Winter Skin Care Survival Guide

Let me paint the picture: it's February in northern Michigan where I have agreed, thanks to my long-standing marriage contract, to spend winters. The temperature outside is hovering somewhere around "absolutely not." I've just come in from a snowshoe in the woods with the dog, and my skin is staging a full-scale revolt.

The only acceptable attire for winter dog walks in Michigan

If you spend serious time in a cold, dry climate, and I mean actually outside in it, not just scurrying from a heated garage to a heated building, then you already know that winter doesn't just inconvenience your skin. It wages war on it.

I'm a makeup artist and licensed esthetician, which means having great skin is, professionally speaking, kind of my whole thing. So when my skin barrier crashed for the first time a few years back (sudden inflammation, relentless itchiness, moisture that packed up and left town for Florida) I took it personally. And then I took it seriously. It took months to fully recover, and the experience left me with a deep respect for what cold, dry air, wind, and UV reflection off snow can actually do to your skin.

So this year, I came prepared. Despite what it may sound like, I actually really love winters up here: the cross-country skiing, the snowshoeing, the long dog walks, the surreal joy of playing on a frozen lake when it's two degrees and the sky is impossibly blue. I wasn't about to stop doing any of it but I needed a better strategy for my winter skin care. Here's what made the difference:

1. SPF. Every single day, with no exceptions. Yes, even when it's gray. Even when you're "just running out for a minute." Snow reflects up to 80% of UV rays, which means you're essentially getting hit twice, from above and below. I layer SPF as a last step over my entire routine every morning without fail, and it has genuinely changed the game. I like this one because it's hydrating, sheer, and makes a beautiful canvas for makeup.* It's light enough that I can reapply it throughout the day and it doesn't break me out.
   

2. A humidifier by the bed This was the sleeper hit of my winter routine (see what I did there?). Forced-air heat is basically a moisture vacuum, and you're breathing it for eight hours every night. Adding this humidifier to my nightstand made a noticeable difference in how my skin (and throat!) felt by morning: less tight, less parched, less angry.
   

3. Treating my scalp as part of my skin barrier. One thing that often gets overlooked: the cold, dry air doesn't stop at your hairline. I added a dandruff shampoo and conditioner that are safe for color-treated hair, and my scalp is MUCH happier for it. Now that my scalp is happier and healthier, I've noticed TONS of new growth! Jupiter has kindly offered 15% off to my readers with code TABITHA15.
   

4. Soft pants. Seriously, who wants to wear hard pants in winter? I'll save those for springtime date nights (if ever again). My favorite warm and cozy soft pants this season have been these, these, and these.
   

5. The rest of my toolkit. Beyond those anchors, I rebuilt my routine around barrier support: ingredients like ceramides, squalane, and gentle humectants that don't strip or irritate. I also made sure everything I was putting on my face was working with my barrier rather than against it.

This year, even when the temps dropped below zero and I had a few rough weeks of extreme dryness, my skin recovered faster than it ever has before. Not perfectly, not instantly, but noticeably. And for a Michigan winter, I'll take that as a win!

All of my current recommendations are on my product board here, including everything I've mentioned and more. These are the things I actually use and actually trust as a beauty professional, and as someone who has personally had her skin humbled by a Lake Michigan wind chill.

Stay warm, wear your SPF, and reject hard pants!

*This post contains affiliate links which means I receive a commission if you make a purchase using the links in this post. I am a licensed esthetician and skin-forward makeup artist. All opinions and recommendations are honestly my own. My skin type is Fitzpatrick II, mature, on the oily side, and sometimes dehydrated.