How to Care for Dry Winter Skin: A Simple 3-Step Botanical Ritual
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Every winter it happens: skin that felt fine in October suddenly feels tight after every shower, hands look rough, legs get flaky and no amount of lotion seems to last past lunch. You're not imagining it. Winter is genuinely hard on skin, and the good news is that a few simple changes to your routine make a real difference.
Here's why winter skin gets so dry, and the simple three-step botanical ritual we swear by to keep skin soft all season.
Why Skin Gets So Dry in Winter
- Cold, dry air: Low humidity outdoors pulls moisture from the surface of your skin.
- Indoor heating: Heaters dry out the air inside, too, so skin gets no break.
- Hot showers: They feel amazing on a cold day, but very hot water strips away the natural oils that help skin hold on to moisture.
- Harsh cleansers: Many conventional soaps and body washes rely on strong detergents that leave skin feeling squeaky and tight.
- Water-based lotions: Many lotions are mostly water, which evaporates, leaving skin dry again a few hours later.
The Winter Skin Ritual: Cleanse, Glow, Nourish
The secret isn't more products. It's the right products, in the right order, at the right moment.
Step 1: Cleanse Gently
Swap harsh, stripping cleansers for something gentle. Our cold-processed cleansing bars are rich in organic shea butter and plant oils and keep their naturally occurring glycerin, so they clean beautifully without leaving skin tight. Prefer a body wash? Our whipped soaps use mild, coconut-derived cleansers with glycerin and herb-infused oils.
Our winter picks:
- Vanilla Honey + Oats Botanical Cleansing Bar: fragrance-free goat's milk soap with local raw honey and ground oats, our gentlest winter cleanse.
- Winter Solstice Botanical Cleansing Bar: calming lavender and spearmint essential oils with silky ocean blue clay.
- Golden Veil Botanical Whipped Soap: a cloud-soft whipped body wash that doubles as shave cream.
Tip: Keep showers warm, not hot, and keep them short. Your skin will thank you.
Step 2: Lock In Moisture with Oil on Damp Skin
This is the step most people skip, and it's the one that changes everything. Right after you shower, while skin is still damp, massage in a body oil. Oils help seal in the water that's already on your skin, so you're locking in hydration instead of letting it evaporate.
Our winter picks:
- Holiday Herb + Blueberry Herbal Body Oil: a lightweight glow oil with squalane, jojoba and organic calendula in a fresh blueberry thyme scent.
- Golden Veil Herbal Body Oil: our bestselling sandalwood glow oil that absorbs in seconds.
- Santo Vivo Calming Ritual Herbal Body Oil: herb-infused, with a clean palo santo fragrance layered with pure lavender, eucalyptus and sweet orange essential oils, perfect for winding down at night.
Step 3: Nourish with a Rich Body Butter
Finish with a rich, waterless body butter on the driest spots: elbows, knees, hands, shins and heels. Because there's no water to evaporate, every scoop is pure butters, oils and botanicals that give skin the rich lipids it's missing in winter.
Our body butters are made with organic shea butter, organic coconut oil and sweet almond oil slowly infused with organic calendula, chickweed and marshmallow root, herbs treasured for generations for comforting dry skin. Organic arrowroot gives a velvety finish, so you can get dressed right away.
Our winter picks:
- Crimson Berry Botanical Body Butter: cranberry, black currant and cashmere amber.
- Vanilla Chai Cashmere Botanical Body Butter: our cozy, bestselling vanilla bean, cardamom and tonka.
- Santo Vivo Botanical Body Butter: grounding, warm and quietly luxurious.
Bonus: Polish Once or Twice a Week
Dry, flaky buildup can keep moisturizer from sinking in. Gently exfoliating two or three times a week helps your oils and butters work their best. Our Vanilla Chai Cashmere Botanical Body Polish buffs with organic cane sugar while it cleanses. Skip it on freshly shaved or irritated skin.
More Winter Skin Tips
- Moisturize within a few minutes of bathing, while skin is still damp.
- Don't forget your hands. Keep a body butter by the sink and reapply after washing.
- Run a humidifier in your bedroom to put moisture back in the air overnight.
- Layer your scent. Using a cleanser, oil and butter in the same fragrance builds a softer, longer-lasting scent than perfume alone.
If your skin is cracked, bleeding, or persistently itchy or inflamed, check in with a dermatologist or healthcare provider.
Make It a Ritual
Winter skincare doesn't have to feel like a chore. Light a candle, take your time with that body butter, and breathe in a scent you love. Cleanse, glow, nourish: a few minutes a day for softer skin all season.
Want the whole ritual in one? Try the Santo Vivo Holiday Gift Set, the Golden Veil Holiday Gift Set or the Vanilla Chai Cashmere Glow Ritual, each a complete routine in one beautiful set.