5 Ways to Ditch Dull, Dry Skin This Winter

It’s that wonderful time of the year where we get to bond with our loved ones, bring out that special holiday outfit for the office after-work mixer, and best of all, check off those resolutions created last December. On the flip side, there are also winter woes (chapped lips, dull skin, ashy elbows, to name just a few) that come along with frigid temperatures.

With hopes of not letting the cold-weather months get the best of our skin, we turned to a few trusted experts to reveal their best tips, tricks, and techniques for overcoming the winter skin care struggle.

Embrace oils

Instead of slathering on a big bucket of petroleum jelly, why not opt for a less greasy oil? Ericka Parker, the director of education at Michael Todd’s Beauty, recommends keeping an oil handy near your shower so it can be applied directly to damp skin after bathing. “This will help seal in your natural hydration while giving the skin a hydration boost,” she says. We love Michael Todd Beauty’s Grape Seed Cleansing Oil. It’s packed with a fusion of super-nourishing oils in addition to rich antioxidants and vitamins C, E, D, and A.

Try a mask

The huge craze with masks has everything to do with the next-level care they provide. Most have the power to penetrate deep below the skin’s surface level, helping to speed up and improve cell turnover. Take celebrity facialist and skin care expert Joanna Vargas’s Forever Glow Anti-Aging Face Mask, for example. This bamboo sheet mask is packed with key ingredients such as cabbage rose extract to hydrate and strengthen capillary walls, as well as hyaluronic acid, which holds a whopping 1,000 times its weight in water to hydrate skin, repair tissue, and hold together the structure of collagen and elastin.

Cancel hot showers

After a long day, the best feeling in the world can be a steaming-hot shower to help you relax and realign your senses. Although this feels good for your soul, it is not the best idea for your skin. Overall, this kind of hot-water routine can leave your skin as dry as the Sahara desert. “Avoid hot baths and jacking up the heating; instead, opt for getting a humidifier plugged in,” says Neil Sadick of Sadick Dermatology. Instead of ramping up the heat while you shower, take pleasure in enjoying a humidifier after to add moisture back into the air and get rid of lingering bacteria.

Stop picking at your skin

“If your lips are dry and chapped, avoid the urge of picking at them. Use hydrating lip balms to lock moisture into your lips,” says board-certified dermatologist Jessie Cheung. “You can also use a damp washcloth for gentle exfoliation, or apply a sugar scrub to the lips. Try to avoid licking your lips, since the evaporation of your saliva can cause more dryness.” A great choice to help you stop picking: eos Sheer Pink Shimmer Lip Balm. It smooths lips with shea butter and gives a hint of shimmer all in one application.

Stay hydrated

If you haven’t already been keeping up with the age-old recommended eight glasses of water a day, now more than ever is the time to start. Water is one of your biggest hydration superheroes to replenish and wake up skin from the inside out. In the summertime, we find ourselves chugging a bottle of cold water on the regular, but once it is time to bundle up, we tend to go for warmer drinks such as coffee and tea that can eventually dehydrate skin if excessively consumed. Do yourself and your skin a favor by grabbing a huge case of water at your local grocery store, or invest in a S’well water bottle, and responsibly drink your way to healthier skin.

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