Why Does Skin Get So Dry in Winter? 9 Simple Ways to Keep It Moisturized
Winter skincare doesn’t need to be complicated. Here are nine practical ways to keep your skin feeling soft, comfortable, and cared for when the temperature drops.
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The heat goes on, the showers get hotter, and suddenly your skin feels like it belongs to a reptile. 😂
Dry patches, chapped lips, and that constant feeling of needing more moisturizer. Sound familiar?
Winter can be tough on our skin, but keeping it soft and comfortable doesn’t have to mean adding another six products to your routine.
Sometimes a few simple changes make all the difference. 🤎
Why Does Skin Get So Dry in Winter?
Our skin has a natural protective barrier that helps keep moisture in and environmental irritants out.
During the colder months, outdoor air generally contains less moisture. Then we head inside, crank up the heat, and often lower the relative humidity even further.
This can increase transepidermal water loss, which is simply the process of water escaping through our skin.
Add cold winds, hot showers, harsh cleansers, and frequent handwashing, and suddenly that skin barrier has a lot to deal with.
The result?
Skin that feels tight, rough, itchy, flaky, or just plain uncomfortable.
The good news is that preventing dry skin in winter doesn’t necessarily require an expensive skincare routine.
Sometimes it’s the little things that make the biggest difference.
1. Put a Humidifier in Your Bedroom
This is actually something I did recently, and I love it.
We spend roughly a third of our lives sleeping, so why not make our bedrooms a little more skin-friendly?
Indoor heating can make the air in our homes particularly dry. A humidifier adds moisture back into the air, which may help reduce the environmental conditions that contribute to dry skin.
For a bedroom, I would look for something quiet, easy to clean, and ideally with a top-fill design so you’re not wrestling with a water tank every evening.
Aim for an indoor humidity level of approximately 30–50%. Too much humidity can encourage mould and dust mites, so more isn’t always better.
A little moisture in the air? Lovely.
Turning your bedroom into the Amazon rainforest? Probably unnecessary. 😂
Humidifiers worth considering
One important note: humidifiers need regular cleaning. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions, use the recommended type of water, and don’t let stagnant water sit in the tank.
2. Rethink Your Shower Routine
There’s nothing better than a steaming hot shower on a cold winter day. 😂 Unfortunately, your skin might disagree.
Hot water can wash away some of the natural oils that help protect your skin’s moisture barrier. Without those oils, water escapes more easily, leaving your skin feeling tight, dry, and sometimes itchy.
Try turning down the temperature and keeping showers around 5–10 minutes.
Another thing worth considering is your showerhead! A good filtered showerhead can help reduce chlorine in your water, while adjustable spray settings can make showering more comfortable. Just keep in mind that most shower filters don’t actually soften hard water.
Here’s the one I like:AQUA Heavy Duty Shower Filter for Hard Water Chlorine Heavy Metals
3. Moisturize While Your Skin Is Still Damp
One of my favourite little skincare rituals lately has been making my own rose water and spritzing it on my face throughout the day. 🌹
I recently made a batch using dried rose petals and distilled moon water, and it’s become such a lovely part of my daily routine.
Here’s how I made it:
Place dried, pesticide-free rose petals in a pot and pour distilled water over them.
Set a heat-safe bowl in the centre of the pot to collect the rose water, keeping the petals and surrounding water out of the bowl.
Place the lid upside down on the pot and fill the top with ice.
Gently simmer. As the steam rises, it condenses on the cold lid and drips into the bowl, creating your own rose hydrosol!
Allow it to cool, then transfer the collected rose water into a clean spray bottle.
I added a little aloe juice and vitamin E oil to mine, although vitamin E doesn’t dissolve in water or preserve it.
I love spritzing my face before applying my Lineage Rosé Tallow Whip. The rose water adds a little hydration, while the tallow helps soften my skin and reduce moisture loss.
It’s such a simple ritual, but honestly, it’s become one of my favourite little moments of self-care. 🤎
Quick note: Homemade rose hydrosol isn’t sterile or preserved. Keep it refrigerated and use it within 5 days, or use an appropriately preserved formulation for longer storage.
4. Give Your Skin a Little Extra Protection With Tallow
You knew I was going to bring up tallow eventually, right? 😂
There’s a reason I love this traditional skincare ingredient, especially during the colder months.
Beef tallow naturally contains oleic, palmitic, and stearic fatty acids, which give it its skin-softening properties. These fatty acids help tallow act as an emollient, smoothing rough, dry skin, while its protective layer helps reduce transepidermal water loss (the moisture that naturally evaporates through our skin).
And here’s where quality matters.
At Lineage, we use locally sourced, organic, grass-fed and finished beef suet from Vancouver Island. We render it ourselves, low and slow, clarifying it multiple times before blending it with organic olive oil and carefully selected essential oils in our scented varieties.
The result? A rich, waterless moisturizer made with just a handful of thoughtfully chosen ingredients.
My winter skincare tip: Apply a small amount to slightly damp skin to help retain moisture. If you prefer something without essential oils, our unscented Nude Tallow Whip is a lovely option.
5. Give Your Hands a Little Extra Love
Ever notice how your hands seem to get so much drier in winter? Between the cold outdoor air, dry indoor heating, and constantly washing our hands in warm water, our skin has a harder time holding onto moisture. Add dishwashing and cleaning products into the mix, and it’s no wonder our hands end up feeling rough, tight, and sometimes cracked!
A few simple habits can help: wear gloves when cleaning, moisturize after washing, and keep a little tallow balm nearby.
A little DIY trick? Make your own tallow sugar scrub! 🤎
Mix 1 teaspoon of fine sugar with 1 teaspoon of softened tallow whip to create a gentle hand scrub. Massage lightly onto damp hands for about 15–20 seconds, rinse with lukewarm water, and pat dry.
Sugar provides gentle physical exfoliation, while the tallow helps condition your skin. Just skip the scrub if your hands are cracked, irritated, or particularly sensitive, and make only enough for one use.
6. Don’t Forget Your Lips
If your lips seem to get dry the second November arrives, you’re definitely not alone.
The skin on our lips is different from much of the skin on our bodies and is particularly vulnerable to moisture loss.
Cold air, wind, and repeatedly licking your lips can make things worse.
And as tempting as it is to lick dry lips, saliva evaporates quickly and can leave them feeling even drier.
Keep a lip balm handy and apply it regularly, particularly before heading outside.
At Lineage, our lip balms are made with tallow, coconut oil, and beeswax.
A simple combination of ingredients that helps soften and protect your lips.
Sometimes the basics really are enough.
7. Give Your Skin a Break From Over-Exfoliating
When your skin starts looking flaky, the temptation is to scrub all those little dry patches away.
But if your skin is already dry or irritated, aggressive exfoliation can make things worse.
Strong exfoliating acids, rough scrubs, and excessive cleansing can leave your skin feeling even more uncomfortable.
If you’re dealing with winter dryness, consider scaling back on exfoliation and focusing on gentle cleansing and moisturizing.
8. Protect Your Skin Before Heading Outside
Winter weather can be tough on our skin! Cold winds, low humidity, and freezing temperatures can leave exposed skin feeling dry, tight, and irritated.
A few simple things can help: bundle up with scarves and gloves, keep a nourishing lip balm handy, and don’t forget your sunscreen!
Yes, sunscreen is still important in winter! ☀️
UVA rays, which contribute to premature skin aging, are present year-round and can penetrate clouds. Snow can also reflect UV radiation, increasing exposure.
At Lineage, we make our Tallow Sun Balm with grass-fed tallow, non-nano zinc oxide, and other thoughtfully chosen ingredients. It’s a rich, waterless mineral balm designed to provide a protective layer on the skin.
For reliable UV protection, choose a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a tested SPF of 30 or higher, even during the colder months. Our Sun Balm should only be relied on for sun protection if its SPF and broad-spectrum performance have been independently tested and verified.
Because protecting your skin isn’t just a summer thing. 🤎
9. Pay Attention to What Your Skin Is Telling You
This might be the most important tip of all.
Your skin isn’t necessarily going to need the exact same care in January as it does in July.
Some days you might need a richer moisturizer. Other days, something lighter is plenty.
If your skin feels tight, irritated, or uncomfortable, it may be worth simplifying your routine rather than adding more products.
And if dryness becomes persistent, painful, cracked, or inflamed, it’s worth speaking with a healthcare professional.
Sometimes skin concerns need more than a change in moisturizer.
The point is to work with your skin, not against it.
Winter Skincare Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated
One thing I’ve learned through making skincare is that sometimes we get so caught up in searching for the next miracle ingredient that we overlook the basics.
A little more moisture in the air.
A shorter, cooler shower.
A good moisturizer applied at the right time.
Protecting our skin from the elements.
And choosing ingredients that make sense for our individual skin.
You don’t need a bathroom cabinet overflowing with products, and you certainly don’t need a complicated 12-step routine just because the seasons have changed.
Sometimes taking better care of your skin starts with a few small, intentional changes.
And if one of those changes happens to involve a beautiful little jar of locally made, grass-fed tallow, well, you know where to find me. 🤎
Love, Lia
Lineage Natural Cosmetics
Small-batch, handcrafted tallow skincare from Vancouver Island, British Columbia.
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