It’s official: my skin has hit its peak winter state. What does that typically look like for me? Dryness, redness, sometimes more inflammation or breakouts depending on my level of mask / hat wearing plus hand washing and even – gasp – overnight glove wearing. Overall, the skin on my face and body usually feels duller, sadder and is constantly craving nourishment and boosts of hydration!
Sound familiar? If you’re in the same boat, I’ve got you. This season I’ve made some strategic safer swaps and am excited to share what I’ve been doing and how it helped restore and revitalize my dry winter skin without the likes of my former flames: Cetaphil, Aquaphor and Nivea.
CLEANSER
I love my cleanser, but when the cold season started I knew I’d need a bit of a nourishing boost: enter the Indie Lee Soothing Cleanser. I’ve been using this since December and I absolutely love it! It’s a super gentle formula that is great for sensitivity and dryness and is formulated with rose damacena oil and roman chamomile (smells so lovely) plus antioxidant-rich oat kernel oil to nourish and smooth skin.
PRO-TIP: Before using a traditional cleanser I always start off with a cleansing oil to pull the oil and junk out of my pores and hydrate in the process. This step feels especially critical right now!
DAYTIME TREATMENT
Y’all if there is one thing you take away from this post let it be this serum. To be fair, I use it year round but I cannot imagine what my skin would be like right now without it. Packed with not one but two forms of hyaluronic acid (aka the queen of hydration – it retains water to help lubricate, protect and hydrate which means smoother, plumper skin) this baby delivers a boost of lasting hydration and antioxidant protection without mineral oil or synthetic fragrance. It’s super lightweight and has a fluid texture that can be layered under any other serums or boosters! It’s made my skin so soft and smooth and has helped my pores a lot, too!
PRO-TIP: You can totally use this one at night too, so if you’re looking for a multi-use serum this is a great option!
DAYTIME HYDRATION
Another easy swap? Changing daytime moisturizers. In warmer months I am all about a gentle, gel based, mattifying hydrator but transitioned to the Countermatch Adaptive Moisture Lotion come fall. This oil-infused moisturizer is a cult favorite for good reason – it is sooo soft, fragrance free and truly reminds me of my old Cerave. The technology in this product – and the entire Countermatch line – is unparalleled. It actually adapts to your skin throughout the day to give you as much moisture as you need and none that you don’t! I love the key ingredients like squalane (draws moisture into the skin and visibly restores elasticity) and plum oil (rich in omegas 6, 9 and vitamin E, provides nutrients for vibrant, healthy-looking skin). But don’t let the OIL ingredients fool you – this lotion is NOT greasy and has never caused any trouble for my acne prone skin! If I’m feeling really dry I’ll add in an extra drop of squalane oil for good measure!
NIGHTTIME MASK
Increasing my weekly manuka honey masks to a few times a week has been such a gamechanger right now! Manuka is hydrating, soothing and has anti-inflammatory properties so whenever I’m feeling a little…off… I always slather it on, wait for 10-20 minutes and give it a nice lukewarm rinse. I notice the difference when I don’t use it!
NIGHTTIME HYDRATION
Here’s where I’ve really made some changes! I decided that at 33, it was time I got serious about night cream. That being said, I wasn’t using one because I was literally afraid to put anything with the word cream on my combo skin! Like “night cream” to me basically sounds like slathering Vaseline on my face, which I know is not actually what night creams are like but honestly acne fear is very real. ANYWAY, my point is that I wanted to find options that would help keep me hydrated without suffocating me and breaking me out. And I found some! Lately I’ve been rotating between two.
The first is the Countermatch Recovery Sleeping Cream from the Beautycounter Countermatch line. This is basically the nighttime version of the moisturizer I use during the day so it was easy to dip my toe into this first. It’s not a heavy cream – more like a boosted moisturizer – but it does pack a huge punch! If you are more combo like me this is such a dream and if you run super dry I still think you’d benefit. I love that it’s designed to be a protective layer that shields skin from moisture loss during sleep. While protecting it also replenishes hydration and revitalizes skin with a blend of hyaluronic acid, squalane, plum oil, and phytic acid. Literally the definition of “I work while you sleep.”
The second is the Youth To The People Superberry Hydrate + Glow Dream Mask. Doesn’t that sound delish? It’s not a traditional face mask that you apply and rinse off, but an overnight mask that thoroughly hydrates, plumps, and brightens with vitamin C, antioxidant-rich superberries, squalane, and hyaluronic acid aka literally all of my favorite ingredients. I snagged it during the Sephora sale in a sample size (lasted forever) and have a full size in my cart.
ALL THINGS HANDS
Ugh, winter hands. I’m from Chicago so this is a lifelong battle that I have yet to completely conquer. Also, winter temps + COVID hand washing is like a recipe for dehydrated desert cracked hands. On top of that, I despise hand creams that make my fingers greasy because I type all day, so my current solution is two-part.
Part one is using a hydrating hand wash and minimizing the use of hand sanitizer! Whenever possible I try to actually WASH my hands so I can put lotion on after. I find hand sanitizer to be super drying (even when it says it isn’t). As far as hand soap goes, I love this one from Primally Pure – we have it in our bathroom and every time I use it the essential oil blend fills the room! You only need a little and you get a great lather and my hands always feel hydrated after! The other option is this one from Beautycounter that comes with a hand cream. Both are super aesthetically pleasing and look lovely on a counter, too!
Part two is using hand creams throughout the day AND at night. During the day I use Countermatch Adaptive Body Moisturizer or this hand cream or this hand cream. All three are lightweight and come in pumps, which I very much enjoy. At night is when I bring out the big guns and slather myself in Skin Food because it does NOT play around. It’s too greasy for me for daytime but I love it for nighttime! If I’m feeling really frisky I also wear gloves. The things we do for smooth skin amiright?
BODY HYDRATION
Last but not least – bodycare! I used to have a huge tub of cetaphil next to my shower and would go through that bad boy often. What I didn’t understand about skincare at the time was that increasing levels of hyaluronic acid is key, so I added a product I didn’t even realize existed until recently: body serum. I love this one because it’s fragrance free and goes on suuuuper easily, like a non-sticky gel. I put it on my elbows, knees and shins (aka where I get the driest) and then finish with this body lotion (more hyaluronic acid, please!) or my new favorite body butter.
Here’s the thing about body butters, creams and balms – I don’t usually love them. If a product requires a lot of rubbing in, I will not use it. So it’s no surprise that I was skeptical to try something literally called “body butter” 😉 Joke’s on me because this Primally Pure butter is deeeelightful – it’s almost a butter to oil formula and dissolves into the skin on contact (it reminds me a lot of my fave balm to be honest). A little goes a long way, which helps because this is definitely a bit more expensive than your average lotion. Thankfully I also worked with my friends at Primally Pure to get a code for you guys so you can use PURELYNORA for 10% off your purchase 🙂
LIPS
OMG chapped lips are seriously the pits! As a former (3x) Accutane taker, I know the perils of a chapped lip lemme tell ya. And although nothing will ever be quite like that experience, I still get chapped lips come winter. I used to SWEAR by Aquaphor (and still use it in a pinch) but have found better, safer options. My secret? A couple nights a week I commit to a lip scrub sesh and then slather on a lucious balm (my fave from Beautycounter is sold out, but I also love this one and this one and this one). You’ll notice they all are sticks because I despite putting my finger in a pot (I make exceptions but only when I’m in my own home and can wash my hands). During the daytime I always keep one of these around – I swear by this formula and the tints make my lips look cute, too!
Hopefully these tips will help you manage your winter dry skin woes, too! As always, if you need help finding clean products that work with your skin or have any questions about switching to safer, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m here to help!
Photography by Kelly F. Peterson Photography
SHOP THE POST
