The Exact Winter Skincare Routine to Fix Dry, Damaged Skin Barriers Fast, by Your Pharmacist on YouTube. 3 min 58 s.
- Video length
- 3 min 58 s
- Time to do it
- 10 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 7
What you need
Steps
Swap your foaming or gel cleanser for a lotion or cream cleanser. These leave more of your skin's natural oils in place, so your face does not feel tight after washing.
Wash with lukewarm water instead of hot. Hot water strips lipids from the barrier and makes dryness and redness worse, especially in winter.
Apply a humectant serum with hyaluronic acid or glycerin to slightly damp skin. These ingredients pull water into the outer layer, so they need that moisture to work.
Follow straight away with a moisturiser containing ceramides, squalane or fatty acids. This seals the water in and tops up the lipids that cold air and heating break down.
Use a broad spectrum SPF 50+ every morning, even when it is cloudy. UV still reaches your skin in winter and slows down barrier repair.
Keep a lip balm and a hand cream with you and reapply through the day. Lips and hands have fewer oil glands, so they crack first.
Repeat the same order twice a day: cleanse, hydrate, moisturise, then sunscreen in the morning.
Tips and common mistakes
Apply your serum within a minute of washing, while skin is still damp, or the humectant has no water to draw in.
Add one new product at a time and give it a week, so you can tell what actually helps.
Heating dries the air indoors, so a humidifier in the bedroom helps your skin overnight.
A thick cream over dry, unhydrated skin traps nothing, so always layer the serum first.
Questions
Can I use hyaluronic acid in very cold weather?
Yes, but put it on damp skin and seal it with a moisturiser straight away. Used alone on dry skin it can leave your face feeling tighter outdoors.
Do I need sunscreen indoors in winter?
Only if you sit near a window for long stretches, since UVA passes through glass. Otherwise an SPF 50+ before you go outside each morning is enough.
How long until dry patches improve?
Tightness often settles within a few days, but a damaged barrier usually takes about two weeks of consistent cleansing and moisturising to recover.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
