Winter Skin: What Cold, Wind, and Dry Air Do to Your Skin

As temperatures drop, you may notice your skin feeling tighter, looking duller, or becoming rough, flaky, or more sensitive. For women over 60, these changes can be particularly noticeable.

Winter doesn’t mean you need to replace your skincare routine. Moisture, antioxidants, and protection from environmental stress remain important year-round. Understanding how cold weather, wind, and dry air affect your skin can help you make adjustments when needed.

Why Winter Weather Can Be Hard on Your Skin

Your skin’s outermost layer, the stratum corneum, helps hold water inside while protecting against irritants and environmental stressors from the outside. It consists of skin cells held together by lipids, cholesterol, and fatty acids. When this barrier is compromised, moisture escapes more easily, leaving skin dry, tight, or irritated.

Several winter conditions challenge this barrier:

Cold, Dry Air

Cold air contains less water vapor than warm air. When outdoor air enters a heated home, its relative humidity drops, often making indoor air dryer.

Wind

Wind accelerates moisture evaporation from the skin’s surface and increases exposure to cold. The combination can leave cheeks feeling tight or looking red after time outdoors.

Hot Showers

Hot water and harsh cleansers can remove some of the lipids that help maintain the skin’s protective barrier.

Mature Skin May Need Extra Attention

Skin changes naturally as we age. After menopause, declining estrogen levels contribute to changes in hydration, elasticity, and thickness. Skin produces fewer lipids and becomes less efficient at maintaining moisture.

Fine lines can appear more pronounced when skin is dehydrated. Dry skin generally lacks sufficient oil, while dehydrated skin lacks water in its outer layers. Both can contribute to tightness and a dull appearance.

Supporting the skin barrier and reducing moisture loss can help skin feel more comfortable, whatever your age.

Your Skin Still Needs Moisture in Winter

A well-formulated moisturizer helps reduce water loss, support the skin barrier, and improve the appearance of dry, rough skin.

Moisturizing ingredients work in different ways:

• Humectants, such as glycerin and hyaluronic acid, attract and bind water in the outer layers of skin.
• Emollients, including plant oils, help soften and smooth the skin.
• Occlusives, such as plant waxes and certain oils, form a protective layer that helps reduce moisture loss.

Botanical ingredients can contribute additional benefits. Calendula contains flavonoids and carotenoids with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. Calendula extracts have potential benefits for skin hydration, conditioning as well as collagen support.

Fennel contains flavonoids and other compounds studied for antioxidant and brightening properties. Research on fennel extracts suggests potential benefits for hydration and moisture retention.

These herbs can complement humectants and oils in a product.

If you notice tightness or flaking, apply your moisturizer more generously or add a richer cream or balm to dry areas.

Don’t Forget Antioxidants and Sun Protection

Your skin continues to encounter environmental stressors throughout the year. Antioxidants help defend against oxidative stress caused by ultraviolet radiation and pollution. Vitamins C and E, along with plant-derived antioxidants, including calendula and green tea, are important in skincare formulations.

Broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher remains important on exposed skin, even on cloudy days. Cumulative UV exposure contributes to uneven pigmentation, wrinkles, and loss of elasticity.

Protect Your Skin Outdoors

Don’t give up winter walks or mountain adventures to protect your skin. A few practical habits can help:

• Apply moisturizer before heading outside.
• Use broad-spectrum sunscreen on exposed skin.
• Cover vulnerable areas with gloves, a scarf, or comfortable clothing.
• Consider a richer moisturizer or balm on particularly dry areas, such as cheeks and hands.
• After returning indoors, cleanse gently and moisturize if your skin feels dry or tight.

Avoid scrubbing or exfoliating every rough patch. Over-exfoliation can further disrupt an already irritated skin barrier.

Enjoy Winter Without Neglecting Your Skin

You don’t necessarily need a new winter skincare routine. If your skin feels comfortable, continue doing what works. If it feels tight after cleansing, consider a gentler cleanser. If your usual moisturizer isn’t sufficient, try a richer formula or add a protective balm where needed. Use a hydrating face spritzer throughout the day when you feel dry. A humidifier may also help when indoor air is dry.

At Colorado Aromatics, we bring together the best of botanical ingredients and skin science. We grow herbs including calendula and fennel on our Colorado farm for their skin-conditioning properties and combine them with proven moisturizing ingredients and antioxidants to create formulas that support healthy, hydrated skin. It’s our farm-to-skin philosophy: good skincare begins with good soil, thoughtful formulation, and an understanding of what skin needs.

Explore some of the plants on my farm in From Farm to Skin: 5 Herbs I Grow for Skincare.

Your Opinion:

What happens to the skin on your hands and face if you don’t protect it in dry, cold weather? Have you noticed a different experience when you apply a protective product?