Chaé Skincare Regimen – 4 Simple Steps for all skin types
Chaé’s four-step routine (cleanse or exfoliate, mist, serum, moisturize) with the products to reach for at each step, whatever your skin type.
Winter Skincare Routine: How to Change Your Skincare for the Season
Cold air outside, dry heat inside and long hot showers all pull water out of your skin. Here is why skin gets drier in winter, and exactly how to change your skincare routine for the season, from cleanser to lip balm.
Every winter the same thing happens. Skin that was fine in September starts to feel tight after washing, hands crack at the knuckles, lips chap, and shins go flaky under your jeans. Nothing about your skin changed. The air did.
The good news is that a winter routine doesn’t need to be complicated. A few swaps, made at the right time of year, keep skin comfortable until spring. This guide walks through them step by step, and how to switch back when the weather warms up.
The short version
- Winter air holds less moisture, and indoor heating dries it out further, so skin loses water faster.
- Cleanse gently, keep showers short and warm rather than hot, and pat skin dry.
- Moisturize while skin is still damp, and switch to richer textures: a cream for your face, a butter for rough spots.
- Exfoliate less, and don’t forget your lips and hands.
- Keep the sunscreen. Fresh snow reflects over 80% of UV rays, and the sun is stronger at altitude.
Why Skin Gets Drier in Winter
The outer layer of your skin works like a barrier: it holds water in and keeps irritants out. In winter, that barrier is under pressure from several directions at once:
- Cold air holds less moisture. The colder it gets, the drier the air, and dry air pulls water from your skin.
- Indoor heating dries the air further. Furnaces and space heaters can drop indoor humidity sharply, so your skin doesn’t get a break inside either.
- Wind strips away the thin layer of moisture on exposed skin.
- Hot showers feel great on a cold morning, but hot water dissolves the skin’s natural oils faster than warm water does.
The result is skin that loses water faster than it can replace it: tightness, flaking, rough patches, chapped lips and cracked knuckles.
How to Change Your Skincare Routine for Winter
1. Cleanse gently
If your face feels tight after washing, your cleanser is taking too much with it. In winter, choose a gentle cleanser that rinses clean and leaves skin comfortable. Our Foaming Cleanser pairs a light foam with calming aloe and oat, and our NuClarity Cleanser is made to never leave skin tight or dry. Use lukewarm water, and pat your face dry instead of rubbing.
2. Keep showers short and warm
A long, hot shower is one of the fastest ways to dry out your skin. Keep showers short, turn the temperature down from hot to warm, and pat yourself dry with a towel rather than rubbing.
3. Moisturize while your skin is still damp
This is the most useful habit on the list. Moisturizer works best on skin that is still slightly damp, because it helps hold in the water that is already there. Apply your face moisturizer within a few minutes of washing, and your body moisturizer right after you step out of the shower.
A few sprays of Neroli Reviving Mist before your moisturizer are an easy way to add a little hydration first, and it works over makeup during the day too.
4. Switch to richer textures
Winter is when lighter summer lotions often stop being enough. Dermatologists generally suggest a cream rather than a lotion for dry skin, because creams hold moisture in better.
- Face: a cushiony cream such as our Argan Collagen Moisturizer or CoQ10 Revitalizing Moisturizer. Both are silky rather than greasy, so they work under makeup.
- Extra-dry spots: MOISTURE TheraP, an intense moisturizing treatment with shea and cupuaçu butters and coconut oil.
- Body: Body Butter melts on contact and softens rough elbows, knees and heels. For everyday all-over moisture that won’t interfere with clothes, our Vanilla Cream Body Lotion sinks in fast.
5. Exfoliate less
Flaky skin makes it tempting to scrub harder. Don’t. Over-exfoliating weakens the barrier you are trying to protect. In winter, once a week is usually plenty, with something mild. Our Bamboo Total Body Scrub uses fine pumice that polishes without a sandpaper feel. Follow it with moisturizer right away.
6. Look after your lips and hands
Lips have almost no oil glands of their own, and hands get washed all day, so both feel winter first.
- Lips: keep a lip balm in your pocket and use it before you go outside, not just after your lips crack. Try not to lick them: saliva evaporates and leaves them drier.
- Hands: wash with a hand wash that doesn’t strip, such as our Wild Ginger Hand Wash, moisturize after washing when you can, and wear gloves outside. At night, a layer of body butter on your hands goes a long way.
7. Keep wearing sunscreen
Winter sun is lower and weaker, but it hasn’t gone anywhere. Fresh snow reflects more than 80% of the sun’s UV rays, so you get hit from above and below, and UV gets stronger the higher you go. Here in Colorado, between the snow and the altitude, a winter day outside can mean real sun exposure. Use sunscreen on your face and any exposed skin when you’ll be outside, especially on the slopes.
8. Add moisture to the air
A humidifier in your bedroom puts back some of the moisture the heating takes out, and many people find their skin and lips feel noticeably better for it. Keep it clean, following the maker’s directions.
Winter vs. Summer: What Changes
| Winter | Summer | |
|---|---|---|
| Cleanser | Gentle, never tight afterward | Can be a little more thorough after sweat and sunscreen |
| Face moisturizer | A richer cream, applied to damp skin | Lighter textures; a mist through the day |
| Body | Butter on rough spots, lotion all over, right after showering | A light lotion |
| Exfoliation | About once a week, mild | Once or twice a week |
| Lips and hands | Lip balm before going out; gloves | Lip balm, ideally one with SPF in strong sun |
| Sunscreen | Yes, especially in snow and at altitude | Yes, every day |
| Showers | Short and warm | Short and lukewarm |
Switching Back for Spring
When the heat goes off and the air gets more humid, your skin will start to feel heavier under winter creams. That is the signal to lighten up: go back to a lighter moisturizer, keep the body butter for elbows and heels, and exfoliate a little more often if your skin wants it. Change one thing at a time, and let your skin tell you what it needs.
When dry skin needs a doctor
Most winter dryness responds to the habits above within a week or two. If your skin cracks and bleeds, itches so much it keeps you up at night, or doesn’t improve after a couple of weeks of good care, see a board-certified dermatologist. Conditions such as eczema often flare in winter and may need more than a moisturizer.
The Bottom Line
Winter skin isn’t a mystery: the air is drier, the showers are hotter, and skin loses water faster. Cleanse gently, keep showers short and warm, moisturize while you are still damp with something richer than you use in summer, exfoliate less, and protect your lips, hands and face from the cold and the sun. Your skin will make it to spring comfortable.
FAQ: Winter Skincare
Why does my skin get so dry in winter?
Cold air holds less moisture, indoor heating dries it further, wind strips the surface, and hot showers dissolve the skin’s natural oils. Together they make skin lose water faster than usual.
What should I change in my skincare routine for winter?
Use a gentle cleanser, keep showers short and warm, moisturize while skin is still damp, switch to richer creams and a body butter for rough spots, exfoliate less, and keep using lip balm and sunscreen.
Should I use a cream or a lotion in winter?
For dry skin, a cream usually works better than a lotion because it holds moisture in more effectively. A body butter is good for very dry areas such as elbows, knees and heels.
Do I really need sunscreen in winter?
Yes, when you are outside. Fresh snow reflects more than 80% of UV rays, and UV gets stronger with altitude, so winter sun can still burn.
How often should I exfoliate in winter?
About once a week, with something mild, followed by moisturizer. Scrubbing more often can make winter dryness worse.
What helps chapped lips in winter?
Apply lip balm before you go outside and throughout the day, avoid licking your lips, and use a humidifier at night.
Sources
- American Academy of Dermatology — Dermatologists’ top tips for relieving dry skin.
- American Academy of Dermatology — Dry skin: Self-care.
- Government of Canada — How to use the UV index (UV reflection from fresh snow).
Product spotlight
Everything here is Certified ToxicFree® and made in our own facility in Colorado. Start with the moisture your skin is missing most.
Body Butter
Deep hydration that feels light—never greasy.
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Argan Collagen Moisturizer
Deep hydration. Stronger barrier. Firmer-looking skin—without heaviness.
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MOISTURE TheraP - Intense Moisturizing Treatment
Intense, long-lasting moisture that helps your whole body recover from dryness.
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Lip Balm - Everyone’s Favorite!
Soft, smooth, and protected—without the waxy feel.
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CoQ10 Revitalizing Moisturizer
Firming, brightening moisture that makes skin look more awake—fast.
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