Updated 2/23/22

Love it or hate it, winter rolls around every year, bringing with it shorter days and chillier temps. And, like clockwork, you might notice some changes in your skin that coincide with the new season. We’re talking dryness, dullness, itchiness, or flaking — gang’s all here. 

While these temporary changes in skin are a product of your environment (in this case, literally), a few adjustments to your usual skincare routine, whatever that looks like, can go a long way to offset them. Hint: Moisturize, moisturize, and moisturize more. And with that, let’s get into how, exactly, winter affects skin.

What Winter Does to Skin

We’ll start with the obvious: Winter is colder. That sets off a domino effect in skin. “Humidity drops along with the temperature. When there is less moisture in the air and an increase in outdoor wind and indoor heating, this can strip the barrier, causing gaps in the outermost layer,” says NakedPoppy skin specialist Tara Parenti. That in turn can result in dehydration and allow irritants to more easily sensitize skin.

In everyday life, that means you may notice that your skin seems more dry, dull, dehydrated, or even prone to discoloration in the winter. (There’s a difference between dryness versus dehydration: Dryness means skin lacks oil, whereas dehydration means it lacks water.)

But this isn’t your average case of dry or dehydrated skin. According to Parenti, this impairment in the skin barrier can also cause inflammation, which involves a histamine release and in turn may lead to sensitization and skin itchiness as well. “Inflammatory skin disorders, such as eczema or rosacea, can worsen,” she says. “And your lips may get extremely dry and cracked.”

How to Care for Dry Winter Skin

A compromised skin barrier — and the consequent dryness — are at the heart of winter skincare concerns. The upside? That makes the solution surprisingly simple: Just add moisture.

If your routine is on the minimalist side, “simplify it with a creamy cleanser, hydrating mist, and replenishing moisturizer,” says Parenti. You can then scale up with serums and exfoliants should you choose to do so. The NakedPoppy Nourish Cream Cleanser infuses skin with moisture in the very first step while handily removing dirt, makeup, and other impurities from skin. A hydrating mist lightly dampens skin, better allowing it to absorb other products that follow — and when it comes to moisture, that can be a game-changer.

For moisturizing skin in the winter, you have a few methods to choose from. In addition to your usual cream moisturizer, you have the option to “supplement in a hydrating serum rich in humectants and anti-inflammatories,” says Parenti. You can also replenish and reinforce the skin barrier’s lipid layer with a face oil rich in fatty acids, such as the NakedPoppy Organic Revitalize Facial Oil, which offers a fatty acid-packed blend of rosehip seed oil, jojoba oil, argan oil, and more. At this point, you can mix and match according to your preferences. The face oil can serve as your moisturizer, or you can add a face oil after a cream- or gel-based moisturizer if your skin is especially dry or uncomfortable.

To tackle dullness, “incorporate a gentle resurfacing product like the Maya Chia Refresh Mint Resurfacing Moisture Mask to dissolve dead skin cell build-up and reveal smoother, less textured skin,” says Parenti. Light exfoliation like this has a double benefit: Not only does it remove dead skin cells, thus allowing moisturizers to better penetrate skin, but it also helps make skin look brighter in the process. (Just make sure to limit it to a few times a week, since over-exfoliation can further dry or damage skin.)

Last but not least, apply lip balm often. We love Kosas LipFuel Hyaluronic Lip Balm, which is spiked with moisture-attracting hyaluronic acid and nourishing vitamin E to seal it in.

A few lifestyle tweaks can help, too — again, anything that adds moisture to your skin is a plus. So, a humidifier in your home can be helpful, as can reducing the temperature of your shower, since hot water can strip skin of its natural moisturizing oils (we know this doesn’t sound appealing in winter, but even lukewarm water is an improvement). 

Also, there’s the easiest trick yet: “Drink plenty of fluids,” says Parenti. “Cold weather has a tendency to take away the sensation of thirst, which can result in low cellular hydration.” If you’re giving yourself moisture inside and out, you’ll be that much more likely to have glowing, healthy skin all the way through spring.

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