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Expert Recommendations To Soothe & Hydrate Dry, Flaky Skin 

Alexandra Engler
Author:
December 18, 2023
Alexandra Engler
Senior Beauty & Lifestyle Director
By Alexandra Engler
Senior Beauty & Lifestyle Director
Alexandra Engler is the senior beauty and lifestyle director at mindbodygreen and host of the beauty podcast Clean Beauty School. Previously, she's held beauty roles at Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, SELF, and Cosmopolitan; her byline has appeared in Esquire, Sports Illustrated, and Allure.com.
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Image by Guille Faingold / Stocksy
December 18, 2023

I don't know about you, but my skin is simply intolerable at the moment. For starters, the changes in weather, drier air, and indoor heating, have completely zapped my skin of moisture. I'm a flaky mess from head to toe. Not to mention, the hecticness of this time of year has my routine in a total tizzy: I'm currently away from home and without my normal assortment of creams and lotions and oils. (And oh how I miss them!) 

In place of my normal regimen, I'm relying on shortcuts to get me through. Is this ideal? No, of course not! I'm a big believer that your skin is worthy of time and investment, and you should care for it accordingly. But rather than get too hung up on having my skin care routine perfectly in place, I'm fine with relying on these hacks—mainly because they're approved by dermatologists, aestheticians, and skin care enthusiasts. 

Applying oil before I get into the shower 

One product I do have with me is my trusted mindbodygreen dry body oil. (Although I am running dangerously low.) I have found uses for it for just about anything and everything, from helping disguise my split ends to conditioning my cuticles.

But my favorite use is before and after the shower. This hack comes courtesy of celebrity esthetician and dermatological nurse Natalie Aguilar: She considers it one of her favorite rituals to care for dry, wintry skin. "This oil barrier prevents excessive water loss and helps with any irritation," she notes. Hot water has the ability to strip the skin of its natural oils and dry out the epidermis. So by applying a layer of oil on the skin before you hop in, it'll protect you from drying out. 

I love it because I've been taking extra-long, extra-hot showers (a guilty pleasure of mine in the winter!). This allows me to enjoy this moment of relaxation without having to worry about the damage I might be doing to my skin barrier. 

Buffer potent actives, like AHAs and retinols (even if you don't normally)

I only have "anti-aging" treatment serum with me at the moment, and it happens to be a retinol that I'm finding is a bit too aggressive for my skin. I can't tell if it's the formula itself or the weather that's causing my skin to react or if it's just that time of year in which my skin is extra sensitive, but regardless: I'm going back to buffering my retinols

This is a practice in which you apply a layer of a hydrating face lotion, the retinol, then reapply the lotion on top. "If you want to decrease the potency of a serum—like if it contains potentially irritating ingredients like retinol—then applying a moisturizer first could help make the serum less potent and less irritating," board-certified dermatologist Hadley King, M.D., told us about the layering trick

Even if you don't typically have to buffer your actives, you may find you'll benefit from it during this time of year. Skin changes when your environment does, and it's important to adjust your routine as needed.

Drink more water (or herbal tea!) 

No, chugging water isn't going to reverse the clock a decade—no matter how many celebs call it their "secret" to eternal youth—but doing so consistently does improve the appearance of the skin. Studies have shown that getting the recommended amount of water for your body increases the dermal layer1, thereby making your skin more hydrated. 

And here's the thing: You might need to be more hydration-conscious in the winter! As integrative medicine physician Dana Cohen, M.D., tells us, it's easier to focus on hydration during the summer, as many people associate sweat with needing to drink more water. In the winter (when you typically don't sweat as much), the urge to drink may get put on the back burner. 

However, just because you might not be sweating as much doesn't mean you aren't losing fluids. In fact, the dry winter weather and indoor heating are likely contributing to transepidermal water loss. 

"It's not because you're outside and sweating so much; it's that indoor environment in the winter we don't take into account," Cohen explains. Meaning: Even if you aren't sweating buckets, that doesn't mean you aren't losing water to the air, so make sure to get your liquids in. 

And if drinking water doesn't sound appealing to you at the moment—and something more cozy does—might I suggest herbal tea? I'm practically drinking peppermint tea by the gallons. Peppermint tea is often used for soothing the digestive system2, which can benefit the skin through the gut-skin axis. Here are our favorite teas for skin health.

The takeaway

If your skin is suffering at the moment—from the weather, from stress, from any number of reasons—you're not alone. I'm right there with you! The good news is we tapped experts to find the best hacks to help you keep your skin happy and healthy. 

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