Winter is Coming: How to Keep Skin Hydrated & Happy

Well friends, it’s that time of year again. The days are shorter, the nights are longer, and the skin is (much, much) drier. Some of our least favorite signs that winter has officially arrived? Cracking lips, scaly legs, flaky skin, and so on. Sadly, it’s inevitable… or is it? We’ve rounded up some of our favorite tips and tricks that will help keep skin happy, all year round. Start incorporating them all into your day to day, and you’ll be surprised how quickly skin bounces back.

Shower and Shave Before Bed

Ok, this might sound weird, but we recommend shaving before bed whenever you can. Your skin rehydrates and skin cells regenerate at night. If you shower and shave first thing in the morning (which can further dry out your skin), you're washing away all the natural oils your skin created while you were sleeping.

Try our top-selling patent-pending Dazzling 5-Blade Razor which uses a soothing strip, and our award-winning Pillowy Shave Cream, which combats dry skin using hydrating ingredients like Olive Oil and Shea Butter. Follow with Velvety Body Cream to replenish the moisture you just stripped from skin (PSA: shaving is drying!). Get your beauty sleep in, then the next morning, skip the morning shower sesh and just go right to Velvety Body Cream!

Tip One: Apply Moisturizer to Damp Skin

Next trick: damp skin is key! It absorbs products like Velvety Body Cream and Luscious Hand Cream much more easily and traps the water under your moisturizer, making it work that much harder. The air gets so dry during winter, so your skin is looking for water wherever it can get it. Use a spray bottle to give it a spritz, or apply your products right out of the shower in the still-steamy bathroom. Water will evaporate much slower, giving you more time to go through your routine.

Don’t Skip Exfoliation

You might be tempted to skip exfoliating during winter, especially if your skin is irritated. Don’t! Humidity goes waaay down during the winter, which is one of the reasons your skin gets cracked and dry. To make it worse, we’re always going in and out of the overheated indoors, which dehydrates skin even more. In order to rehydrate and get rid of dead skin cells clogging your face, you need to buff them away. Exfoliating about 2x a week lets your other products work way more efficiently. Shave and body creams can't do their job if dead skin cells are in the way!

Sleep With a Humidifier

Remember when we talked about low humidity? Being exposed to that kind of an environment for extended periods of time (read: 4 long months 😫) weakens your skin barrier and allows moisture to escape more easily. Humidifiers add moisture back into the air, helping to reduce dryness, cracking, and redness–especially overnight when skin cells are working their hardest! Even 30 minutes can help, but why not leave it on all night long and wake up hella refreshed?

Mask It Up

Our hands are constantly exposed to the cold during the winter. On top of that, we’re washing them 10+ times a day, leaving them in desperate need of some TLC. One of our favorite tips is slathering on a nice thick layer of Luscious Hand Cream, then throwing on a pair of gloves for an easy spa-treatment at home. Try this before bed for peak hydration, or on the couch while you’re binging your favorite shows!

Switch to Hydrating Haircare

Your skin isn’t the only thing that gets dry during the winter. Hair also needs extra hydration. If you’re not already using a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner, it’s time to switch things up! And we’ve got just the duo. Oh My Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner use a trio of hydrating oils: coconut, jojoba, and sunflower seed oil. They work together to replenish hair with rich moisture, leaving it silky soft and frizz-free. Plus, they’re sulfate, phthalate, and paraben-free, so you know the formula is clean, extra gentle, and non-stripping!

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