Looking for effective skincare products for dry skin to stop your face from feeling tight, dull, and irritated during the colder months? By including a few of these ultra-moisturizing products into your routine, you’re guaranteed to keep that healthy summer glow going all winter long.
Maintaining a healthy moisture balance in your skin during the colder months can be particularly challenging no matter what skin type you have. Most people find that at some point during the winter, their skin is feeling a bit too tight and dry for comfort. As a long-time skincare fanatic, these are 11 of the best skincare products for dry skin that I’ve used and recommended that will keep your skin feeling and looking great during the unforgiving winter months.
In this list you’ll find soothing lotions and creams, extra-hydrating serums and toners, repairing masks, and gentle cleansers. All of which will help stop your skin from becoming stripped by the elements, or bring it back to life if it’s fallen victim to the winter wrath.
After incorporating a few of these effective products into your routine, your skin will be back to its radiant state in no time.
This post is all about the best skincare products for dry skin that will keep your skin healthy in the colder months.
Best Skincare Products for Dry Skin:
1.) Dry Skin Cleansers
Choosing the right dry skin cleanser to kick off your routine will make a world of a difference. You can be using the richest, most repairing creams out there, but if your’e stripping your skin each time you wash your face with a cleanser that’s too harsh, your moisture barrier is still going to be damaged. A damaged moisture barrier means more easily irritated skin, especially during the winter.
In the colder months, try switching out your usual cleanser for a gentler formula that lathers less, but still effectively cleans the skin. By making this switch, your skin is already at a much healthier baseline. Here are a few tried-and-true cleansers that leave you clean without feeling stripped.
This Gentle Cleansing Lotion from Neutrogena is absolutely perfect for the winter months. It’s part of Neutrogena’s iconic Hydro Boost range, and is an ideal choice for a dry skin cleanser. It’s a thick gel consistency that doesn’t lather, but also doesn’t skimp on its ability to genuinely clean your face at the end of the day. And it’s under 15 dollars.
This dry skin cleanser pick from Aveeno is extremely well loved, and for good reason. It’s milky, gel-y, and creamy all at once, and leaves sensitive, irritated skin feeling comfortable and hydrated after rinsing off. Glycerin and hyaluronic acid moisturize while oat and feverfew extract work to restore the skin barrier.
Click here to buy on Dermstore
HoliFrog’s Tashmoo Water Lily Nourishing Milky Wash is another phenomenal dry skin cleanser pick. Rich with a blend of 14 skin-repairing amino acids, it gently removes any dirt or debris while still allowing the skin to retain its hydration. It calms inflammation with a light yet lush cream consistency and leaves your face feeling like it was just graced by a silk pillow. Believe me, it’s worth the heftier price tag.
2.) Dry Skin Toners
After cleansing, you’re going to want to prep your skin with a toner or essence to provides a healthy, hydrated base. This will help a the rest of the products in your routine absorb effectively.
Using a hydrating toner also acts as yet another layer of protective moisture from the elements. There are tons of dry skin toners out there, these are some of the best that I’ve come across for helping my skin stay bouncy and intact throughout the winter season.
This I’m From Rice Toner has a cult following and it deserves every bit of it. It’s made up of 77% rice extract, an ingredient that has a high water retention rate ( so less moisture loss for your skin, yay)! It’s also high in vitamin E which helps to nourish and keep your skin soft.
This product was my savior last year when I was dealing with the drying effects of retinol and the harsh winter weather at once.
Overall, this superstar of a dry skin toner forms a protective barrier to combat water loss and rebalances dry moisture barriers. Lots of wins for dry skin going on here. Bonus: it fights discoloration and dullness too!
Don’t be fooled by how plain this product appears. Klairs Supple Preparation Toner is quite honestly a cushion of protection and comfort for troubled skin.
This dry skin toner replenishes moisture with hyaluronic acid and rebalances with centella asiatica, and ingredient that contains amazing soothing and redness-reducing properties. Your skin will feel immediately calmed when you pat or swipe this on.
3.) Dry Skin Serums
Paula’s Choice Skincare doesn’t mess around. And neither does this serum. This dry skin serum fortify’s with a blend of superfoods and omega fatty acids 3, 6, and 9. It also contains hyaluronic acid, shea butter, and 5 different ceramides to lock in hydration and support the moisture barrier. Apply this before stepping out into the frigid air and you’ll be good to go.
The COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence is another product with a cult following. It’s called an essence, but it looks and acts like a serum. Don’t be put off by its stringy texture after you pump it out. It absorbs in under a minute and is one of the most well-loved reparative formulas out there.
96% snail mucin concentrate in this formula works to nourish and repair stressed out skin. It also supports elasticity and brightens without being greasy. A week of this and you won’t even remember what your face felt like before it. And you wont want to.
Click here to buy on Stylevana
Hadalabo Gokujyun Premium Hyaluronic Acid Lotion. In one word: transformative. Hadalabo has a huge range of “lotions”, but they’re basically all super-potent and effective serums. This dry skin serum is simply out-of-this-world hydrating. It has 5 different types of hyaluronic acid.
There little else I’ve found in all years of obsessively testing skincare that is instantly as hydrating as this. Long-term, your skin will be able to withstand more without becoming irritated.
4.) Dry Skin Lotions
Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel-Cream Extra-Dry. This dry skin lotion quenches parched skin and keeps it supple all day long. It’s simple and highly-effective. I come back to this gem time and time again. It’s also a
lmost always on sale at Target. Apply onto slightly damp skin for the best results.
Laneige Hypoallergenic Cica Sleeping Mask. The same brand that makes the iconic lip sleeping masks wins again with this dry skin focused formula. I could go on and on about this.
Use it alone as a nighttime cream itself, or layered over a night lotion for an additional layer of nourishment. Fermented Forest Yeast Extract is the star here. It soothes, strengthens, and reduces redness. This dry skin lotion wraps your skin in a blanket of goodness. You’ll wake up to skin that looks and feels healthier all-around.
Naturiums Intense Overnight Sleeping Cream is a rich, hydrating dry skin cream that feels luxurious without breaking the bank. It’s got hyaluronic acid, squalane, and glycerin to keep the moisture coming all night long. Slather it on before you sleep and your skin will feel renewed come morning.
