How to Keep Your Skin Healthy in Winter: A Complete Guide

Cold, arid environments can leave your skin feeling dry, irritated, and uncomfortable. We know how unpleasant this can be. Who has time to deal with flaking, tightness, and an impaired skin barrier? Fortunately, with the right approach, you can restore your skin’s health and maintain its glow even in winter. Let’s explore how winter weather affects your skin and what you can do to combat its challenges effectively.

How Winter Weather Impacts Healthy Skin

Winter creates the perfect recipe for dry and sensitive skin. Dropping temperatures, biting winds, and low humidity levels indoors and outdoors can wreak havoc on even the healthiest skin. The constant exposure to dry air can lead to:

• Dehydration
• Dryness and flaking
• Tightness
• Redness in lighter skin tones and a darkened or purplish hue in medium-to-dark skin tones

Surprisingly, winter can also cause severe sunburns. Snow reflects the sun’s UV rays, amplifying their effect and increasing the risk of damage. That’s why wearing sunscreen remains crucial year-round.

While dry skin may seem like the most obvious concern, oily and combination skin types are equally susceptible to winter’s challenges. Dry air strips the skin of moisture, prompting oilier skin to overcompensate with excess sebum production. This can lead to clogged pores and blemishes.

Top Winter Skincare Tips to keep your Skin Healthy in Winter

To combat winter’s harsh conditions, focus on creating a hydrating environment both on and off your skin. Here’s how:

1. Choose Gentle Cleansers and Avoid Over-Exfoliation

Start your winter skincare routine by cleansing with a gentle, hydrating cleanser suitable for your skin type. Dry skin benefits from creamy, nourishing cleansers, while oily or combination skin does best with lighter textures. Explore our Skinceuticals and Yonka cleansers, perfect for this season.

Opt for soft tools like a washcloth rather than abrasive scrubs or brushes to prevent over-exfoliation, which can strip the skin of its natural oils and worsen dryness or irritation. Instead, use a leave-on exfoliant with AHAs or BHAs to gently remove dead skin cells without compromising your skin barrier.

1. Replenish and Hydrate
   • Toners: Use hydrating toners to refresh the skin after cleansing. A milky toner works well for dry skin, while a weightless, hydrating formula suits oily or combination types.
   • Serums: Incorporate antioxidant-rich serums to fight environmental damage. For extra hydration, consider a hyaluronic acid booster or oil-based serum for dry skin.
2. Moisturize Strategically
   • Opt for cream-based moisturizers that contain ceramides, hyaluronic acid, or glycerin to retain moisture.
   • For nighttime, use richer formulations and apply them to your neck and around your eyes.
3. Protect Against UV Rays
   Even in winter, UV rays can cause lasting damage. Apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen with at least SPF 30 daily, especially before heading outdoors or to higher altitudes.
4. Create a Humid Environment
   Invest in a humidifier to add moisture back into the air, helping to counteract the drying effects of indoor heating.
5. Avoid Prolonged Hot Showers
   Limit shower time to 5–10 minutes using lukewarm water to prevent excessive moisture loss.
6. Don’t Forget Your Lips
   Use a hydrating lip balm with ingredients like petroleum jelly or peptides to keep lips smooth and supple. Avoid licking your lips, as it worsens dryness. Check out our GM Collin Repair Lip balm a 3-in-1 solution for dry and chapped lips. Formulated with shea and moringa butter and maracuja and argan oils.

What to Avoid in Winter

1. Harsh Ingredients
   Avoid products with denatured alcohol, menthol, or essential oils, as they can exacerbate dryness.
2. High Indoor Temperatures
   Keep your home at a moderate temperature (68°F–75°F) to prevent additional skin dehydration.
3. Skipping Sunscreen
   Don’t underestimate the sun’s effects in winter—always protect your skin with SPF.

Why Skincare Matters Year-Round

Healthy skin is more than cosmetic. It serves as a vital barrier against environmental aggressors and moisture loss. By following these dermatologist-approved tips, you can maintain soft, hydrated skin even during the harshest months.

With just a few simple tweaks to your routine, winter skin worries can become a thing of the past. Let us know how you’re adapting your skincare for the season!

If you have any questions about your skincare routine or want a personalized session, book a 15-minute consultation with our expert estheticians.

Sources:

• Columbia University Irving Medical Center 
• Skin Research and Technology, June 2023, ePublication
• Cancers, June 2023, ePublication
• American Osteopathic College of Dermatology, Accessed December 2023, Webpage
• Journal of the German Society of Dermatology, July 2012, pages 488-491
• Clinics in Dermatology, January-February 2011, pages 37-42