Keep Your Skin Hydrated With These Staff-Recommended Remedies for Dry Skin

"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."

Winter weather can mean a lot of wonderful things, from powdery snow to crisp, cool air. With that cold, however, comes dry air that can crack or damage your skin.

This plight includes many members of our Popular Mechanics staff. According to Best Products Beauty Editor, Nicole Saunders, “there’s no time better than the winter to embrace self-care by treating your skin to some extra TLC. Winter weather depletes skin hydration, leading to dryness, flakes, and a rough and uneven complexion.”

While we’ve all learned to brave the chilly commute to work with cozy jackets, gloves, and beanies, helping our skin through the cold takes several unique remedies. Between moisturizers, water bottles, and humidifiers, our team uses all kinds of dry skin remedies to help with everything from cracked elbows to chapped lips.

Even for those of us who don’t care to build a full skincare routine, Saunders recommends “a face cleanser for your skin type and a face exfoliant to buff away dead skin cells and help your other skincare products soak in.”

It doesn’t matter if you’re dealing with northeast snow squalls or blustery winds in the southwest, dry winter weather is harsh on everyone’s skin. There’s no reason to suffer through it without a few solutions. These are our staff’s favorite dry skin remedies, from desk-bound editors, workshop tinkerers, and outdoors enthusiasts alike.

Want to know what else our editors love? Check out our other Staff Recs.

Beeswax Lip Balm Pack

The most recommended item on our list, Burt’s Bees lip balm is beloved by a slew of staff members, from Associate Reviews Editor Adam Schram to Senior Health and Fitness Editor Donna Raskin.

This lip balm uses a combination of beeswax and oils to protect your lips from drying out while also healing already-chapped ones.

What sets this apart from a lot of other popular choices is its ingredient list. Burt’s Bees lip balm is made of 100 percent natural ingredients. While this variety pack has four different flavors, there are tons of other options including Raskin’s personal favorite, pomegranate.

Industrial Strength Hand Healer

For those of us who spend most of our day working with our hands, this moisturizer is a boon, formulated specifically to handle the roughest, driest skin. More specifically, this thick and creamy option from Jack Black handles dry, cracked, skin on your hands and elbows.

Our Reviews Editor, Danny Perez, swears by it, not just for himself, but also on behalf of his two mechanic friends who use it daily to keep their hands in check between projects.

Despite its heavy-duty formula, this moisturizer is also notably lightweight, leaving your hands grease-free and ready to work just seconds after application. It might seem a bit expensive, but this big bottle should last a year or more. The smaller option can get you through the winter.

Rosehip Seed Oil for Face

If you despise the feel of lotions or moisturizers, this rosehip seed oil is a great way to keep your face from drying out during the driest months.

It’s designed specifically for skin hydration, and plays a role in the skincare routines of both Senior Digital Art Director Bridget Clegg and her boyfriend.

“My boyfriend uses it in place of a facial moisturizer as his one-step routine, and I layer it on after my more elaborate skincare regimen to seal in the goodness,” Clegg says. “It’s a a great nail and cuticle oil too—versatile and affordable!”

Humidifier w/ Aroma + Filter Subscription

Instead of trying to patch up your dry skin with salves and lotions, consider fixing the dry air around you with this humidifier from Canopy. Made with a wood pulp filter, this humidifier provides clean, fresh water vapor designed to improve skin health as well as alleviate dry mouth and nose that may occur when you sleep in an arid room with the heat pumping.

This humidifier also comes with the option to add an aroma kit, which infuses the water vapor with pleasant-smelling essential oils for your skin and nose to enjoy.

Senior Editor of Reviews, Eunice Lucero-Lee, loves the Canopy humidifier not just for its healthy skin benefits. “I have the aroma kit bundle and love to put a few drops on the included diffuser stone, which sits atop the humidifier exhaust—the result is a subtle yet super-relaxing, spa-like waft of air,” Lucero-Lee says. “I’m an allergy sufferer and dry air is my nemesis. This ensures I sleep (and breathe!) comfortably throughout the night.”

All Natural Vegan Lip Balms

Another lip balm option, this Dignity balm is made from all vegan ingredients. Instead of beeswax, Dignity uses coconut oil, which nourishes your skin.

The coconut oil is supplemented with unrefined cocoa butter, Candelilla wax, and vitamin E. This combination sets the base for each flavor of the lip balm with extra natural ingredients to add flavor and scent.

This recommendation comes from Senior Editor of Reviews Eunice Lucero-Lee, who knows how hard it can be to find a vegan alternative to traditional lip moisturizers. “This makes for a great ‘just because’ gift for my vegan friends,” she says.

Working Hands Hand Cream

This is an affordable hand cream designed to provide instant relief from not just dryness, but also cracks and bleeding. This cream from O’Keeffe’s is designed to take on severe dryness for those who work with their hands.

According to our Senior Digital Art Director, Bridget Clegg, this hand cream was a godsend for her boyfriend.

“My boyfriend’s hands were cracked and literally drawing blood, so I scooped up a jar of O’Keeffe’s Working Hands from the checkout line at my hardware store,” she says. “It’s worked like a charm! A little goes a long way with the stuff. It’s basically a paraffin wax treatment—for the workin’ man.”

Healing Balm Stick

If you need a quick fix for dry skin on the go, consider this healing balm stick from Aquaphor. Instead of a lotion or oil, this dry skin solution is actually a solid balm, sort of like a deodorant stick. Simply open the top, rub it on the dry or chafed skin, and feel the relief.

Particularly for a cold outing or convenient relief, this stick offers immediate moisturization without the hassle of rubbing in a lotion or oil. This convenience is a key reason why Creative Marketing Director for Hearst, Susan Cashdollar, always keeps a stick handy.

The immediate convenience and quick-drying design are particularly useful if you have an active lifestyle and are more prone to chafing in high-friction areas, like between your legs or in your armpits.

Men’s Complete Starter Skincare Set

Listen, I don’t think I am a skincare expert by any means. That said, I never had to be because this starter set from Geologie made it easy and quick to take care of my skin without spending an hour each night going through the steps.

While the face wash and eye cream are great for cleansing and moisturizing small wrinkles, nothing has been more beneficial to my skin than the morning cream, which I use when I wake up, and the night cream that I apply before I go to sleep.

“During the winter, even someone with oily skin like myself can use a face cream,” Beauty Editor Saunders says. “If you can only buy one moisturizer right now, I’d advise against an SPF face cream so you can use your new purchase both in the AM and PM.”

With this kit, you don’t have to worry about differentiating—I can use the morning cream with SPF to start my day and still moisturize before bed without smelling like sunscreen.

No complex routine: Just wash, put on the lotion, and you’re good to go. The combination of the two throughout my day keeps my face smooth and moisturized even during the coldest days.

Cotton Moisturizing Gloves for Dry Hands and Eczema

If applying lotion throughout the day just isn’t enough, consider treating your hands overnight with these moisturizing gloves from Gaxcoo. Reviews Editor Micki Wagner relies on these gloves to let heavy-duty healing take place overnight when her eczema flares up in the winter.

To use them, wash your hands, apply a liberal amount of your favorite hand cream, put on the gloves, and go to sleep. The gloves prevent itching or scratching in the night and extend the time it takes for the lotion to dry off, giving your skin more opportunity to soak up the hydrating lotion.

The gloves also keep your hand cream from seeping into the sheets as you sleep. This package comes with seven pairs to last you the week, but the gloves are reusable and machine-washable.

Healing Ointment

Another cream to consider, this healing ointment from CeraVe is a personal favorite of Service and News Editor Natascha Grief. What sets this apart from other similar options is the concentrated petroleum, which creates a barrier between your skin and the elements.

This barrier allows for more effective moisturizing, letting your skin soak up what it needs before the air dries out your product. The ointment is also a catch-all, designed for use on your hands, face, and body alike; instead of investing in a different lotion for each body part, grab a tub of this and call it a day.

Men’s Body Wash Blue Eucalyptus and Birch

If you don’t have time for any of the oils, lotions, or appliances, at least swap out your current body wash for one with some moisturizing capabilities.

This affordable body wash from Dove has been a stalwart of my shower for years, serving as the first (and often only) line of defense for my skin. While it won’t fully replace using a daily moisturizer, this body wash is made with Dove’s Micromoisture formula which makes my skin feel soft and hydrated even when I first hop out of the shower.

The eucalyptus and birch scent comes with a few additional plant-based hydrators as well for the extra kick your skin needs in the winter.

23-Ounce Bottle Swig Top

The first step to hydrating your skin is by hydrating your body. This is certainly the philosophy of Senior Reviews Editor Mike Epstein, who keeps this water bottle handy at all times during the winter.

With the heat on and the air dry, Mike prevents throat scratchiness with this Larq. The bottle itself comes with many great features, from the chug spout to the snap-close top.

That said, what makes the bottle great is the silicone handle and insulated interior. While the stainless steel body is great for durability, it tends to be cold to the touch if used outside.

The silicone handle keeps your hand comfortable while the internal insulation keeps your drink at just the right temperature.

You Might Also Like

• The Do’s and Don’ts of Using Painter’s Tape

• The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere

• Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?