Expert Recommendations To Soothe & Hydrate Dry, Flaky Skin 

I don't know about you, but my skin is simply intolerable at the moment. For starters, the changes in weather, drier air, and indoor heating, have completely zapped my skin of moisture. I'm a flaky mess from head to toe. Not to mention, the hecticness of this time of year has my routine in a total tizzy: I'm currently away from home and without my normal assortment of creams and lotions and oils. (And oh how I miss them!) 

But my favorite use is before and after the shower. This hack comes courtesy of celebrity esthetician and dermatological nurse Natalie Aguilar: She considers it one of her favorite rituals to care for dry, wintry skin. "This oil barrier prevents excessive water loss and helps with any irritation," she notes. Hot water has the ability to strip the skin of its natural oils and dry out the epidermis. So by applying a layer of oil on the skin before you hop in, it'll protect you from drying out. 

I only have "anti-aging" treatment serum with me at the moment, and it happens to be a retinol that I'm finding is a bit too aggressive for my skin. I can't tell if it's the formula itself or the weather that's causing my skin to react or if it's just that time of year in which my skin is extra sensitive, but regardless: I'm going back to buffering my retinols. 

This is a practice in which you apply a layer of a hydrating face lotion, the retinol, then reapply the lotion on top. "If you want to decrease the potency of a serum—like if it contains potentially irritating ingredients like retinol—then applying a moisturizer first could help make the serum less potent and less irritating," board-certified dermatologist Hadley King, M.D., told us about the layering trick. 

No, chugging water isn't going to reverse the clock a decade—no matter how many celebs call it their "secret" to eternal youth—but doing so consistently does improve the appearance of the skin. Studies have shown that getting the recommended amount of water for your body increases the dermal layer1, thereby making your skin more hydrated. 

And here's the thing: You might need to be more hydration-conscious in the winter! As integrative medicine physician Dana Cohen, M.D., tells us, it's easier to focus on hydration during the summer, as many people associate sweat with needing to drink more water. In the winter (when you typically don't sweat as much), the urge to drink may get put on the back burner. 

However, just because you might not be sweating as much doesn't mean you aren't losing fluids. In fact, the dry winter weather and indoor heating are likely contributing to transepidermal water loss. 

"It's not because you're outside and sweating so much; it's that indoor environment in the winter we don't take into account," Cohen explains. Meaning: Even if you aren't sweating buckets, that doesn't mean you aren't losing water to the air, so make sure to get your liquids in.