Dry Skin Savers

Winter weather wreaks havoc on your skin. Once cool weather kicks in, you need to ramp up your beauty routine to keep from drying out. Look for these dry skin savers to help keep your skin looking great all winter long.

Lips

Let’s face it: there’s nothing sexy about dry, cracked lips. Keep your pucker kissably soft by covering it in balm — especially any time you go outside. Look for a lip balm with petrolatum to soothe cracked lips, and Vitamin E or Shea butter to add extra softness. Keep tubes of balm in your purse, as well as your house, car and desk at work. Apply it as soon as you notice your lips feeling dry to prevent cracks.

>>Get rid of dry, cracked lips

Hands

You need your hands, and dry hands hurt. Extra-dry hands can get cracked and even bleed, making day-to-day activities painful. Keep your hands soft by coating them with a thick lotion several times a day.

>>How to take care of your hands in the winter

Washing your hands actually dries out your skin, so use warm — not hot — water when you wash. Pick a mild, unscented soap, and pat your hands dry instead of rubbing them on the towels. Always moisturize immediately after you wash your hands to return some of the moisture you lost in the process. If you wash your hands several times a day, try substituting some of those washes with sanitizers. The alcohol in sanitizers can be drying, but is usually not as harsh on your hands as soap and water.

Body

Tons of moisture is lost in the shower. To keep your skin from drying out, trade long, hot showers for quick and cool ones. Use unscented, mild body washes with added moisturizers, and look for “soap-free” formulas when you can. After your shower, pat your skin dry with an absorbent towel — never rub.

>>10 Ways to change your winter skin care routine

Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. It’s important all year long, but really can’t be skipped through the winter months. Make sure you’re moisturizing all over as soon as you’re done showering. Apply the lotion while your skin is still slightly damp to lock in some of that moisture. If your skin is already cracked and dry, try Carmex Healing Cream, $6, for ultra-healing power that won’t leave you feeling greasy.

Face

Your face gets the most exposure to winter elements, so it makes sense that it tends to suffer the most. Put your best face forward all winter long by keeping your face moisturized properly. You’ve probably noticed that facial moisturizers are available in both day and night formulas. Most day formulas are thinner and water-based, while night formulas are thicker because they tend to be oil based. Once winter hits, switch to your nighttime moisturizer all day long. The extra oils will do wonders to help keep your face healthy and glowing.

If you’re still noticing dry skin on your face, skip washing your face as much as you can. Unless you get extra sweaty or dirty, you can probably get by with doing a thorough wash with soap and water at night, and wiping with a wet cloth and no soap throughout the rest of the day.

More skin tips from SheKnows:

Winter skin care tips for dry climates
Does winter have to mean dry, cracked and chapped skin?
Lotions, creams and moisturizers for winter skin