As the seasons change, so do your skin care needs. Case in point: During the summer months when humidity is high, you may get away with using lighter products and less hydrating formulas. But come winter, your skin starts to crave more moisture. Not only does the air get significantly drier, but exposure to harsher elements like wind and severe cold can cause your skin to become more sensitive, dry, and redness-prone.

That's why it's important to create a winter skin care routine that provides hydration and nourishment to keep your skin balanced and healthy. Additionally, adopting a solid winter skin care routine can help keep inflammatory skin conditions, like eczema and rosacea, from flaring up.

Not sure what your routine should entail? Here's a simple breakdown detailing everything you need to know for winter skin success.

1. Start with a Hydrating Cleanser

Regardless of your skin type, using a creamy cleanser (so long as it doesn't contain any pore-clogging oils) is a great idea during the cold-weather months. This will wash away dirt, sebum, and other impurities without stripping away the natural oils that are essential for keeping your skin barrier strong and intact. PCA SKIN Creamy Cleanser is an excellent option, as it's ultra-gentle and designed to hydrate and soothe skin with ingredients like RoseHip Seed Oil, Sunflower Seed Oil, and Lilac Leaf Cell Culture Extract. This formula is packed with skin-nourishing essential fatty acids and antioxidants to help protect skin from environmental stressors. Use once or twice daily for skin that feels smooth, calm, and soft—never tight or irritated.

2. Go Easy on Exfoliation

Your skin is already more vulnerable to dryness and sensitivity in the winter, so use caution when exfoliating. Overdoing it can easily damage your skin barrier. So, scale back on exfoliating toners and avoid abrasive physical exfoliants, such as scrubs. Instead, opt for a moisturizing toner like PCA SKIN Hydrating Toner. This toner blends Evening Primrose Oil and Watermelon, Apple, and Lentil Fruit Extracts to improve moisture retention while ridding your skin of excess dirt and debris.

To carefully remove dead skin buildup without disrupting your skin barrier, aim for a gentle chemical exfoliant like PCA SKIN Resurfacing Serum, which is safe for all skin types—including sensitive skin—to use daily. This innovative formula is enriched with a blend of alpha-hydroxy acids, Lactobionic Acid, and Prickly Pear Flower Extract, which work in tandem to gently remove dead skin cells while soothing and hydrating skin. Use consistently for smooth, radiant skin that glows.

3. Layer on the Hydration

Your winter skin care regimen should involve layering on multiple hydrating products to prevent water loss and keep skin healthy and moisturized. Using a hydrating serum followed by a rich moisturizer to lock in water is your best bet. Try PCA SKIN Hyaluronic Acid Boosting Serum to deliver deep, long-lasting hydration thanks to hero ingredients like hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid and ceramides. Then, seal in all that goodness with PCA SKIN HydraLuxe Moisturizer. When paired together and used daily, you'll notice minimized fine lines and wrinkles and visibly plumper, smoother skin.

4. Seal in Moisture While You Sleep

Need an extra boost? Level up your winter skin care regimen by adding a nightly hydrating treatment like PCA SKIN Hyaluronic Acid Overnight Mask into the mix. This powerful formula further prevents water loss and benefits skin with a hero blend of ingredients designed to deeply nourish and hydrate skin while you snooze. In addition to multiple forms of Hyaluronic Acid, it contains soothing Niacinamide and Panthenol, both of which help reduce water loss and boost skin barrier function for a radiant, luminous complexion.

The Verdict on Healthy Winter Skin

The bottom line? If you're hoping to keep your skin healthy and strong amid the winter elements, add more hydrating products into your routine and minimize exfoliation. As a result, your skin barrier will remain strong and intact so your complexion appears clear, calm, and smooth from the ski lodge to the slopes.

Author:
Kaleigh Fasanella
Kaleigh Fasanella is a New Jersey-based beauty and wellness reporter with over a decade of experience writing for both digital outlets and brands. She previously worked at magazines like Allure and Teen Vogue before going freelance to write for a variety of publications. While she loves all aspects of beauty, she's especially passionate about skin care and helping others learn about and care for their skin.