3 Easy Tricks for Soothing Dry Skin and Hair During Winter

There’s plenty to love about winter — like that delicious comfort food we get to eat around the holidays, for instance — but the season can wreak havoc on your beauty routine. Cold temperatures bring about itchy, dry skin, staticky hair, and frostbitten hands, though changing up your beauty routine for winter can help.

Stay hydrated and refreshed all winter long with these easy skin and hair tips you can try right at home. (And don’t forget that an easy soothing hand soak can be your best defense and stop dry skin before it starts!)

1. Protect your skin with a DIY scrub. 

Combine granulated sugar (which buffs away dead, dry skin) with coconut oil and an energizing essential oil for a DIY skin scrub. We love the refreshing peppermint oil from Nature’s Truth ($6.99) which cools the skin as it moisturizes; lavender is another calming, sweet-smelling option.

This quick video shows how to make an easy skin-softening scrub in minutes.

2. Switch up your shower routine to keep your hair healthy. 

Got fly-aways? There’s an easy one-minute trick to keeping your locks soft and luxurious: Next time you’re washing your hair, simply apply conditioner to your hair from ears to ends before you shampoo it. The quick hydrating treatment protects your ends — which can get frizzy and brittle in the winter — from the harsh detergents in your shampoo. Use conditioner again at the end of your shower like usual to lock in hydration.

3. Soften hands with a soak. 

Hands can get dry and itchy in chilly temps, but a make-at-home soak will help keep them protected. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups warm water, 1 cup apple cider vinegar (when diluted, it shouldn’t sting any painful cracks), and 3 Tbs. olive oil. Soak hands for 10 minutes, then remove and pat dry. Immediately follow with a rich hand cream containing urea, a humectant that locks in moisture and has antibacterial properties to ward off infection. 

Our final words of advice? Don’t forget the gloves, hat, and moisturizing sunscreen when you head outside.

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