How to Manage Dry Skin in Winter: 7-Step Dry Skin Routine for the Colder Months

What happens to skin in winter?

Your skin is more prone to dryness in winter because cold, dry air pulls moisture out of your skin's moisture barrier. Factor in indoor heating, hot showers, and strong winds (especially if you live in Wellington!), and your skin can dry out even further. This process is known as transepidermal water loss (TEWL) – when moisture escapes from your skin into the surrounding air faster than it can be replaced.

It's why dry skin in winter often looks and feels:

• Flaky or dry
• Rough and uneven to the touch 
• Dull and lacking its usual radiance
• Tight, with fine lines more noticeable 
• Sensitive and more prone to facial redness  

7-step dry skin routine for winter

In winter, your skin is losing moisture faster than it can replace it. But this isn’t cause for alarm – it just means your skincare regimen needs more hydration than usual.

Read on for seven of our top tips on how to care for dry skin in winter, so you can adjust your routine and help keep your skin feeling comfortable throughout the colder months.

1. Wash your face with a nourishing cleanser

When skin is already running low on hydration, the last thing it needs is a cleanser that washes away what little moisture it has left. Opt for a gentle, hydrating formula that cleans without compromising your skin's natural oils.

Our Ultra Facial Barrier-Hydrating Cleanser has a cream-to-foam formula that removes dirt, makeup, and sunscreen while protecting your skin's moisture barrier. Formulated with squalane and glycerin – two deeply hydrating ingredients – it plumps your skin with moisture as you wash your face: leaving it soft, supple, and ready for the rest of your routine. 

2. Gently exfoliate once weekly

Exfoliate your face at least once a week to lift away the flaky build-up of dead skin cells that can make your skin feel dry and rough.

Physical exfoliants, like scrubs, work by manually lifting away dead skin with fine particles. They can be highly effective, but a gentle hand is essential – too much pressure can further compromise an already weakened skin moisture barrier.

Chemical exfoliants offer a gentler alternative, ideal for a dry skin routine. Our Clearly Corrective™ Daily Re-Texturizing Triple Acid Peel combines PHAs, AHAs, and BHAs in a serum formula that works beneath the skin's surface, loosening the bonds between dead skin cells so they shed naturally – revealing the more radiant, even-toned skin underneath.

3. Use a hydrating serum

Add a serum with a high concentration of hydrating ingredients into your dry skin routine. Generally, serums are formulated with smaller molecules than creams, which allows them to deliver moisture deep into the layers of your skin.

Our Ultra Pure High-Potency 1.5% Hyaluronic Acid Serum is formulated with just seven ingredients, so the formula stays concentrated, pure, and fast-absorbing – leaving your skin feeling plump and hydrated.

If oiliness shows up alongside dry skin in winter – common as skin overcompensates for moisture loss – our Ultra Pure High-Potency 5% Niacinamide Serum helps balance oil production while supporting the skin's moisture barrier, helping to minimise unwanted shine.

4. Apply a rich moisturiser

You may be using a lighter, water-based moisturiser in your summer skincare routine, but for a dry skin routine in winter, the rule is simple: the richer the formula, the better.

"Rich" in this context refers to a higher concentration of emollients and lipids, ingredients that mimic your skin's natural oils to form a protective layer on its surface, helping prevent moisture loss throughout the day. One of our best products for dry skin is the Ultra Facial Meltdown Recovery Cream with colloidal oatmeal and bisabolol (an ingredient derived from chamomile). It melts into skin to help reduce the look of facial redness and protect against the drying effects of harsh winter wind, making it well-suited to a sensitive skincare routine.

For lighter daily use, our Ultra Facial Cream is formulated with the emollient squalane. It absorbs quickly to deliver up to 24 hours of hydration without feeling heavy, sitting comfortably under makeup during the day or layered on more generously before bed for extra overnight hydration.

5. Lock in hydration overnight with a face mask or face oil

Skin's rate of cell renewal increases while you sleep, which means it can absorb more hydration overnight than it can during the day – making this a good time to layer in an extra step in the order of your skincare routine.

Our Ultra Facial Overnight Rehydrating Mask with 10.5% squalane is designed to be left on as you sleep, softening into the skin to help protect your skin moisture barrier through the night. This helps skin hold onto the hydration it would otherwise lose overnight – especially if you sleep with the heater on! – so you wake up with skin that feels soft and looks radiant.

Our Midnight Recovery Concentrate Facial Oil also absorbs into the skin overnight and is infused with squalane (for hydration) and evening primrose and lavender oils (for relaxation). This oil helps improve the appearance of skin's texture and elasticity, helping reduce the look of fine lines and wrinkles that can become more pronounced when skin is dry.

6. Layer on a body moisturiser

Body care deserves just as much attention as skincare. The easiest way to build it into your dry skin routine this winter is to apply moisturiser straight after showering – while skin is still slightly damp – to help seal in lasting hydration.

Our Ultra Body Mega Moisture Squalane Cream absorbs in just three seconds (with no sticky “after-feel”) while ceramides and squalane work together to nourish your skin's moisture barrier and deliver up to three days of hydration in a single application.

7. Apply SPF every morning

Kiwis face some of the strongest UV levels in the world1, thanks to a thinner ozone layer that lets UVA and UVB rays through all year round – which is exactly why applying sunscreen needs to be a year-round habit too.

• Our Ultra-Light Daily Facial Sunscreen UV Defense SPF 50 PA++++ is lightweight, non-greasy, and delivers lasting hydration alongside UVA and UVB protection. It's non-comedogenic – so it won't clog pores – and is enriched with baicalin and vitamin E to help shield your skin from everyday environmental stress. Layering easily under makeup, it's an effortless final step in your morning routine.

Bonus tips to care for your dry skin in winter

On top of using hydrating skincare for dry skin, there are a few simple changes you can make to your daily routine to help prevent dryness from creeping in:

• Increase your water intake – staying hydrated from within can help support your skin's moisture levels and minimise signs of dehydration.
• Avoid overly hot showers – high water temperatures can rob the skin of its natural oils, leaving it more prone to dryness.
• Apply a nourishing lip balm – lips can chap quickly in cold, windy conditions. Our Lip Balm #1 is formulated with squalane, aloe vera, and vitamin E to help protect lips from the drying effects of wind and cold weather, leaving them feeling soft and comfortable.
• Invest in a humidifier – these devices add moisture back into the air, helping counteract the drying effects of indoor heating.
• Limit exposure to indoor heating – prolonged exposure to indoor heaters can draw moisture from your skin.
• Be mindful of certain fabrics – wool and other rough fabrics can feel uncomfortable against dry, sensitised skin.
• Use a hand salve – hands are especially prone to dryness in winter. Our Ultimate Strength Hand Salve is formulated to help intensely hydrate and protect dry, cracked hands.

Hyaluronic acid is a hero ingredient you’ll find in skincare for dry skin. Next, learn more about hyaluronic acid and its benefits for the skin.

 1 UV and Ozone | Earth Sciences New Zealand | NIWA