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Winter Skincare Tips: 3 Simple Ways to Help Your Dry, Flaky Winter Skin

When the weather turns cold and the heat kicks on inside, our skin starts sending up distress signals: tightness, itchiness, and flaky dry winter skin that seems to appear overnight.

Before you panic-buy every hydrating product the internet throws at you, let’s pause. Dry winter skin usually doesn’t need more products: it just needs intentional, nourishing ones. Sometimes we swing the pendulum too far in the other direction and then we just feel frustrated and confused about how to care for our skin. I also want to mention that if you don't have the bandwidth or the budget for new products right now, that is totally ok. Use what you have and there are alternatives out there at different price points. I'm always happy to give suggestions that will be a good fit for you.

The main takeaway from this, I hope, are these simple, high-impact winter skincare tips to help restore hydration, protect your skin barrier, and calm irritation without adding ten extra steps or turning your bathroom into a science lab (although I love a good science experiment). I have also included some specific products that I really love but these tips are designed to work with whatever products you have or can get your hands on.

Winter Skin Care Tip #1: Lock in Moisture with an Overnight Barrier Shield

If your skin is dry, irritated, or flaky in winter, the issue often isn’t a lack of hydration — it’s that your skin can’t hold onto moisture. This is where a little overnight magic comes in:

-Apply your favorite moisturizer before bed.(I love Ursa Major Golden Hour Recovery Cream or Dieux Instant Angel)

-Seal it in with a thin layer of Aquaphor or another skin-safe occlusive. (I love the Aquaphor stick; it makes it so easy to apply.)

-Wake up with skin that feels calm, cushioned, and plump — not tight and resentful.

This technique is especially helpful for skin barrier repair, post-travel dryness, sensitivity, or just existing in winter while human.

Gentle mention: Full-face slugging isn’t mandatory. If it feels like too much, apply only to dry-prone areas like cheeks, around the nose, or lips.

Winter Skin Care Tip #2: Add Moisture Back Into the Air

Indoor heat pulls moisture straight out of the air — and out of your skin.

If you’re waking up with tight skin, dry mouth, or a scratchy throat, your environment likely needs hydration just as much as your skincare routine does.

✨ Run a humidifier while you sleep. ✨

Adding moisture back into your space supports:

• Skin hydration

• Sinuses + throat

• Lips

• Hair health

• Your overall sense of coziness and groundedness

(And yes — your makeup will apply more smoothly, too.)

Best pick: This humidifier from Canopy is easy to clean (it runs all the way dry and it's dishwasher safe), doesn’t mist up the room, and actually makes a noticeable difference. No moldy cauldrons here.

Winter Skin Care Tip #3: Ease Up on Actives and Heavy Treatments

Actives like retinol, AHAs, and acne treatments can be a great part of your routine long-term but in winter, too much can quietly sabotage your skin barrier. I do understand the instinct to do more actives, peels, etc. during the winter because sun exposure is minimized. Really it comes down to balance and giving your skin some recovery time/products.

If your skin feels dry, flaky, or reactive, try these gentler winter skincare tips

• Limit active ingredients to once a week, unless your skin is very accustomed to them

• Prioritize hydration and barrier repair

• Layer gentle, soothing hydration under your moisturizer (Violette_FR Boum Boum Milk is one of my favorite winter skincare products - it is magic + science in a bottle and great for sensitive, irritated skin. Plus, it’s a spray, which feels delightful.)

Keep Your Skin Happy This Winter

Winter skincare can feel overwhelming; cold air, indoor heat, and busy life energy don’t help. But small, intentional tweaks make a big difference. Nighttime is always the best time to layer on hydration; it's when your skin is already trying to repair itself and it will have plenty of time to absorb. I like to do a little more in the evening and then keep the morning super simple. This makes my morning routine really quick and it also plays better with makeup. This is especially helpful if you tend to get oily (or sweaty, like me) throughout the day. Having minimal products on (especially minimal on the creamy, hydrating ones) will feel way more comfortable throughout the day and help everything hold up well without compromising hydration and skin texture.

And because consistency is where the magic really is... I keep my skincare in a little bag by my bed and apply it as I sit down at night, before I get fully cozy. It turns skincare into a ritual — simple, grounding, and doable even on busy days.

My current skincare routine (on days when I have it together; sometimes I do a pared-down version):

Before bed:

-Cleansing balm or cleansing oil massaged in to skin and removed with a warm, damp washcloth.

-A couple of sprays of Violette Boum Boum Milk (this stuff is so magical and healing)

-Dieux Deliverance serum

-Ursa Major Golden Hour moisturizer

-Ursa Major Forest Alchemy eye cream

-Aquaphor stick anywhere that I have flakiness, irritation, or tend to be dry.

-Canopy humidifier running on the bedside table

In the morning:

-Ursa Major Face Tonic on a cotton pad or reusable pad to refresh skin

-Dieux Auracle eye cream (with the forever eye mask if I have extra time)

-Tinted sunscreen (or lightweight moisturizer with sunscreen, if prefer no tint)

The Bottom Line: Keep Winter Skincare Simple

Winter skin just needs a little extra care and support. It's also a great time of year to give ourselves a little extra love and attention to recover from this wild life we are all living. As much as you can build your skincare routine in to a ritual, the better. Here's the main things that really make a difference, specificaly during colder months:

• Hold moisture in with an occlusive layer at night

• Hydrate your environment with a humidifier

• Go easy on actives and let your skin barrier rebuild

Gentle care now leads to stronger, calmer, happier skin later.

If you want to chat through your specific skincare routine, a virtual lesson is a great way to do that. And I'm currently running a special on virtual lessons, so it's a great time to do it too!

Here is the link for all of my favorite winter skincare products.