If you live in a dry climate or are experiencing dry skin, this blog post is for you! As someone with dry skin who braves Chicago winters every year, I can tell you firsthand—a humidifier isn’t just nice to have, it’s a total game-changer. Without one my skin feels tight, dry, and dull and is prone to flakiness.

Let’s talk about why a humidifier might be the secret weapon your skincare routine is missing!

Hydrated Skin Starts with the Right Tools: A Humidifier

You could be using all the right products to keep the skin on your face and body hydrated and healthy during the winter but without a humidifier, dry air steals away all this hydration we work so hard to infuse into our skin and body. A humidifier helps us combat this dry air.

Why Winter Wreaks Havoc on Your Skin

In the winter, humidity levels drop, meaning there’s less moisture in the air. This causes water (hydration) to evaporate more quickly from your skin, leading to dryness, flakiness, and irritation. Low humidity levels can compromise your skin’s natural barrier, making it more prone to irritation, redness, and sensitivity. This can make conditions like eczema and psoriasis flare up. Indoor heating is something else that reduces hydration by creating an even drier environment that can strip your skin of its natural oils, making it feel tight and rough.

For these reasons, we need to treat our skin with extra care by hydrating and protecting it 💦

Signs Your Skin is Craving More Hydration

• Your skin feels tight or itchy

• Your texture is rough, flaky, or textured feeling in certain areas

• Fine lines and wrinkles are more visible

• Your skin feels sensitive or red after cleansing or showering

• Your complexion is dull and not luminous or radiant

• Your skin changes throughout the day; it feels normal or dry at some points and overly oily at other times.

  scrub me secret: If you have a skin type that is prone to producing more oils you could be making a mistake by not using a hydrating product. oily or oily/combination skin types that skip facial lotion will most likely feel overly oily at some point in the day. This is because your skin wants to balance itself after using oil-clearing products like cleanser, astringent toner, or BHA items and if you don’t give it the hydration it needs it will try to produce more oil to compensate.

Choosing the Right Humidifier for Your Home

I think what is most important when selecting a humidifier is finding one that is high quality (won’t break easily), has good reviews, and is easy to clean. An easy-to-clean humidifier is key because even the devices that claim to be “mold-free” always somehow seem to get mold somewhere in the experience of myself and my peers. Therefore, having one that you can easily take apart and clean all areas of the device is best.

scrub me secret: According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), dirty humidifiers can disperse harmful microorganisms into the air, potentially causing respiratory infections, allergy flare-ups, and lung inflammation, especially in people with asthma or allergies.

Other Winter Skincare Tips for Healthy, Glowing Skin

My blog post “Keeping Your Skin Hydrated in Winter: 8 Expert Tips” includes all my best tips and product recommendations that help your skin stay soft and hydrated in the winter.

scrub me secret: ingredients like silicon, dimethicone, Candelilla wax, and beeswax give your skin a protective barrier against harsh winds and dry air. Ingredients like shea, hyaluronic acid, and marshmallow root hydrate the skin and help it lock in moisture. both of these types of ingredients are important for winter skincare.

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