For many of us, dry skin is practically inevitable during winter months. Thank you low humidity, cold temperatures and wind.
But you don’t need to resign yourself to a season of itchiness and flaking.
We asked Dr. Howard Sobel, a top dermatologist in New York City, for the best ways to stay moisturized.
Say it isn’t so! According to dermatologist Howard Sobel, MD, your shower should last no more than four minutes if you’re trying to prevent dry skin
The key to hydration in the winter starts in the shower, he said. ‘You want to take quick, lukewarm showers. They should be no more than four minutes. That’s it. Do not take five- or six-minute showers.’
He also advised using a gentle, soap-free cleanser and using a towel to blot – not rub – dry. Then while your skin is still damp, apply moisturizer all over, from head to toe. ‘That will help lock in the water you just absorbed after you took that shower.’
Don’t skimp on your moisturizer either, he added. ‘The more the better. You can never use too much.
With that in mind, we rounded up some of our favorite new hydrating products on the market.
‘I’ve never been a big hand cream person. I don’t have anything against them, but I just never think to keep one on, well, hand. When Abena Slowe, one of the three sisters behind the Karité brand, had me sample this one, though, I became an immediate devotee.
‘The packaging is chic, the smell is tropical without being overpowering, and the ingredients – shea butter and palm oil that are sustainably sourced from the sisters’ native Ghana and coconut oil – are intensely nourishing and don’t irritate my sensitive skin.’
–Lindsey Unterberger, Beauty Director
Shop
‘This mask is the next best thing to crossing a visit to the thermal baths of Budapest (Google them and you’ll see why) off my travel bucket list.
‘Hungarian thermal water, which is the star ingredient of this three-minute mask, has been used for centuries to heal and nourish skin and has been lauded for its anti-aging and radiance-inducing effects. The formula also contains native Hungarian botanicals like sea buckthorn berry and sunflower extracts that further replenish and moisturize skin.
‘To make the mask even more unique and effective, the brand added kaolin clay and magnesium sulfate, which when massaged into skin with cool water, produces a flash of heat (a cozy kind of heat that feels especially good on a cold day) that helps open pores to draw out impurities.’
–Sarah Ferguson, Beauty Writer
Shop
‘My love for Dove Body Wash runs deep; it’s one of the only products that doesn’t dry out my skin in the shower. So when I saw the brand’s new Body Polish, I was intrigued. It works by gentling exfoliating the 60,000-some-odd dead skin cells that accumulate on the skin everyday, but then it has the signature Dove moisturizing properties to add back the hydration that may have been sloughed or rinsed off. The result? My skin was baby soft and didn’t feel tight at all when I stepped out of the shower.’
–Lindsey Unterberger, Beauty Director
Shop
‘Like its predecessor, the Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask, Glow Recipe’s Watermelon Glow Pink Juice Moisturizer promptly sold out when it first launched last week. Thankfully, it’s back in stock, and you’re going to want to get your hands on a bottle.
‘Watermelon seed extract, a nutrient-rich, do-it-all ingredient that calms inflammation, plumps and hydrates skin, fends off free radicals and even exfoliates, makes up 90 percent of the formula. The ingredient is also what gives the product its on-trend pink color and deliciously fruity scent. Rounding out the formula is hyaluronic acid (the OG of hydration) and peony and jasmine extracts (to soothe and balance moisture levels).’
‘The moisturizer is perfect for oily skin types because it’s lightweight and is oil-free. Those with dry skin (like me) can use it as a nourishing, glow-boosting serum.’
–Sarah Ferguson, Beauty Writer
Shop
‘I love La Roche-Posay products because they’re backed by clinical studies, they give results and they’re affordable.
‘Its new Lipikar line is designed with severely dry skin in mind and uses Prebiotic Thermal Water, shea butter and Niacinamide to rebalance the skin’s microbiome – AKA, making it look better and feel less like sandpaper.
‘While this heavy-duty cream can be too much for me to use all over, I like using it on places where my eczema flares up and on really rough areas like my elbows and heels.’
–Lindsey Unterberger, Beauty Director
Shop