Deep Hydration: Moisturizer Recommendations & Hydration Tips for Winter 💦
Do you struggle with dry, flaky, dull, and/or itchy skin? I can relate! My skin has the tendency to get so uncomfortably dry and itchy that I literally started a skincare company because of it 😉. Over the years I have gathered many hydration and moisture-boosting tips for treating and taking care of dry skin. After reading this blog post you’ll go from feeling dry, tight, and itchy to soft, firm, and healthy.
Skincare tips for hydrated facial skin:
🔸Switching to a creamy cleanser vs. a gel, bar, or foaming facial cleanser is really helpful for restoring dry skin. A creamy facial cleanser still gets your skin clean but it doesn’t disturb your delicate barrier or unbalance your skin’s Ph as much as the other types of cleansers I mentioned. If you’re experiencing dry, flaky, or sensitive feeling skin or if you live in a climate where the weather is getting cold and dry I really suggest switching to a creamy facial cleanser.
My 2 favorite creamy facial cleansers are the BYBI milk melt and Josh Rosebrook moisture cleanse.
🔸Steaming your face at home is another great way to lock hydration into your skin. Gently steaming your face can soften your skin and add droplets of moisture to the surface layers. You can use a mini facial steamer for this or boil water and hover your face above the water at a safe distance. Don’t hold your face so close to the steam that it feels hot, keep it far away enough that you feel warm steam. I suggest doing this a couple of times a week if your skin is feeling dry. For adding hydration, I find it’s best to do this after cleansing, toner, serums, and before moisturizer.
scrub me secret: find an at-home facial steam tutorial in my blog post linked here!
🔸Lactic acid is a great exfoliant choice for dry skin types or dry/flaky feeling skin. Lactic acid is derived from milk and has the ability to soothe and plump the skin while removing dead skin cells. This is why lactic acid is a much better choice vs. glycolic acid, salicylic acid, or strong retinol in the winter months or when your skin is feeling dry. In the section at the bottom of the page, I list one of my favorite lactic acid products.
🔸I think my favorite way to give my skin an extra boost of hydration is using a hydration mist on my skin. Hydration facial mists are great because you can use them after cleansing, after applying moisturizer, after applying your makeup, or randomly throughout the day, OR all of the above. I like to mist my face a couple of times throughout the day. You’ll find hydration mists that I like in the section below!💦
Skincare tips for body hydration:
🔸 Apply your body butter or body lotion to your skin when it’s still a little bit damp after showering or bathing. I like to get out of the shower, pat my skin dry a bit with a towel, and then apply shea butter. This helps lock in more moisture and hydration, resulting in softer skin.
🔸 Washing your body using a gentle, fragrance-free, body soap or body wash that contains nourishing oils like apricot, olive oil, mango seed butter, castor oil, etc. is really helpful for keeping your skin from becoming dry, itchy, or flaky. The gleaming skin soap that I make is especially great for dry skin and/or the winter season.
🔸 Exfoliating gently using a dry brush or exfoliating gloves is such a good way to remove dry skin cells, and create skin-firming circulation before you apply your body moisturizer. Gently buffing away dead skin cells makes sure your moisturizer soaks into your live skin cells vs. softening dead surface cells.
scrub me secret: showering or bathing in hot water is something that contributes to dry and itchy skin. Showering or bathing in lukewarm water is much better for your skin, especially if it’s already feeling dry. For an even better skin-health boost try a warm/cold shower routine.
Wellness tips that contribute to healthy, soft skin:
🔸 Do you have a humidifier in your home or in your work office? That’s the first question I ask anyone who states their skin is feeling dried out during these dry, cold winter months. When our air lacks humidity, it can wick moisture away from the layers of our skin, essentially stealing our hydration. A humidifier will give moisture back to the air in your environment so your skin isn’t drying out by the minute.
🔸 Drinking water is also something we need to do to keep our skin hydrated and our bodies healthy in general. The key to helping your body retain the H2O that you’re drinking is to drink water in smaller amounts all throughout the day rather than drinking a lot of water in one sitting. If you drink too much water all at once a lot of it is just going to flush through you, which isn’t necessarily unhealthy but it’s not the way to make sure your body absorbs a lot of hydration. Sipping from a 34oz water bottle and/or water cup all day and having water with each meal is what I try to do.
🔸 There are certain items you can incorporate into your diet to give your skin vitamins and nutrients that keep it strong. There are also food items that contain healthy fats and omegas that are great for the skin and broth that keeps your collagen and elastin healthy. I know everyone that has different dietary restrictions but here are some food items that greatly contribute to plump, radiant skin.⤵️
Fresh berries, red/yellow/orange bell peppers, spinach or kale, walnuts, avocados, salmon, and bone broth.
🔸If you are currently living in a dry, windy, harsh, and/or cold climate it’s best for your skin to cover with proper clothing protection like gloves, scarfs, hats, long sleeves, high socks, etc. The wind and dry air can cause the skin to get dry, sensitive, and sometimes cracked.
scrub me secret: the real secret to having soft, healthy skin all year long is to keep up with your skincare and wellness habits even when your skin has been healthy feeling for a long time. All of these wellness tips are things you can do to help prevent dry skin instead of treating dry skin when you’re experiencing it. Don’t fall away from your routine!
Hydration-boosting skincare products:
For your Face:
BYBI day glow fluid: This is the lactic fluid I was talking about in the facial hydration tips section of this blog. Lactic acid has the ability to remove dead skin cells while soothing and plumping the skin. It’s a great exfoliant fluid for dry skin. You can use it 2-5 days a week.
Hydration Accelerator mist: This is an aloe-based facial mist that I love using after cleansing and also throughout the day when my skin starts to feel a little dull or tight. It’s really hydrating and soothing.
Rosewater + glycerin mist: I always talk about how I love basic rose water as a hydrating toner for the skin. This rosewater mist with added glycerin gives the skin a boost of hydration and locks it in. The rosewater has hydrating H2O and glycerin acts as a humectant ingredient to seal in that hydration.
Josh Rosebrook Vital Balm Cream: This super-rich facial balm is the best texture for treating dry skin. This balm cream is made with nutrient-rich oils and other moisturizing ingredients. It has a thick, silky texture when applied and absorbs quickly. Love it!
Goldfaden Md Vital Boost Moisturizer: This skin-plumping and softening moisturizer contains hydration-boosting hyaluronic acid which is an essential ingredient for boosting hydration. I love the creamy feeling of this facial lotion and it makes my dry skin feel super healthy and plump.
Kinship Supermello Hydrator: This moisturizer is surprisingly hydrating for how lightweight it is, that’s why I love it for skin that is in need of hydration but also gets easily congested. This moisturizer also contains hyaluronic acid for a hydration boost. Marshmallow root in this facial lotion helps skin feel plump and healthy. It’s so lightweight you can barely feel it after it absorbs into your skin.
PCA hydrating SPF 30: This has been my go-to hydrating SPF product for years. I also use it on most of my facial clients. It’s a hydrating facial lotion with broad-spectrum SPF to protect your skin from UVA, UVB, and blue light rays. It also contains a bit of caffeine that makes skin feel glowy and firm. It’s my favorite facial SPF.
scrub me secret: Usually, when I find a skincare item like a serum, cleanser, or exfoliant that my skin loves I stick with that product. I don’t switch it up when the container is empty I just re-up on the same product because I think that’s what works best for keeping my skin healthy. However, when it comes to facial lotions I like to play around a little bit and try new ones a few times a year. I look for ingredients and skincare brands I like when shopping for a new moisturizer.
For your Body:
Weleda Sea Buckthorn Body Lotion: This is a great option for a quickly absorbing body lotion that softens and hydrates dry and cracked skin. Sea buckthorn and argan oil contain deep moisturizing ingredients like vitamin E and fatty acids.
scrub me shea butter: This shea butter is a really rich and nourishing body butter. It’s a lightly whipped product that is made of rich, hydrating oils that soak into the skin, making it super soft and healthy. I love shea because it locks in moisture, helping your skin stay soft for a long time.
Ursa Major Perfect Zen Lotion: This is a lovely, creamy but lightweight feeling body lotion that has a blend of essential oils that smell fresh and earthy. Ursa Major is a company that makes products with ingredients that I trust are healthy for our skin and body.
scrub me secret: Ursa Major also makes a natural spray deodorant that ACTUALLY works. I feel like it’s hard for me to find an all-natural deodorant that eliminates odor and also doesn’t irritate my skin. This mist is a great product!
Josh Rosebrook Body Acid Serum: This is a really unique body serum that contains gently exfoliating and complexion-clearing alpha hydroxy acids. These are gentle acids that can essentially eat away dead and damaged skin cells without drying out your skin. This body serum feels like a lightweight body lotion and makes skin feel soft and look bright. You can use this product 3-7x a week.