Bare trees, heavy coats, and endless cups of hot chocolate—winter has arrived!

A beanie and thick gloves can work wonders against the freezing cold, but icy weather isn’t the only challenge winter brings.

Every year, we find ourselves reluctantly greeting the dreaded dry winter skin. What causes this seasonal problem, and what can you do about it?

I’ll gladly give you more details.

Tired of that dry winter skin? Here’s how to make it disappear like snow under the sun!

What causes dry winter skin?

Lower temperatures and low humidity: those are the culprits. As the name suggests, humidity indicates how much moisture is in the air.

Low humidity means the air contains little water vapor. Temperature plays an important role here too.

When cold air is warmed up, humidity drops. Think of your heating at home and the warm air blowers in your car.

With low humidity and little water vapor, our skin loses more moisture to the environment than usual. It’s as if the skin is stripped of its moisture, and its natural protective layer disappears.

This means winter is far from ideal for growing healthy skin. Not only is your skin affected by the cold outside, but also by the low humidity inside.

You might consider booking a vacation to a warm island! Thankfully, there’s a solution for everything, even for that winter skin. (And no, I’m not talking about buying a ticket to the Canary Islands.)

What should I do with my dry, rough skin?

Prevention is always better than cure. And in this case, it couldn’t be more true. Preventing brittle skin is no easy task. However, there are a few things you can do to keep your skin as healthy and smooth as possible:

❄️ Drink enough water

You’ve probably heard it before, but I can’t stress it enough: drink, drink, and drink some more! And I mean water and/or herbal tea.

❄️ Moisturize after showering (but in moderation)

The best time to apply moisturizer is right after showering, when your pores are still open. However, don’t do this every day, or you’ll train your skin to produce fewer natural oils.

❄️ Shower with lukewarm water

A hot shower after a day of freezing cold might sound great, but it won’t make your skin happy.

❄️ The greasier, the better

A cream that contains a lot of water can freeze on your skin on cold days and cause quite a bit of damage. So, during the winter months, opt for an oil-based cream instead.

Just like some people suffer more during the winter than others, certain parts of your body are also more affected by the cold. You can give these areas some extra attention during this time.

Preventing dry lips

Wind, frost, and beautiful, healthy lips don’t really go hand in hand. Chapped lips can be very painful.

In an attempt to make them as moist as possible, many people lick their dry lips regularly. A natural reaction, but unfortunately, it only makes the problem worse. So don’t do it!

A thick, nourishing lip balm is what you need to “moisturize” and care for your lips.

Preventing dry hands

Because we frequently wash our hands with warm water and then expose them to the cold, they endure the harshest conditions during the winter. Fortunately, you can give them a helping hand by investing in some mittens and a good hand cream.