ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

How to Care for Dry Facial Skin in Winter

Updated on May 14, 2016
Jayne Lancer profile image

A beauty consultant by profession, Jayne has been advising on correct skin and hair care, makeup, and other cosmetics for over 20 years.

Basic facial skin care for men and women to prevent and repair dryness, redness and itching during the cold winter months.

It’s a combination of harsh weather and central heating that causes dryness in winter. If you don’t provide your skin with an adequate fat barrier, central heating will cause the moisture content of the subcorneous layer to evaporate, making it even more vulnerable to the cold when you go outside.

The subcorneous layer of healthy skin consists of 20 percent water. If this drops below ten percent, skin becomes red and itchy and begins to feel taut.

Why Some Skin Creams Seem to Make Dry Skin Worse

The obvious thing to do when your face feels dry and irritated is apply moisturizer, but the condition will only worsen if you choose the wrong product. A moisturizer that is too light and easily absorbed will cause the skin to bloat and eventually crack. This, of course, makes it vulnerable to bacteria and breakouts.

What is the Best Moisturizer for Dry Winter Skin?

The Right Texture

Whether you want to prevent or repair dryness in winter, you need a rich textured moisturizer that won't completely absorb into the skin. Night creams, for example, are ideal, but may leave your skin too shiny for the daytime. If this is the case, tone down with powder or blot your face with a tissue.

Urea

Skin that is prone to dryness is often lacking in hygroscopic substances, like urea.

A face cream containing at least five percent urea can restore the skin’s moisture balance within just three days. After 14 days, even the roughest skin should feel smooth and supple again.

Serum

For extra nourishment, you might want to apply a serum under your moisturizer. Serums contain firming and anti-aging substances, and make skin feel relaxed. Don’t use, however, while your face is sore and inflamed.

Almond oil

A good dry skin treatment for the nighttime is classic Nivea cream mixed with almond oil, which is renowned for its ability to repair and imitate the skin’s natural barrier. Just combine the cream and oil to a smooth but firm consistency and slather over your face and neck before going to bed.

Is an Extra Eye Cream Necessary?

The skin around the eyes is a little different to that of the rest of the face. It’s thinner and doesn’t have the same elasticity, which is why it wrinkles more easily and tends to creping and sagging. It also lacks sebaceous glands.

Whether an extra cream is necessary for the eye area is controversial. It’s probably a good idea if you want to deal with a specific problem, like dark circles or puffiness, but adding a protective layer should be your main priority in winter.

If you feel you need an additional eye product, apply an appropriate eye serum beneath the moisturizer you use on the rest of your face, which should be rich enough to protect and seal in moisture.

Whether an extra cream is necessary for the eye area is controversial.
Whether an extra cream is necessary for the eye area is controversial.

Lip Care in Winter

Because lips have no sebaceous glands and only a thin subcorneous layer, they’re very prone to dryness and cracking. This is why you need to protect them at all times.

Lipstick offers good protection for women. Otherwise, organic lip balms with beeswax and castor oil work best.

If your lips are damaged, wear lip balm (under your lipstick) during the day to seal cracks and lock in moisture. To speed up the healing process, smother your lips with castor oil or petroleum jelly before going to bed.

No matter how tempting it may be, never pick or bite chapped lips.

Cleansing, Toning and Shaving

There’s more to repairing and preventing dry, sore skin than slapping on serums and creams. How you cleanse, tone and shave is equally important.

Cleanser

Cleanse your face mornings and evenings, but be gentle. It’s important to preserve your skin’s natural barrier, especially in winter.

Never use soap. It won’t remove makeup if you wear it, and it upsets the skin’s pH level, causing dryness to worsen. Use a mild wash cream, a cleansing lotion or, even better, oil and water:

  1. Take two teaspoons of almond oil and massage over your face and neck.
  2. Add a little lukewarm water and work up to an emulsion. This dislodges all grime and makeup, including waterproof mascara.
  3. Rinse thoroughly.
  4. Dry your face with a cotton pad.

Toner

Using toner or thermal water to clarify after cleansing may cause more harm than good if your skin is very dry.

Firstly, many toners have a drying effect. If you must use one, make sure it's completely free of alcohol and other astringents.

Secondly, if your toner or thermal water isn't completely dry before you apply moisturizer, excess fluid may cause bloating and cracking.

Shaving Lubricant

In place of gels, foams and creams, almond oil can be used as a shaving lubricant for any part of the face or body. This is particularly useful for men who tend to beard irritations during cold periods.

  1. Massage the oil into the area to be shaved.
  2. Add warm water and work up to an emulsion.
  3. Shave as usual, keeping the blade wet at all times.
  4. Rinse thoroughly.
  5. Pat dry with a cotton pad or cosmetic towel.

Because lips have no sebaceous glands and only a thin subcorneous layer, they're very prone to dryness and cracking.
Because lips have no sebaceous glands and only a thin subcorneous layer, they're very prone to dryness and cracking.

Exfoliation

Because they're likely to make things worse, scrubs and peels are not a good idea if your skin is very rough and sore. Exfoliate only if it causes no discomfort.

The best facial scrub, no matter what your skin condition, is the sort that contains jojoba beads rather than solid granules. Jojoba beads are substantial enough to slough off dead cells, but too soft to cause damage. Use no more than once a fortnight.

Alternatively, try a gentle peel with fruit acids specially formulated for dry and sensitive skin.

You won't need an extra exfoliating product if you're using skin care cosmetics with retinol or alpha hydroxy acids, like glycolic acid and salicylic acid, since these already have a peeling effect. These can, however, dry the skin, so be wary of using them during cold weather.

Drink Plenty

No matter what you put on your skin, you won't keep it well hydrated unless you drink plenty; at least four pints a day. If you don't feel like drinking water during the cold months, unsweetened herb teas are equally beneficial.

Photo Credits

First image by Langll (https://pixabay.com/en/model-girl-redhead-attractive-1155293/)

Second image by Andreas 160578 (https://pixabay.com/en/cream-box-cosmetics-lid-fragrance-1327847/)

Third image by Jorge Barrios (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

© 2010 Jayne Lancer

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)