How To Keep Your Skin Hydrated During The Winter Months

How to Keep Your Skin Hydrated During Winter

Winter is notorious for drying out your skin, leaving it feeling rough, flaky, and irritated. If you’ve been searching for effective tips to keep your skin hydrated during the colder months, especially in areas with harsh winters like the Midwest or the Northeast, you’re in the right place. This guide, from Essential Dermatology Group, PLLC,  provides dermatologist-approved tips and product recommendations to help your skin stay soft, smooth, and moisturized, even in the most frigid weather.

Why Winter Affects Your Skin

If you’re experiencing dry, cracked skin this winter, it’s likely due to a combination of environmental factors. Here’s why winter wreaks havoc on your skin: 

• Dry Air and Indoor Heating: Cold air outside and heated air indoors both lack humidity, which pulls moisture from your skin, leaving it dehydrated. 
• Reduced Oil Production: Cold weather causes your skin to produce less natural oil, making it harder to retain moisture. 
• Increased Sensitivity: Harsh winds and extreme temperature shifts can weaken your skin’s natural barrier, leading to irritation and redness.

In places with long, freezing winters like Chicago or Minneapolis, the effects can be even more severe, making winter skin care adjustments crucial.

Switch to a Gentle Cleanser

Using the wrong cleanser during winter can strip your skin of essential moisture, especially if you’re already dealing with the dryness caused by indoor heating or windy conditions in cities like Boston or New York. Replace your usual foaming cleanser with a hydrating option that cleans without disrupting the skin’s barrier.

- Recommended Products: 

•   CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser: Packed with ceramides and hyaluronic acid to hydrate and repair. 
• La Roche-Posay Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Cleanser: Ideal for dry, sensitive skin and helps maintain a healthy barrier.

When choosing cleansers in cold climates like Denver or Salt Lake City, always look for labels that say 'hydrating' or 'gentle.'

Layer Your Skincare Products

Layering your skincare products is a game-changer during winter, particularly in areas where low humidity leaves your skin parched. Start with a hydrating serum and seal it in with a rich moisturizer. This two-step approach helps maintain moisture levels, even in locations like Toronto, where winters can be brutally dry.

- Recommended Routine: 

1.    Apply a serum with hyaluronic acid, like The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5, to attract water to your skin. 
2. Follow up with a moisturizer containing ceramides, such as CeraVe Moisturizing Cream, to lock in hydration.

This technique is especially effective if you live in high-altitude regions like Denver, where the air is even drier.

Upgrade to a Thicker Moisturizer

Winter is the perfect time to swap your lightweight summer lotion for a richer, cream-based moisturizer. Thick, occlusive creams are particularly beneficial in areas with freezing temperatures like Minneapolis or Montreal, where your skin is exposed to both cold air and indoor heating.

- Recommended Products: 

•  Cetaphil Rich Hydrating Cream: A dermatologist favorite for its ability to deeply hydrate without clogging pores. 
• Eucerin Advanced Repair Cream: Great for restoring moisture and repairing dry, cracked skin.

Whether you’re in the Midwest or the East Coast, these rich moisturizers are a must-have for winter skin care.

Use a Humidifier to Add Moisture Back into the Air

In cold-weather areas like Denver, Minneapolis, or Boston, the air can become incredibly dry, both outside and indoors. Central heating systems exacerbate this by stripping even more moisture from the air. A humidifier is a game-changer, adding essential hydration back into your living environment.

- Why it’s important: 

1.   Keeps your skin hydrated overnight, preventing dryness and flakiness. 
2. Supports your skin’s natural barrier by maintaining a balanced moisture level. 
3. Pro Tip: Place a humidifier in your bedroom or home office to combat dryness while you sleep or work, especially in regions with extended heating seasons like Toronto or Chicago.

Protect Your Skin Barrier with the Right Products

The skin barrier is your first line of defense against the cold, dry winds of places like New York City or the Rocky Mountains. Harsh winter conditions can weaken this barrier, leading to irritation, redness, and increased sensitivity. Strengthen and protect your skin with barrier-repairing ingredients like ceramides, squalane, and niacinamide.

- Recommended Products: 

•   SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2: Contains ceramides and fatty acids to restore the skin barrier. 
• The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%: Reduces redness and strengthens your skin against environmental stressors.

For those in cities like Boston or Chicago, where winds can be particularly harsh, these products are vital to maintaining healthy, hydrated skin.

Hydration Tips for Different Skin Types

- Dry Skin:

  If you’re dealing with severely dry, flaky skin this winter, especially in high-altitude areas like Denver, switch to deeply hydrating oils or balms.

  - Recommended Product: Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Balm provides intense hydration for dry skin.

- Oily or Combination Skin:

  In humid winter climates like Seattle, a lightweight, non-comedogenic moisturizer works best to keep your skin balanced without clogging pores.

  - Recommended Product: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel Cream with hyaluronic acid is ideal for this skin type.

- Sensitive Skin:

  For residents of cold, windy cities like Montreal or Minneapolis, focus on fragrance-free, hypoallergenic products to prevent irritation.

  - Recommended Product: Aveeno Calm + Restore Oat Gel Moisturizer soothes redness and supports the skin barrier.

Don’t Skip Sunscreen in the Winter

Many people in colder climates like New York or Toronto believe sunscreen isn’t necessary during the winter months. However, UV rays are still present, even on cloudy days, and snow reflects these rays, increasing your exposure. Applying sunscreen daily is essential to protect your skin from damage.

- Why it’s important: 

•   Prevents premature aging caused by UV rays. 
• Reduces the risk of hyperpigmentation and skin cancer. 
• Recommended Product: 
• EltaMD UV Daily Broad-Spectrum SPF 40 is lightweight, hydrating, and perfect for winter use.

No matter where you are—whether in the snowy Rockies or along the cloudy Pacific Northwest—daily sunscreen use is a must.

Winter Skin Care Habits to Avoid

- Over-exfoliating:

  Exfoliating too frequently in cold-weather areas like Chicago can strip your skin, causing irritation and worsening dryness. Stick to once or twice a week with gentle exfoliants.

- Hot Showers:

  While tempting in colder climates like Boston or Toronto, hot showers strip the skin of its natural oils, leading to more dryness. Opt for lukewarm water instead.

- Ignoring Lips and Hands:

  Dry, cracked lips and hands are common in places with frigid winds like Minneapolis or New York City. Use a lip balm with SPF and a hand cream with rich emollients to keep these areas protected.

Conclusion: Hydrated Skin All Winter Long

Winter may challenge your skin, but with the right adjustments and products, you can maintain healthy, hydrated skin no matter where you live. Whether you’re braving freezing temperatures in Boston, enduring high-altitude dryness in Denver, or just enduring the fluctuating weather in North Texas, these tips will help you glow all winter long.

Take the next step: Book a consultation with our dermatology experts today for a personalized winter skincare routine. Let us help you find the right products to protect and hydrate your skin, no matter the season or location!