Short answer: Cold air holds less moisture than warm air, and indoor heating dries it further, so in winter your skin spends the day in drier air than it is used to. Add wind and hot showers and the surface loses water faster than usual. The answer is not a new routine. It is a few adjustments guided by how your skin actually feels: cooler water, moisturizer applied while the skin retains some moisture, and a moisturizer your skin is comfortable with in dry air. Keep the sunscreen. Lips, hands and body usually need attention before your face does.
Here is what changes in winter, what to adjust, and what to leave alone.
Why cold weather changes your skin
Warm air can hold more water vapor than cold air. When the temperature outside drops, the moisture the air can carry drops with it, so winter air is drier than summer air even on a day that feels damp. Dry air pulls water from whatever is exposed to it, and your face is exposed to it all day.
Then you go indoors, and the heating warms that same dry air without putting any water back. The cold outside gets the blame, and the radiator does as much of the work. Wind adds to it: moving air carries water off the surface faster than still air, which is why a windy walk leaves your face tight and raw when a cold, still day does not.
Then there is the shower. A long hot shower on a cold morning is one of life’s small pleasures, and it is hard on dry skin. Hot water takes more oil off the surface than warm water does, and that oil is part of what slows water loss. What Is the Skin Barrier? explains why that surface layer matters.
What to change
Turn the water down. Warm rather than hot, shorter rather than longer, at the sink and in the shower. This costs nothing.
Moisturize while skin still has some moisture. After cleansing or bathing, gently pat the skin dry and apply moisturizer while the skin retains some moisture.
Look again at your moisturizer. Some people find a richer formulation suits the colder months and go back to something lighter later. Others use one product year round. Whether a product suits you depends on the complete formulation and on your own skin, not on how thick it looks, so treat it as something to try rather than a rule. How to Choose a Moisturizer for Mature Skin covers what a moisturizer is doing.
Notice how your cleanser leaves you. If your skin feels tight long after washing once the heating is on, the cleanser is worth reconsidering. That is a question about the whole formulation, not about whether it foams.
Consider the air indoors. In particularly dry indoor environments, a humidifier may also help increase ambient moisture.
Keep the steps that suit you. In the Esenté routine, a toner or an antioxidant mist can follow cleansing, then a hydrating serum if you use one, then moisturizer. Which of those steps your skin needs, and how often, depends on the individual.
What to leave alone
Sunscreen. Winter sun is still sun. UVA passes through cloud and through window glass, and snow reflects a good deal of the ultraviolet that lands on it straight back at your face. Daily broad-spectrum sunscreen belongs in the January routine exactly as it belongs in the July one. Day Cream vs Night Cream covers where it sits in the morning order.
Exfoliation, within reason. Dry weather is not a reason to exfoliate more. Whether you continue as before should depend on your skin’s condition and how it responds. If skin becomes unusually dry or irritated, adjust accordingly, which may mean exfoliating less often or pausing for a while, and follow the directions for whatever you use.
Everything that is already working. Changing five things at once in January means you will not know which one helped.
Lips, hands and body go first
Oil-gland distribution varies considerably from one part of the body to another, and several of the areas that take the most winter punishment, including the hands, have fewer glands than the face does. The lips are thinner again and have very little oil of their own, which is why they chap before anything else.
So the season shows up first at the edges: chapped lips, rough hands, itchy shins, flaky forearms. Moisturize the body after the shower while skin is still damp, keep a hand cream wherever you wash your hands, and wear gloves in cold wind for the same reason you wear a scarf. Do You Need a Body Skincare Routine? has the simple version.
When it is more than winter dryness
Most winter dryness answers to warmer water, moisturizer and patience. Some does not. Skin that stays cracked, sore or itchy despite a sensible routine, or that changes in a way you cannot account for, is worth showing to a dermatologist or another appropriate healthcare professional.
Victoria’s approach
Victoria Nash, founder of Esenté Skincare and Younger You Clinique, has been a licensed aesthetician since 2004 and is an experienced skincare educator. She draws on her professional experience at Younger You Clinique when evaluating skincare products and their performance. Victoria emphasizes responding to the environment your skin is actually experiencing. Cold winter climates can increase dryness, but very dry climates may create similar concerns at other times of year. Seasonal adjustments should therefore be guided by the condition of your skin rather than simply by the calendar.
The Esenté range covers face and body. For the face there are the Hyaluronic Hydration Crème, the Recovery Crème and the Hydra-Plus Night Crème for the overnight hours; for the body, the Cellaris Body Crème and the Shea Butter Ultra Rich Hydra Crème. Follow the directions printed on whichever you use. Each is developed collaboratively by Victoria Nash with Esenté’s professional formulation and manufacturing partners, with Victoria providing product direction, ingredient research, professional-use feedback and performance requirements. If you are not sure what to change when the weather turns, the Ask Victoria page is the place to ask.
Frequently asked questions
What should I change in my skincare routine in winter?
Cooler water, moisturizer applied while the skin retains some moisture, a second look at whether your cleanser leaves you tight, and more attention to lips, hands and body. Keep the sunscreen, and let the condition of your skin guide any other changes.
Why does my face get so dry in winter?
Cold air carries less moisture than warm air, and indoor heating warms that dry air without putting water back. Wind and hot showers speed the loss up.
Do I need a heavier moisturizer in winter?
Some people find a richer formulation suits the season and switch back later. Others change nothing. Whether a product suits you depends on the complete formulation and your own skin rather than on its texture, so judge it by how your skin feels.
Do I still need sunscreen in winter?
Yes. UVA passes through cloud and window glass, and snow reflects ultraviolet back up at your face. Daily broad-spectrum sunscreen is a year-round part of the routine, not a summer item.
Why are my lips and hands worse than my face?
Oil-gland distribution varies a lot across the body. The hands have fewer glands than the face, and the lips have very little oil of their own and thinner skin, so both chap and roughen sooner.
About the author. Victoria Nash, founder of Esenté Skincare and Younger You Clinique, has been a licensed aesthetician since 2004 and is an experienced skincare educator.
Reviewed by Victoria Nash, licensed aesthetician and founder of Esenté Skincare & Younger You Clinique. This article is educational and is not medical advice. Ask your dermatologist or licensed skincare professional about products appropriate for your own skin and medical history.
