Your Skin Might be Thirsty

Why hydration matters more than you think

IS YOUR SKIN TIGHT, FLAKY OR JUST DULL?

You are not along.

Cold air, indoor heat, and hot showers pull hydration from the skin faster than we can replace it. The result is skin that feels uncomfortable and stressed, even with a solid skincare routine.

The good news? Winter skin usually doesn’t need harsher products, it needs better hydration and barrier support.

As someone who lives a busy, on-the-go Midwest life and also manages chronic health challenges, I’ve learned that gentle, supportive skincare works best — especially in the winter.

In this post, I’ll walk you through why skin gets dry, how hydration and moisture work together, and the two products I’m personally using right now to support dry, thirsty skin.

Why Winter Skin Gets So Dry

During the winter months, our skin is fighting a lot:

• Cold air holds less moisture

• Indoor heat pulls water from the skin

• Hot showers weaken the skin’s protective barrier

• Over-exfoliating removes natural oils the skin needs

All of this can leave skin feeling tight, irritated, and dull — even if you’re applying moisturizer every day.

Hydration vs. Moisture:

This is the key to understanding winter skin.

• Hydration = water in the skin

• Moisture = sealing that water in

If we only moisturize without hydrating first, we can actually seal dryness into the skin. Hydration works best when products are layered in the right order so each step can do its job more effectively.

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Two Products That Support Hydration

When I help clients with winter skin, I focus on products that support hydration and strengthen the skin barrier, not overwhelm it.

I know firsthand how frustrating dry skin can be — the itching that won’t stop and that constant rough, uncomfortable feeling. That’s why I focus on hydration and barrier support first. When skin feels supported instead of stripped, everything else works better.

Here are two of my current favorites for adding both hydration and moisture to the skin.

Nourish, Soften & Boost Absorption

SUPER OIL

is designed to nourish the skin and support its natural barrier while helping the rest of your skincare perform better.

Used after cleansing, it helps soften the skin and allows treatment products applied on top to absorb more effectively. Formulated with cold-pressed oils and antioxidants, it helps improve hydration, elasticity, brightness, and the look of dryness and fatigue.

I personally use Super Oil after cleansing, then layer my treatment products, followed by moisturizer.

Hydration, Cooling & Barrier Support

HIT REFRESH

is an ultra-fine gel-to-mist that instantly hydrates, cools, and refreshes the skin.

It supports the skin barrier while delivering smart hydration, making it ideal for dry winter air, long days indoors, or anytime skin feels tight or overheated. It’s gentle enough for sensitive or breakout-prone skin and can be used on bare skin or over makeup.

I use Hit Refresh as the final step in my routine, throughout the day for a quick refresh, and even on my legs and body for added moisture and skin comfort.

A Simple Hydration Routine

You don’t need a complicated routine to have comfortable winter skin.

A simple hydration-focused routine looks like this:

1. Cleanse

2. Super Oil

3. Treatment products

4. Moisturizer

5. Finish with Hit Refresh

This routine focuses on hydration, absorption, and barrier support — without overloading the skin.

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Want Help With Your Dry Skin?

This photo shows my skin after about a month of consistently using Super Oil and Hit Refresh. Small, intentional changes can make a noticeable difference in how skin looks and feels when hydration and barrier support are layered correctly.

Everyone’s skin is different, which is why I love helping clients find the products and routine that work best for their skin.

If you’re struggling with your skin, I’d love to chat and see if I can help. We can keep it casual, schedule a one-on-one to try the products, or you can invite friends for a fun, relaxing Beauty Social.

📩Curious what your skin might need right now? I’m always happy to have a casual conversation and help you find what works best for you.

Winter Skin Care

The temperature is getting colder. One day it's sunny, the next day rainy, and even later it's snowing. The wood stoves and fireplaces are running. The humidifiers are gett8ng turned on. And our skin is getting dry.  Instead of letting it look red and dried out this season. Let's use these tips so our skin can look replenished, refreshed, and rejuvenated all season long.

Change it up

When the weather changes, most of the time, that also means our skin care will need to change as well. It may be the cleanser. It could be the moisturizer or it could be both. With the winter season here it is the perfect time to change up that skin care routine so you can stay on top of the game before your skin takes the beating. If you are unsure if you should change your skin care routine or even not sure what skin type you have, take this short skin care quiz. It will tell you what type of skin you have and what products are best for you to use.

Scrub a dub dub dub

I enjoy using a facial masque. This one is Masque of Zen from LimeLife by Alcone. It helps with my breakouts.

Just like the trees lose the leaves, we need to shed our dead skin. This will also ensure that we have healthy glowing smooth skin. Exfoliating not only gets rid of dead skin but can help to remove layers of dirt and oils that have built up on your skin. Once they are removed your moisturizers and makeup products can absorb better and you'll find you're using less amount of the products. I suggest exfoliating at least once a week especially in the winter months when our skin is dryer.  The best way to exfoliate is with a body scrub, facial mask, and a lip scrub/mask. 

Use a good body scrub all over your legs, feet, hands, belly, chest. You will want a body scrub as it's more aggressive. The skin isn't as delicate as the face so it can be exfoliated with sugars and salts. They are able to give you a deeper exfoliation to leave your skin soft and smooth. I suggest Bamboo Renew from LimeLife by Alcone. 

Depending on your skin type, you will use a facial mask to shed the dead facial skin. Exfoliating your facial skin can also unclog pores, even out the skin tone and smooth the texture of your skin. There are multiple different facial masks out there. But be sure to use one that is right for YOUR skin. I suggest you refer back to your skin quiz above to know which facial mask is best for you. 

You don't want to forget about those lips. They take a big beating in the winter time. Think about it, we breathe out our nose right down to our lips. Or when we have a cold, our mouths are open so we can breathe and our lips take all that air.  Do you use more chapstick or lip balm in the colder months? That's because your skin is dryer and so we pile on the moisture. But before we add the moisture which just builds up, they need a good exfoliation to get rid of the dead skin and built up product. A good lip mask or scrub can also stimulate the blood flow which will in turn give you plumper lips. 

In order to have fresh looking skin all season long use a body scrub, facial mask, and lip scrub at least once a week. If your skin is feeling a little bit dryer or you are starting to see flair up like your itching, or just feel dry.  Bump the exfoliating up to a couple times a week and be sure to hydrate the skin and your body right afterwards.

Seems Like a lot, but here is my:

Body Scrub,

Facial Mask,

Body Oil,

Lip Scrub

Hydrate hydrate hydrate

Even if you think you are getting enough hydration, you more than likely are not. Are you drinking enough water? That's the first thing you might need to check into; Your daily routine of water Intake. When we are not getting enough water, our skin will show it. Your skin might look dry, ashy, and just loss of elasticity.   

Another way to hydrate would be body lotion, facial creme, or oil. Again, you really want to have 2 different types of products here. One for your body and one for your face. Our face is more delicate so we shouldn't be using the same thing on our body as we do our face. If you're really dry you can even use a body and facial oil. For your face, be sure it is what's good for your skin type. You might need to have an oil during the colder months to give you hydration. I for one am someone that changed my moisturizer in the winter months. My body needs more moisture so I use a facial oil or creme for dry skin versus normal skin. If you are unsure what to use, I'd love to chat with you about your skin conditions or you can take the skin quiz listed above.

Winter Skin Analysis

If you are unsure of what to use and would love to have a skin analysis, just drop me a message. I offer one on one consultations or group sessions. Not only will we find the best products for you to use based on your skin needs, but you will get to experience them before you purchase them.

Don't get caught having dry skin this winter. Let's all have healthy radiantly glowing skin.