Last reviewed on 25 July 2026
Every year the same thing happens. The heating goes on, and within a fortnight shins are flaking, knuckles are splitting and the lotion that worked all summer suddenly feels like nothing at all. The instinct is to buy a new moisturizer. Usually the moisturizer isn’t the problem — the air, the shower and the timing are. This guide works through the fixes in the order that makes the most difference, and only then gets to what to put on your skin.
Three things stack up at once:
The result is a barrier that never quite catches up. Itch, tightness and flaking follow, and scratching damages the barrier further.
This is the step people skip, and it’s the one with the widest effect: it works on every square inch of skin at once, all night, without you doing anything. Aim for roughly 40–50% relative humidity in the bedroom. A cool-mist humidifier that runs a full night without a refill is the practical choice; a cheap hygrometer tells you whether you’ve actually moved the number rather than guessing.
One caveat: clean the tank weekly. A neglected humidifier disperses whatever is growing inside it, which is worse than dry air.
Lukewarm rather than hot, ten minutes rather than twenty, and a gentler cleanser. In winter a shower oil or a creamy wash makes a bigger difference than it does in July — Bioderma Atoderm Shower Oil for very dry or atopic skin, or an oat-based option like Aveeno Skin Relief if you want more lather. Traditional bar soap is the one format worth dropping until spring; the cleanser comparison explains why.
Pat dry rather than rubbing, and leave the skin slightly damp. That last detail matters for the next step.
Moisturizer applied to damp skin traps the water already there. Applied to bone-dry skin half an hour later, it has much less to hold on to. Keep the bottle within arm’s reach of the towel rail and apply within about three minutes of getting out.
Winter also usually means moving up a format. If a lotion carried you through summer, switch to a cream: CeraVe Moisturizing Cream for ceramides, Vanicream if fragrance is a trigger, or Eucerin Advanced Repair if you want something that still spreads like a lotion. The moisturizer-choice guide covers how to match format to skin type properly.
Shins, elbows, knuckles and heels have the least oil and take the most weather. On those, moisturizer alone often isn’t enough — put a lid on it. A thin layer of petroleum jelly or Aquaphor over the cream, at bedtime, does more overnight than any amount of daytime reapplication.
Two rules: occlusives go on top of a moisturizer, not instead of one — they seal in what’s underneath, and sealing dry skin just keeps it dry. And keep them off an oily face; the body tolerates them far better.
Hands, feet and lips almost always need something richer than the rest of you.
Winter UV is lower but not absent, and snow reflects a substantial share of it back at your face. If you ski, walk at altitude, or simply spend daylight outdoors, keep a facial SPF in the routine — CeraVe Hydrating Mineral SPF 50 doubles as a light moisturizer, which makes it easier to remember.
Six things that cover most winter dryness, in the order they’re worth buying. Links go to Amazon; as an Amazon Associate we may earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
Cold-weather dryness responds to the steps above within a week or two. If instead you see spreading red patches, weeping or crusting, itch that keeps you awake, or cracks that won’t close despite consistent care, that’s worth showing to a clinician — eczema, psoriasis and contact dermatitis all flare in winter and are treated differently. Nothing here is medical advice; see the disclaimer.
Browse the moisturizers and lotions shortlist for winter-weight creams, hands, feet and lips for the extremities, and accessories for the humidifier and exfoliating tools. For the reasoning behind the choices, see how to choose a moisturizer, the ingredients guide, and — if cold weather leaves your skin reactive as well as dry — the sensitive-skin guide.