Winter is rough on our skin! Between the cold, harsh elements and a lack of humidity in the air both inside and out it’s harder for the skin to retain moisture. Dry skin lacks the proper oils and barrier health that keeps it soft, smooth, and healthy feeling. With the proper care, you can help the skin on your face and body retain moisture all year round! Here are my best tips and product suggestions for dry skin.

scrub me secret: the difference between dry skin and dehydrated skin is that dry skin is lacking oils & nourishment while dehydrated skin is lacking water. how can you tell the difference? dehydrated skin is more sallow looking and has less of a bouncy “elastic” feel. dry skin, even though rough, will have more firmness and elasticity when you pinch it.

Dry skin on your face:

Best face wash for dry skin -

A creamy or soothing face wash is best for dry skin. A good creamy facewash will cleanse the skin by removing dirt and unwanted oils while helping to protect the skin’s natural oils. A creamy cleanser I love for dry skin that still gives you a freshly cleansed feeling is the Ology Essentials Creamy CBD Cleanser. This cleanser provides soothing and anti-inflammatory properties along with a gentle cleanse. Also, Herbivore Botanicals Pink Cloud Creamy Jelly Cleanser is great. It contains hydrating rose and coconut water as well as a mushroom extract.

If you really don’t like creamy cleansers and want some suds to cleanse your face the scrub me balancing treatment bar is an amazing soothing facial cleanser that won’t strip your oils or unbalance your skin. This bar is made with rich oils like argan and babassu that provide creamy & foamy suds; it also contains colloidal oats for soothing.

Best face exfoliant for dry skin -

There are many facial exfoliant options but there are a couple that are best for dry skin specifically. Lactic acid, malic acid, and fruit enzymes are popular chemical exfoliants that promote cell turnover and help the skin retain more moisture. These specific chemical exfoliants are gentle and usually work well for all skin types, even sensitive skin. I like the PCA skin revitalizing fruit enzyme mask because it is effective and gentle. I suggest using this 3x a week.

scrub me secret: I have found glycolic acid to be irritating and sensitizing for dry skin and salicylic acid clears oils dry skin needs. Steer clear of these acids while treating dry skin.

Another exfoliation option I like for dry skin is the scrub me antioxidant powder mask mixed with the nourishing serum. The antioxidant powder mixture of grapeseed, green tea, and cucumber extract mixed with the nutrient-rich oil creates a soft, fine paste that effectively and gently exfoliates your face and neck while providing healing benefits. I suggest exfoliating with this mask 3-5x a week.

Best face moisturizer for dry skin -

A great facial moisturizer for dry skin needs to penetrate deeply, have extra hydration ingredients, infuse the skin with the moisture it can retain, and be free of any skin sensitizing ingredients like fragrances, irritating preservatives, and other skin sensitizing additives. Josh Rosebrook Vital Balm Cream and PCA Collagen Hydrator are my best recommendations for treating dry skin. Both of these products pass my test for skin safe ingredients and contain beneficial skin-strengthening & moisturizing ingredients. The PCA collagen hydrator is a bit of a lighter weight product than the Josh Rosebrook cream. As a person with very dry skin, I like the Vital Balm Cream best for winter.

scrub me secret: Pat on a layer of scrub me nourishing serum over your facial moisturizer in the PM to lock in extra moisture and nourishment! This layer of antioxidant rich, non-pore-clogging facial oil will aid in helping the moisturizer to absorb.

Dry hands & body:

Best body wash for dry skin -

A body cleanser free of artificial fragrances, detergents, and other skin-irritating additives is something we need to be washing with all year round to protect the health, texture, collagen, and elasticity of our skin. A cleanser like this is especially important in the winter and one with added skin soothing/healing ingredients is even better. A few of the scrub me soaps I make are amazing to cleanse with in the winter. These bars cleanse well while keeping the skin on your body soft; balancing treatment bar, toning treatment bar, enriched spice soap, and wellness energy soap. Each of these soaps has slightly different properties but are all great choices for dry, winter skin.

If you don’t like bar soap and would rather try a liquid body wash the Weleda Sea Buckthorn Body Wash is a gentle cleanser that has great skin hydrating and firming ingredients.

scrub me secret: help your skin retain moisture by having a humidifier in your bedroom. The key is to use this as much as you can, at least every night. Dry air wicks moisture away from our skin making it drier, a humidifier adds moisture to the air so the skin can keep hydration. Always make sure to keep your humidifier clean.

Best body exfoliation -

To effectively remove dead surface cells and stimulate skin so it can create new healthy cells I’ve found a dry exfoliation is the best way to go. This means you will be using an exfoliating scrub or brush on dry skin instead of skin that’s wet from a bath or shower. This is more effective for buffing away dry skin and promoting oxygen flow and circulation. Scrub me sea salt body scrubs are my number one option for exfoliation. Hop in the shower or tub so you don’t make a mess and apply a liberal amount of salt scrub onto your body and rub in circular motions until your skin turns slightly pink. This means you’ve created a good amount of healthy circulation in the skin. The dead sea salts will have worked to exfoliate away the dead cells and oils in the scrub will have softened the skin. Rinse away with lukewarm water and pat your skin dry with a towel.

Dry brushing is another amazing option for dry skin. This is an exfoliation method where you use a dry brush tool to brush your skin in circular motions using firm pressure. This is similar to the salt scrub method where you will brush your skin until it turns slightly flushed or pink. Bristles from the brush will exfoliate away dead surface cells and create that healthy circulation and oxygen flow we are looking for. After dry brushing, apply body oil or body butter.

scrub me secret: the body polish treatment at scrub me skin care studio is a full body treatment where I use a dry brushing method to exfoliate your body before using a series of warm towels to clear away any leftover dead skin cells. Then I take the time to methodically massage in my handmade shea butter to deeply moisturize skin. it’s literally the best body treatment!

Best moisturizer for dry skin -

For keeping skin moisturized in the wintertime I love to use a really rich moisture-binding product. Shea is a great ingredient because it not only moisturizes skin and makes it soft but it has the ability to help skin retain that moisture. Lightweight whipped shea butter is the best moisturizer for winter. I work really hard to make the scrub me whipped shea butter lightweight and fluffy so it’s enjoyable to use, not so greasy feeling. Using a light layer of this shea butter on your body every evening after cleansing will guarantee that your skin doesn’t get dry this winter season. This is my go-to product!

Want more posts about dry skin? Read these! Buff & brighten your body. Favorite DIY lip scrub and more! When you just cant handle your hands. Let’s talk lips! Treat & reset your sensitized skin.