Winter Skin Survival Guide: 11 Essential Ways to Combat Dryness and Keep Your Glow

Have you noticed your skin feeling drier and rougher as the season changes and winter settles in? The colder months bring unique challenges for skin health: brisk winds, dry indoor heat, and low humidity all conspire to strip away moisture, leaving skin flaky and irritated. While the shift in seasons is inevitable, the discomfort it causes doesn’t have to be. With some mindful adjustments to your skincare routine, you can keep your skin hydrated, resilient, and radiant all season long.

To preserve your natural glow and support radiant health from the inside out, discover 11 Essential Ways to Combat Winter Dryness. But first, it's important to learn how to recognize it.

When skin loses moisture, it can show up in different ways depending on the individual and the area of skin affected.  Here are common signs to watch for: 

•  Flakiness or Scaliness : Rough patches that give skin a dull, uneven look.
  
  
• Redness : Increased sensitivity can lead to redness, particularly on the cheeks and around the nose.
  
  
• Itching and Irritation : Skin feels tight or itchy, often worsening with exposure to cold.
  
  
• Cracks and Rawness : Severe dryness can cause cracks, particularly on hands, lips, and feet.
  
  

Recognizing these signs early on allows you to take action before dryness becomes uncomfortable or painful. Here’s a guide to keep skin looking and feeling its best, even in the harshest winter weather.

If you find that traditional moisturizers aren’t enough, consider using an occlusive like shea butter (as found in our cremes and lotions) or beeswax (as found in our oils). Occlusives create a physical barrier on the skin, locking in hydration and preventing moisture loss. 

To maximize benefits, apply your regular moisturizer first, allowing it to penetrate and hydrate, then follow with an occlusive product to lock that moisture in place. Shea butter is rich in essential fatty acids and antioxidants, which soothe and nourish, making it ideal for dry or sensitive skin. Beeswax, similarly, is a gentle yet powerful ingredient that prevents moisture loss without clogging pores, supporting long-lasting softness and hydration.

This extra step helps keep your skin resilient and comfortable, particularly on rough patches like elbows, knees, and hands, where dryness tends to be more persistent. For best results, incorporate occlusives at night, giving them ample time to absorb as you rest, so you wake up to smoother, more hydrated skin.

Expert Tip : Apply an occlusive product as the last step in your nighttime routine to maximize moisture retention, especially on areas prone to dryness, like the elbows and knees.

Maintaining radiant, healthy skin in winter is about reinforcing its natural defenses and adapting your care to the season’s demands. Winter can challenge your skin’s resilience, but with a mindful approach, you can help it stay protected and supple. Consistency is essential: each action, from running a humidifier to hydrating from within, adds to your skin’s overall barrier strength. Adjust your skincare routine with gentler, nourishing products to keep skin soft and comfortable.

Remember that every skin type has unique needs, so pay attention to how your skin responds and be ready to adjust your regimen as necessary. If dryness, irritation, or discomfort persist, consulting a dermatologist can provide tailored insights and treatments for more intense relief.

By prioritizing hydration, gentle care, and a protective approach, you’re not only treating your skin today but also building its long-term health. With a few thoughtful adjustments, your skin can remain vibrant and resilient through every season—well-nourished, comforted, and glowing with health.

Dragon Hemp is the practitioner-founded apothecary that produces plant-based therapeutics formulated with a proprietary blend of next-generation botanicals and time honored herbal remedies.

For people seeking treatments that give relief & address the root cause.

Our herbal remedies are innovative and user-friendly, with wellness benefits that are effective & accessible to everyone.

So you can feel like yourself again.

Kevin Menard, LAc., is the leading practitioner in Sports Medicine Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine on the East End of Long Island, with clientele ranging from business executives and fitness professionals to wellness gurus and weekend warriors.

As he cultivated his practice, Kevin began integrating CBD & other cannabinoids, native botanicals, and herbs into his treatments, addressing conditions like pain, musculoskeletal injuries, insomnia, overall wellness, and so much more. 

Following the promising results from his herbal and CBD-infused treatments, Kevin expanded his work, introducing Dragon Hemp to support patient wellness beyond his clinic's walls.

Our Apothecary in Sag Harbor, New York was conceived as a beacon of rejuvenation and wellness in the Hamptons. Much more than a dispensary, at the core of the Dragon Hemp Apothecary is a commitment to education and understanding the benefits of time-honored herbal remedies synthesized with today’s advancements in cannabinoid research. 

Offering an array of products designed to align with the wellness needs of the Hamptons community, the store seeks to bridge the gap between ancient wisdom and modern applications, making herbal medicine more compatible with our lifestyles today. Our unique apothecary in Sag Harbor not only represents a physical space but also embodies Dragon Hemp's ethos of premium, all-natural, effective wellness solutions, drawing from the rich heritage of the Hamptons and the innovative spirit of New York.

Not your conventional dispensary, our first-of-its-kind retail location, harmoniously balances tradition and innovation with an emphasis on experience and education. We invite you to step inside and let our herbal experts guide you on an exploration of the rejuvenating power of cannabinoids and traditional herbs in a setting that feels both timeless and contemporary.

Designed in collaboration with renowned Alfredo Paredes Studio, the apothecary embodies a sophisticated fusion of old-world tradition and contemporary application. Known for his 33-year tenure as Ralph Lauren Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer, Alfredo Paredes, a master of crafting memorable retail experiences, helped transform the space into a shining gem of Sag Harbor. Reflecting the premium, natural, and therapeutic essence of Dragon Hemp, every aspect of the store, including the unique furniture pieces from Paredes' line, contributes to an ambiance of refined tranquility and wellness. The design echoes a classic herbal pharmacy blended with a modern aesthetic, mirroring our brand ethos of contemporizing ancient herbal medicine for today’s applications. Read more about our Apothecary design in Forbes.

Standing out on Main Street in Sag Harbor with the glow of our distinctive neon sign, our unique retail store has become a design destination of its own -- beyond just wellness -- in one of the Hamptons’ most popular villages. Whether you’re looking for potent natural therapeutics to tackle pain & inflammation or legal THC products to enhance mood or improve sleep, our apothecary is your safe haven at 108 Main Street.

Our products are formulated to serve the four crucial daily needs most often seen in Kevin’s practice—Essential Wellbeing for comprehensive health, Rest & Restoration to foster rejuvenation, Aches & Pains for relief from discomfort, and Liniments for body care that enhances both physical and emotional wellbeing.

Available in four versatile forms—swift-absorbing tinctures, targeted balms, discreet gummies, and moisturizers—we ensure a suitable choice for every lifestyle and wellness routine.

We carefully select our organically grown ingredients, emphasizing sustainability to protect Earth's biodiversity. 

We believe in transparency in all our processes, from ingredient selection to the methods used by our CBD farmers, who lead the sustainable agriculture charge and concentrate on ecosystem restoration and carbon sequestration.

We're not just about products but about nurturing an understanding of traditional herbal practices and helping people make healthy decisions. 

With respect, we introduce newcomers to the benefits of age old herbal wisdom. 

Our aim is a future where well-being stems from nature, combining timeless knowledge with today's research.

Discover the distinctive characteristics of each herb in our Ingredient Index.