Winter Skincare: How to Fix Dry, Flaky Skin

Tight after cleansing, flaky around the nose and chin, makeup that clings to every dry patch? That’s winter skin. The cold changes how your skin behaves, and the routine that worked in July often isn’t enough by November. It isn’t only about hydration. In winter, your skin is short on the natural oils and lipids that hold moisture in, so what it really needs is richer care that replaces what the cold takes away.

Why Is My Skin So Dry in Winter?

Winter throws a lot at your skin: biting wind, cold rain, freezing mornings and then hours of dry indoor heating. Each one takes its toll, and together they change how your skin works right down to a cellular level.

In winter, your skin often makes less oil. When it’s cold, your body keeps warmth close to your core and draws it away from the surface, and cooler skin produces less sebum. That oil is your skin’s own built-in moisturiser, so it dips just when you need it most.

Your skin’s natural lipids run low too. Lipids such as ceramides sit between your skin cells, keeping the surface smooth and holding moisture in. Levels tend to drop in winter, so moisture escapes more easily and skin feels tight, rough and uncomfortable.

Dry air also stops dead skin shedding properly. Your skin relies on enzymes to snip away old cells so they fall away unnoticed. Those enzymes need water to work, and when the air is dry they slow down. Instead of shedding cleanly, old cells cling together, and that’s when dry skin on your face turns visibly flaky.

And if your skin is sensitive or reactive, you’ll often feel winter more. When humidity drops sharply, water leaves the skin faster, and skin that’s already easily triggered can read that dryness as a threat, flaring up with redness and stinging that seems to come from nowhere.

The Best Moisturisers for Dry Skin in Winter

Lightweight gels and water creams are lovely in summer, but in winter your skin is short on oils and lipids, and that’s exactly what richer, emollient creams provide. Formulas built on lipids, butters and oils help replace what the cold strips away, soften rough patches and seal moisture in. Rich, nourishing textures like these are what skincare was built on, and they’re still some of the best barrier protectors you can buy.

Creams That Replace Lost Lipids

If your skin feels dry, rough and flaky the minute the heating goes on, start with CeraVe Intensive Moisturising Cream. It’s made for seasonal dryness, combining three essential ceramides to strengthen and repair the skin barrier with shea butter to soften rough areas and 5% Hydro-Urea to attract and hold water in the skin. It works on your face and body, reduces visible flaking and feels rich without being greasy.

For a luxury option that does exactly what winter skin needs, SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2 replenishes the three lipids your barrier is built from, with 2% pure ceramides, 4% natural cholesterol and 2% fatty acids. Skin feels softer and stronger, with lasting hydration, and it’s especially good for dry, mature skin.

Zelens Emulsion D Fortifying Moisturiser is built on phospholipids, phytosterols and plant-based lipids arranged to mimic your skin’s own lipid structure, with ceramide NS and provitamin D3. It helps prevent water loss and fortifies the skin barrier, with a velvety texture that suits anyone who finds very rich creams too heavy.

Rich, Traditional Formulas

Some of the best winter creams are the simplest. Weleda Skin Food is a rich, 100% natural skin repair cream made with sunflower seed and sweet almond oils, lanolin and beeswax. It quickly hydrates even the driest skin, so use it as a night cream on your face or anywhere that feels rough, especially hands, feet and elbows.

Trilogy Everything Balm is a balm made almost entirely of oils and beeswax, including sweet almond, marula, rosehip and evening primrose oils. Pat a little onto dry patches around your nose and mouth, use it on chapped lips, or press it over your moisturiser on the coldest days.

For Dry, Sensitive Skin

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream is a rich, fast-absorbing moisturiser with colloidal oatmeal, shea butter and ceramides, giving instant relief to dry, distressed and eczema-prone skin. This size fits in your handbag, so you can rescue dry patches wherever the day takes you. If your skin goes red at the first cold snap, Paula’s Choice Calm Rescue & Repair Moisturizer for Normal to Dry Skin is made for sensitive, redness-prone skin, with jojoba oil to moisturise and oat kernel extract to soothe.

Chapped Lips and Dry Hands

For Chapped Lips

Lips have no oil glands of their own, so they’re usually the first thing to crack in the cold. NUXE Rêve de Miel Lip Balm gives dry, chapped lips ultimate nourishment and leaves them soft and moisturised. For an overnight fix, Pestle & Mortar Chummi Lip Mask uses plant butters and berry extracts to exfoliate, soften and nourish dry lips while you sleep.

For Dry, Cracked Hands

Hands are out in the cold and wind more than any other part of you, so they’re often the first to feel tight, rough and cracked. L’Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream is enriched with 20% organic shea butter, plus argan and coconut oils, to deeply nourish, protect and hydrate dry hands. It absorbs quickly and isn’t greasy, so it’s easy to use throughout the day.

Not sure whether your skin is dry or just thirsty? Read dry skin vs dehydrated skin: how to tell the difference, and find out the signs of a damaged skin barrier.

Need help with your winter skincare routine? Our team of skincare experts are on live chat to help you with any skincare questions you may have.