm almond milk drink. Eating the oil does wonders for crackly winter skin and hair… and the only cleaning is a spoon or cup:0)
Good tip Jay, getting your good fat in your diet makes such a difference! 😉
Thanks Sonia, such timely advice! I’m starting to get really dry and itchy and wondered what I could use. I love the coconut oil and essential oils in the bath suggestion, do you recommend a particular EO that is good for itchy skin?
I would use lavender, just make sure you add the oils to the coconut oil first. 🙂