Cold air, low humidity and blasting indoor heat all pull water out of our skin at once, which is why the routine that worked in September can leave us tight, flaky and ashy by December. A good winter skincare routine doesn't mean buying a cabinet of new products. It means changing how we cleanse, layer and seal so the skin barrier loses less water than it takes in.
This guide is the practical, step-by-step routine: what to do morning and night, what to swap, and which habits make the biggest difference. If you want the science behind the season first, start with our explainer on why winter dry skin damages your skin barrier, then come back here for the plan.
Why Does Your Skin Need a Different Routine in Winter?
Skin needs a different routine in winter because dry air speeds up transepidermal water loss (TEWL), the steady evaporation of water through the skin's surface. Cold air holds very little moisture and indoor heating dries it further, so the barrier loses water faster than it can replace it. A winter routine cuts that loss and adds lipids back.
Most of the fixes are simple. Strip less when you cleanse, put water back while skin is damp, and then trap it under richer emollients and occlusives. If you want to understand the mechanism in more depth, our guide to what causes dry skin and TEWL walks through it. For melanin-rich skin, the first visible sign is often ashiness, a grey or chalky cast, rather than obvious flaking, so it pays to act before skin feels uncomfortable.
Your Winter Skincare Routine at a Glance
Step 1 — Cleanse Gently (AM + PM):
Use a creamy, non-foaming cleanser and lukewarm water. Keep it to about 60 seconds and pat skin almost dry.
Step 2 — Hydrate Damp Skin (AM + PM):
Mist or pat on a hydrating layer while skin is still slightly damp, so there is water to seal in.
Step 3 — Moisturize Richer (AM + PM):
Switch from a lotion to a cream with glycerin, botanical oils and butters. Apply within a few minutes of washing.
Step 4 — Seal and Protect:
At night, press a few drops of face oil over your moisturizer. In the morning, finish with SPF 30 or higher.
Step 1: How Should You Cleanse Your Face in Winter?
In winter, cleanse with a creamy, non-foaming cleanser and lukewarm water, and keep it brief. Strong foaming surfactants and hot water both dissolve the oils your barrier relies on, which leaves skin tight within minutes. Wash for about 60 seconds, rinse well, and pat skin almost dry rather than rubbing it.
Water temperature matters more than most of us realize. As Cleveland Clinic dermatologist Dr. Melissa Piliang puts it, "Hot water washes away all those healthy natural oils that are key to a strong barrier." The same applies to the shower, which we cover in more detail in how hot showers damage your skin. If your skin is very dry, a morning rinse with plain lukewarm water is often enough, saving a full cleanse for the evening when you have sunscreen and the day's grime to remove.
Cream Cleanser
A creamy cleanser built on mild sodium cocoyl isethionate, with glycerin plus jojoba seed oil, shea butter, rosehip seed oil and sea buckthorn. It lifts dirt and makeup without the squeaky, stripped feeling of a foaming wash, so skin is ready for the next step. Available unscented.
Step 2: Should You Add a Hydrating Mist in Winter?
Yes, a hydrating mist or toner earns its place in a winter routine, as long as you seal it in right away. Applied to damp skin, it adds water and humectants to the surface. In very dry indoor air, though, unsealed water evaporates quickly, so follow it with moisturizer within a minute or two.
Humectants such as glycerin and hyaluronic acid pull water into the outer layer of skin, and research shows a single daily application of a glycerin and hyaluronic acid combination can keep skin hydrated for up to 24 hours. The catch in winter is that humectants need water nearby to work. That's why the order matters: damp skin, then a hydrating layer, then a cream that slows evaporation. Our guide to humectants, emollients and occlusives explains how each layer does a different job.
Toning Mist
A hydrating facial mist for the damp-skin step. Spritz it right after cleansing, before your moisturizer, or over moisturizer midday when office heating leaves skin feeling tight. Follow it with a cream so the hydration stays put.
Step 3: What Kind of Moisturizer Works Best in Winter?
The best winter moisturizer is a thicker cream that combines humectants, emollients and an occlusive, applied to damp skin. Lightweight summer lotions are mostly water and evaporate fast in heated rooms. A cream with glycerin, fatty-acid-rich plant oils and butters, and a light occlusive replaces barrier lipids and slows water loss.
The American Academy of Dermatology recommends applying moisturizer within minutes of washing, and choosing creams or ointments over lotions when skin is dry, with ingredients such as glycerin, jojoba oil, dimethicone and shea butter. Mayo Clinic gives the same advice: thicker moisturizers tend to work best, applied while skin is still damp.
You'll also see ceramides recommended for winter skin, and for good reason. Ceramides are the lipids that make up about half of the skin's outer layer, and a 2025 consensus of 62 dermatologists ranked them among the top ingredients for dry skin, with 82.1% agreement. They are one route to barrier support, not the only one; botanical oils such as sea buckthorn, rosehip and jojoba supply fatty acids that help fill the same lipid layer. Read more in our explainer on ceramides and the skin barrier.
Face + Body Moisturizer
A thick, creamy moisturizer that pairs glycerin with shea and mango butters and a blend of botanical oils, including jojoba, rosehip, sea buckthorn, baobab and coconut, plus dimethicone to help slow water loss. A small amount covers a lot of skin, and the unscented version works on both face and body.
Step 4: How Do You Lock In Moisture Overnight?
To lock in moisture overnight, press a few drops of face oil over your moisturizer as the last step of your evening routine. The oil adds an extra emollient layer that slows water loss while you sleep. Apply it while your moisturizer is still slightly tacky, and skip heavy layers on any areas prone to breakouts.
Oils work best on skin that is already hydrated; research on moisturizers notes that occlusive oils should be applied to moist skin for the most benefit. For very cracked spots, such as knuckles, heels or the corners of the nose, a thin layer of petrolatum over your moisturizer is the most effective seal available, reducing water loss by more than 98% in the same research. Use it as a spot treatment rather than an all-over face layer.
Face + Body Oil
A lightweight blend of rosehip, sea buckthorn, sunflower and safflower oils with vitamin E and a vitamin C derivative. Press two or three drops over your moisturizer at night, or smooth it onto damp skin after a shower, for a soft, comfortable finish without heaviness.
How Should You Split Your Winter Routine Between Morning and Night?
Split your winter routine so the morning protects and the evening repairs. Mornings should be quick: a gentle cleanse or water rinse, a hydrating mist, moisturizer, then sunscreen. Evenings are when you cleanse fully, add any treatment serum, moisturize and seal with oil, giving skin hours of uninterrupted recovery.
Morning
- Rinse with lukewarm water, or use Cream Cleanser if skin feels oily.
- Mist damp skin, then apply moisturizer right away.
- Finish with a broad-spectrum sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher. UV exposure continues in winter, and snow reflects it.
Evening
- Cleanse with Cream Cleanser and lukewarm water.
- Mist damp skin.
- Optional treatment step: if you use a serum for dark marks or uneven tone, apply it now. Our Brightening Serum contains niacinamide, azelaic acid and peptides along with mandelic acid, so count it toward your exfoliation (see below) and start every other night.
- Apply moisturizer, then seal with two or three drops of face oil.
How Often Should You Exfoliate in Winter?
Most people should exfoliate about half as often in winter as they do in summer, typically once a week instead of two or three times. Exfoliating acids and scrubs both thin the outer layer that is already losing water, so frequent use in cold weather tends to increase tightness, stinging and irritation rather than smoothing skin.
Flaking in winter is usually a sign of a stressed barrier, not a buildup that needs scrubbing away. Pause physical scrubs and brushes entirely, and keep chemical exfoliation gentle and occasional. If you use our Exfoliating Cleanser, which contains mandelic acid, swap it in for your regular cleanser once a week and follow with a rich moisturizer. If your skin stings when products go on, take a two-week break from all exfoliants and let moisturizer do the work.
Don't Forget Hands, Lips, Body and Scalp
Winter dryness rarely stops at the face. Hands, lips, shins and scalp often show it first, because they have fewer oil glands or take more washing.
Hands: Moisturize after every wash, since soap and water strip lipids each time. Keep Hand + Body Lotion, with glycerin, shea butter, coconut and sunflower oils, beside the sink for quick absorption, and use a thicker cream at night. Our dry hands care routine has more detail.
Lips: Lips have no oil glands of their own. Use a balm with an occlusive such as petrolatum or a plant butter, and avoid licking them in the cold. See our routine for dry, chapped lips.
Body: Keep showers to 5–10 minutes in lukewarm water, pat dry, and apply moisturizer or body oil within three minutes while skin is still damp. On melanin-rich skin, this one habit does more than anything else to prevent ashy shins and elbows.
Scalp: Indoor heating and hot showers dry the scalp too, and winter flaking is easy to mistake for dandruff. Learn how to tell them apart in our guide to dry scalp vs. dandruff.
Winter Habits That Make Your Routine Work Harder
Run a humidifier. Heated rooms can fall well below comfortable humidity. Running a humidifier in your bedroom overnight, aiming for roughly 30–50% indoor humidity, is one of the habits the AAD recommends for dry skin.
Drink water, but don't count on it for your skin. Staying hydrated matters for your health, but extra glasses of water won't fix dry skin on their own if the barrier is losing water from the outside. We unpack the evidence in does drinking water hydrate your skin?
Choose soft layers. Wool and rough scarves can irritate dry skin. A cotton or silk layer underneath helps, and gloves outdoors protect hands from wind.
Know when to get help. If skin cracks, bleeds, itches intensely or doesn't improve after a few weeks of consistent care, see a board-certified dermatologist. Persistent winter dryness can overlap with eczema and other conditions that need a proper diagnosis.
What Loved01 Customers Say About Winter Skin
I get severely dry skin, esp. in the colder fall into winter months, this moisturizer has been a game changer for me. My hands get so dry, cracked and irritated, this moisturizer has soothed, softened and hydrated my rough dry hands as well as dry patches I get on my face. It is thick but doesn't feel heavy when applied. This will remain a staple in my skin regimen. — Tiffany S.
My skin is always dry in Las Vegas, but it feels extra dry going into fall / winter as the heat starts getting turned on. Add to that aging skin that feels drier every year and I find I'm often looking for a rich moisturizer. This one smells great and goes on smoothly. — Styrchn
When my skin gets dry, it looks ashy and sometimes when I put lotion on, the dry lines still show up but this is amazing and made my skin so hydrated… I also love that it's unscented because I am very sensitive to smells. It'll definitely become a staple, especially in the winter. — Elazo56
Has Rosehip and Sea Buckthorn for moisture. Also contains Sunflower and Safflower oils to nourish the skin. The combination of these oils makes for a mix of oils that feels light on the skin when applied. Liked it on my face and body for extra moisture especially during the winter. — Enid30
Winter Skincare Routine FAQs
Should I stop using active ingredients like retinol or exfoliating acids in winter?
Not necessarily, but most of us should use them less often in winter. If skin feels tight, flaky or stings, pause strong actives for two to four weeks while you focus on cleansing gently and moisturizing. Then reintroduce them every second or third night, always followed by a rich moisturizer.
Why does my skin still feel dry after I moisturize in winter?
Usually the moisturizer is going onto skin that is already dry, or it is too light to slow water loss. Apply it within a few minutes of washing while skin is still damp, switch from a lotion to a thicker cream, and add a few drops of oil on top at night.
When should I switch back from my winter skincare routine?
Lighten your routine gradually in spring, once outdoor humidity rises and the heating goes off. Drop the evening oil first, then move from a thick cream back toward a lighter lotion if skin feels greasy. Return exfoliation to its usual frequency only when skin stays calm and comfortable.
How long does it take for a winter skincare routine to work?
Most people feel less tightness within a few days of moisturizing damp skin consistently, and see fewer flaky patches within one to two weeks. Skin cells take roughly a month to turn over, so give a new routine about four weeks before judging it, and keep going all season.
Complete Your Winter Routine
