A Head-to-Toe Guide to Treating Dry Skin

It’s the season for dry, itchy skin, from your flaky scalp all the way down to your cracked heels. 

Why is winter so brutal on our bodies? You can thank the dry winter air—which is often made even drier due to cranked-up indoor heating systems—for your parched skin. “If your skin is less moist than the air, the skin will absorb water,” explains Dr. Dawn Davis, a professor of dermatology and pediatrics at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. “If your skin is in an arid environment where there’s less moisture in the air, your skin will give off water.” Hence why your skin may be plump and hydrated in the summer humidity, but dry as a bone come winter.

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Escaping the chilly weather with long, hot showers only makes matters worse. Hot water strips the skin of its naturally hydrating oils and may also disrupt the skin barrier, a mix of cells and fats that form a protective outer layer on the skin. The skin barrier keeps pathogens out and moisture in. When it’s damaged, water gets sucked out of the skin and into the dry surrounding air even more easily.

But you don’t have to spend all winter itchy and uncomfortable. Use these expert-backed tips to treat dry skin from head to toe.

Scalp

A flaky scalp isn’t necessarily dry, Davis says. In fact, dandruff is often caused by excess oil and yeast overgrowth on the scalp, not a lack of moisture.

If you have a truly dry scalp, it will likely appear pale and produce small, easily removable white flakes, Davis says. (Dandruff flakes, by contrast, tend to be bigger and oilier and may have a yellowish tint.) If that’s the case, look for moisturizing shampoos and conditioners, not oil-removing anti-dandruff shampoos, she says.

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If those products don’t cut it, Dr. Shoshana Marmon, a clinical assistant professor of dermatology at New York Medical College, recommends using a scalp brush to manually remove flakes, then applying a moisturizing scalp oil. “Rub the oil into your scalp and use a shower cap overnight to really help it penetrate,” she suggests.

Face

A good moisturizer is key for treating dry facial skin. To figure out which one you need, it’s helpful to understand the wide variety of products and ingredients on the market.

Terms like “lotion,” “cream,” and “ointment” are often used interchangeably, but they mean different things. Lotions are the thinnest of the bunch due to their high water content; creams generally contain equal parts oil and water; and ointments are almost entirely oil-based, making them so thick they sit atop the skin rather than totally soaking in.

Lotions sink in fast but evaporate quickly due to their high water content, Davis says, and ointments tend to be too thick for sensitive facial skin. Creams are the Goldilocks product: neither too thin nor too thick. “The vast majority of the product soaks into the skin to hydrate it,” Davis explains, while the oil component creates a “thin, protective layer on top to act as a sealant.”

When you’re shopping, look for creams that contain certain hydrating ingredients. Humectants such as hyaluronic acid, urea, and glycerin “attract water from the environment and increase moisture in the skin,” Marmon explains, while emollients such as squalane and shea butter “soothe dryness and irritation and fill in gaps and cracks in the skin barrier.” There’s no single best ingredient, Marmon says; a lot of it comes down to your personal preference and skin type. Just make sure you choose a product that’s unscented, hypoallergenic, and non-comedogenic to avoid irritation or acne, she says.

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If your skin is very dry, you may also want to change your cleansing routine for the winter season, says Dr. Jason Miller, medical director of Schweiger Dermatology Group. “People who are usually able to wash their face two or three times a day may only be able to tolerate washing it once during the winter,” he says. If that’s the case for you, he says, cleanse at night to remove dirt, makeup, and sweat but consider skipping your morning wash. And unless your skin is acne-prone, you may want to swap cleansers containing harsh ingredients like salicylic acid for gentler products, Marmon says. Micellar water is an effective but less-drying alternative to many makeup removers, Miller adds.

Finally, pay attention to your eyelids, Miller says. If the thin, delicate skin in that area gets dry and itchy, it can be a sign of a product allergy or irritation, he says.

Lips

If your lips are very dry and cracked, start by using a damp washcloth to buff away dead skin, Marmon says. Then apply a layer of petroleum jelly to seal in moisture. She recommends using petroleum jelly on the lips each night before bed and re-upping with lip balm throughout the day as needed.

And resist the urge to lick your lips when they’re chapped, Davis says. The acidity and salts from your saliva can strip away moisture.

Body

Moisturizing creams work for the body as well as the face—but since the body tends not to be as sensitive as facial skin, “you have a lot more leeway when it comes to body moisturizers,” Miller says. If you want to branch out from traditional creams, you could also try a body oil or a product that contains an exfoliating agent, such as lactic or glycolic acid. Very dry skin may also benefit from a thicker product containing ingredients like lanolin or petrolatum, he says.

Regardless of the product you choose, it’s best to apply it within about three minutes of getting out of the shower or bath, while skin is still slightly damp, Davis says. Doing so helps the skin seal in moisture and slows its water loss.

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And—hard as it may be on a cold winter morning—the American Academy of Dermatology recommends limiting showers to a maximum of 10 minutes and using warm, rather than hot, water to protect the skin. Keeping the bathroom door closed to trap steam inside can also introduce some much-needed humidity to the air.

Outside the bathroom, using humidifiers and turning down the heat can help minimize the dryness of your home’s indoor air. Just make sure you clean your humidifier regularly and read the directions about what type of water your unit takes; ultrasonic humidifiers, for example, require distilled water to avoid spewing out potentially harmful particles.

Hands and feet

Hands and feet “take a beating,” Miller says. “They’re the most used parts of the body” and often also the driest.

Since you wash your hands frequently, especially during winter illness season, Miller recommends keeping moisturizer right next to the sink, so you can apply it to your still-damp skin after each wash. The skin on the hands and feet are very thick, so you can choose a product that is similarly thick, like a cream or ointment, Davis says. Exfoliating products that contain ingredients like lactic acid can also help with rough elbows and heels, Marmon says.

If your hands and feet need some extra TLC, Davis recommends applying a layer of your preferred moisturizer before bed, then popping on cotton gloves and socks to let it soak in overnight. You should wake up with much softer skin.