When the weather outside is frightful, it seems like your skin can be so spiteful. But the real culprit here isn’t your skin but the weather. Winter weather is the worst. It leads to chapped lips, scaly arms, and cracked feet. But even though the air is driest during the wintertime, you don’t have to suffer from dry skin for several months out of the year. In this post, we’ll discuss how to prevent dry skin from happening to you this winter. Plus, if you’re currently dealing with dry skin, we’ll also discuss how to reverse skin dryness. Let’s get started.

1. Gently Exfoliate Every Few Days

One of the most important things you can do to prevent dry skin is to get rid of the dead skin on a regular basis. You’ll do this through exfoliation. With exfoliation, you’ll rub away the upper layer of dead skin to reveal the newer skin underneath. This allows your moisturizer to penetrate into the skin and do its work.

Also, the act of gently rubbing your skin can activate the skin repair and production processes.

Instead of purchasing an exfoliate from the store that may contain questionable, animal-based ingredients, make it yourself. You can raid your pantry for a simple exfoliate that works just as well as (if not better than) those fancy products, plus you’ll have complete control over the ingredients. Here’s a two-ingredient scrub that you can try:

In a small bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons of sugar with 1 tablespoon of coconut oil. Apply to your skin in circular motions for one to two minutes.  Then gently wash away with warm water. Repeat up to three times per week.

2. Use a Moisturizing Cleanser

Once it’s time to wash up, be careful not to strip away your skin’s natural moisture with harsh soaps. Your skin is acidic but most soaps have an alkaline pH, which results in painfully dry skin. That’s because soaps often contain drying ingredients like alcohol and fragrance that can zap moisture right out your skin.

So what’s the alternative? One excellent alternative is olive oil. Yes, olive oil can actually clean your skin and moisturize it at the same time. Plus, olive oil is loaded with antioxidants that can prevent fresh radicals from damaging your skin.

Olive oil soap is gentle for all skin types and can be purchased in bar form.

If you love your current soap, consider limiting application to key areas instead of applying the soap all over. Also, avoid working into a lather, which can increase skin dryness.

Be careful with makeup wipes, too. Makeup wipes and removers often contain isopropyl alcohol which can dry out skin. You can use olive oil to remove your makeup.

3. Use a Moisturizer With the Right Ingredients

In addition to a non-stripping cleanser, you need a moisturizer. But not all moisturizers are created equal.

There are four types of moisturizers, and some are better than others at restoring moisture to dry skin. The four types of moisturizers are:

• Ointment - Ointments may be greasy and have zero water content, but they’re best for keeping moisture in your skin because it literally sits on top of the skin.
• Cream - Creams are commonly half water and half oil and absorb easily into the skin.
• Oil - Oils are not as heavy as ointments and are better at getting into the skin than lotion.
• Lotion - Lotions have a higher water content and aren’t as moisturizing, but are easy to apply.

4. Add Healthy Foods to Your Diet

Even though you are what you eat, not all foods will make a difference for skin dryness.

One common misconception is that drinking more water will hydrate your skin. Unless you’re severely dehydrated, increasing your water intake won’t minimize dryness on your skin. However, adding other foods to your diet can affect your skin.

Introduce or add more foods that are high in fatty acids, which cannot be made in the body. These foods include omega 3 fish oil (the kind that’s found in salmon), avocados, walnuts, olive oil, and flaxseed. In addition to hydrating and moisturizing your skin, fatty acids increase elasticity and firmness, reduce wrinkles and acne, and bring a certain glow to the skin.

Eating these foods will allow you to increase your skin’s moisture content from the inside out.

5. Add a Humidifier to Your Room

In the winter, the air is dry outdoors, but it doesn’t need to be dry indoors as well. However, central heating systems that circulate the air and also fireplaces can create a dry atmosphere in any home.

Bring back that moisture by plugging in a cool air humidifier. Ideally, you want your home to have anywhere from 30 to 50% humidity. Running your humidifier for a few hours a day can make that happen. Most modern humidifiers come with an automatic shut-off feature which makes them safe and easy to operate.

Place humidifiers in the rooms where you spend the most time. Don’t overlook the bedroom, either. This is the one room where you’ll definitely spend a lot of your time. You can reinvigorate your skin while you sleep if you sleep next to a humidifier.

6. Avoid Hot Showers

In the winter, it can be tempting to take long, hot showers to warm yourself up. But doing so can dry out your skin. Instead, reduce shower time to five minutes or less.

When showering, opt for lukewarm water. Scalding hot water will damage your skin and dry it out. Be sure not to rub the washcloth against your skin too roughly unless you’re trying to exfoliate.

Once you step out of the shower, pat your skin with a high-quality towel to wick away any water. Then, quickly apply your moisturizer to the skin while it is still a little damp.

7. Moisturize Daily

Be sure to apply a moisturizer to your skin every single day. Once you get out of the shower or bath, lock in the moisture immediately by applying ointment, cream, oil, or lotion. Remember that the point of moisturizer isn’t to hydrate the skin (your shower or bath will do that), but rather to lock it in.

When applying moisturizer, pay special attention to the soles of your feet and the palms of your hands. These areas don’t have the same types of glands that lubricate the rest of your skin.

8. Don't Forget Your Lips

Dry lips are brutal and, once severely dry and cracked, they can make you miserable. Banish cracked, dry, and bleeding lips with our gluten-free Rallye Balm.

Our Rallye Balm is guaranteed to end your chapped lips within seven days or your money back. Most lip balms that you buy from the store are designed to keep your lips dry. Even though their waxy coating gives the appearance of smooth, moisturized lips, these products actually block airflow and make the delicate skin on your lips even drier over time.

Additional Resources

Before you go, check out these related posts:

• Your Guide to Clearer Skin
• Are You Making One of These Makeup Mistakes?
• Is It Important if Your Makeup is Gluten-Free?
• Stop Lipstick Bleeding
• Allergic Reaction to Your Makeup? Here’s What to Do