Winter is here and my skin isn’t happy. Just a few cold days in a row and it’s screaming for help – dry, itchy, and unable to get enough moisture, no matter how much TLC I give it.
I love trying out new soaps, lotions, and perfumes regularly, so my stash has the potential to look wildly different one month to the next. But I do have a few staples I swear by in the colder months and re-stock often because they’ve proven their power – through dry air and crazy winds and freezing temperatures – time and again.
Palmer’s Cocoa Butter
At Winter’s first, tiniest breath, my skin loses it. Like, overnight. I’ll wake up one day and be so dry and itchy all over – especially my hands, knees, and elbows – and while many products offer a temporary fix, this container of magic potion lasts several hours. I love slathering it wherever I need it before bed and letting it really soak in overnight, then I’ll apply just a smidgen again in the mornings throughout the season.
Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula with Vitamin E, $5.79
Hydrating Body Oils
These are a newer necessity for me, having just discovered them in the last year or so, but I can guarantee that I will never not have some on-hand from here on out. While I used to go heavy on the perfumes and body sprays, I often forego them now for these beauties. Infused with essential oils and actual flowers, they don’t leave you with a strong aroma, but a barely-there scent that lasts for hours. I dab a bit on my wrists before heading out in the mornings, and always run a bit of the lavender oil along my inner arms before bed. As an added bonus, they actually offer up a bit of moisture rather than drying out my skin and causing irritation.
Measurable Difference Hydrating Body Oil, $19.99
Soap & Glory Hand Food
I’m a chronic hand over-washerer and as a result, have the driest hands, year-round. Sometimes in the winter, they ache and crack, they get so dry. I can apply other lotions every hour throughout the day to no avail. This is the only product that really seems to moisturize my hands immediately, and continue sinking in over time without being greasy, even hanging onto my skin through a couple of washes!
Soap & Glory Hand Food Hand Cream, $8.00
Johnson & Johnson Shea & Cocoa Butter Baby Oil
As mentioned above, I love lotion and regularly apply it, but in the winter months, I need an extra layer of moisture. This stuff is the holy grail for my dry skin. It’s the last product I use in the shower, concentrating it on my elbows and knees. It smells lovely and when topped over with a little lotion, keeps my stressed-out skin happy for hours.
Johnson & Johnson Shea & Cocoa Butter Baby Oil, $4.99
C.O. Bigelow Rose Salve
A classic and a staple in my beauty drawer. Rose Salve is great for swiping on thirsty lips, and I also frequently use it in a pinch for moisturizing other dry areas. Sometimes, I’ll even apply a little swipe of it on my eyelids and cheekbones when I don’t have any eye shadow or highlighter on hand. Multi-purpose, affordable, and one tin lasts ages!
C.O. Bigelow Rose Salve, $5.99
There you have it! Five of my skincare must-haves for getting through the wintertime weather. What are some of your recommendations?
xo, Aly