If your skin suddenly feels tight, flaky, or just…uncomfortable the moment winter hits, it’s not just the change in season to blame! Cold air, indoor heating, and harsh winds can of course wreak havoc on our skin, but surprisingly, some of our everyday habits can make things so much worse! From using the wrong moisturiser to skipping SPF, these common mistakes can weaken our skin barrier and leave our complexion dehydrated, flaky and irritated!
Keep reading as we reveal the 7 most common mistakes that could be drying out your skin this winter, and exactly how to fix them.
Why is your skin so dry in winter?
Before we get into the mistakes, it helps to understand what's actually happening to your skin when the temperature drops.
Cold air holds significantly less moisture than warm air, which means every time you step outside in winter, the air is actively drawing hydration away from your skin. Step back inside and you're met with heating, which does exactly the same thing (just in a warmer environment). Add wind exposure, hot showers and the natural slowdown in oil production that cooler temperatures cause, and your skin's moisture barrier is under attack from almost every direction!
The result is a barrier that becomes progressively more compromised and less able to hold onto water, more reactive to products, and slower to repair itself! Most of the mistakes below make this worse without people ever realising it.
7 mistakes you could be making
Mistake 1: Your showers are too hot
Who isn’t guilt of turning up the heat in that steamy shower when the weather is cold outside? It's one of the most understandable and of course common habits! Unfortunately, hot water strips the skin of its natural oils far more aggressively far more than we’d like to think, compromising your moisture barrier and leaving skin feeling tight and dry within minutes of stepping out.
The fix: Turn the temperature down (yes of course that’s obviously but the difference from a hot, hot shower to a warm shower (still lovely of course) can make a significant difference, and better still try to keep showers to around five minutes. The as soon as you get out apply your body (and face) moisturiser within a few minutes while your skin is still slightly damp, this trick locks in the residual moisture rather than letting it evaporate.
Try: Pevonia Preserve Body Moisturiser
This lightweight, yet deeply nourishing body cream is packed with soothing and repairing botanicals, Vitamins B, C and E, and Alpha Hydroxy Acids. Gently massage into skin and see how it instantly improves your skin’s texture! Wonderfully hydrating it locks in goodness, restoring elasticity and leaving skin silky-soft and radiant.
Mistake 2: You're using the same cleanser you use in summer
You might well love your current cleanser, the faithful product you’ve been using for years, but a foaming or gel cleanser that works beautifully in summer can become too stripping in winter, particularly if your skin is already dry or your barrier is compromised. If your skin feels tight immediately after cleansing, your cleanser is very likely the culprit!
The fix: Switch to a gentle, non-foaming cream or milk cleanser for the colder months. These cleanse effectively without disrupting the skin's natural oils, leaving your barrier intact and your skin comfortable rather than squeaky clean. If you're not ready to change your cleanser entirely, try using it only morning or night.
Try: Pevonia Hydrating Cleanser
Thanks to its outstanding combination of marine collagen, marine elastin, hyaluronic acid and glycerin, this nourishing, creamy textured cleanser thoroughly removes skin impurities and excess oil without any residue, all whilst helping to preserve your skin’s moisture too!
Mistake 3: You're skipping the hydrating serum and going straight to moisturiser
This is one of the most common mistakes we see and it means your moisturiser is working much harder than it needs to. Moisturisers are designed to seal in hydration (from your shower or serum), not magically create it from nowhere. Without a hydrating serum underneath, you're skipping the step that actually hydrates your skin (so your moisturiser has nothing to seal in.)
The fix: Add a hydrating serum (ideally one containing hyaluronic acid) underneath your moisturiser, and apply it to slightly damp skin for the best results. This gives your moisturiser actual hydration to lock in, and the difference in how your skin feels throughout the day is usually immediate and noticeable.
Try: Pevonia Hyaluronic Acid Hydra Serum
The ultimate for seriously thirsty skin, this serum eliminates dryness almost instantly as it quite literally blasts even the most dehydrated of complexions with a surge of moisture, maintaining surface hydration throughout the day. By adding moisture back into your skin, this serum immediately boosts skin’s suppleness and combats ageing in multiple ways thanks to its skin-plumping properties.
Mistake 4: You've switched to a heavier moisturiser but your skin is still dry
Reaching for a richer moisturiser when skin feels dry is the most logical response we know and in theory it’s what you should be doing since the lighter moisturisers we use in the summer is never usually enough, but if your skin barrier is already compromised, a heavy cream can sit on top of the skin rather than absorbing into it, making skin feel temporarily better without actually addressing the underlying dehydration.
The fix: Look for a moisturiser that contains barrier-repairing ingredients like ceramides and fatty acids alongside your hydrating actives. These don't just add moisture they help rebuild the barrier so your skin can start retaining hydration on its own again. Layering a facial oil over your moisturiser at night is also a highly effective way to reduce overnight water loss and wake up with noticeably more comfortable skin.
Try: Phytomer Nutritionelle Dry Skin Rescue Cream
Salvation for even the most dry as a desert skin! This intense therapy cream infused with Ceramides (NP, AP, EOP) and a cocktail of marine and plant oils including organic glasswort, organic buckwheat, apricot kernel, shea butter and hydrafusion, provides immediate relief, comfort and visible improvement to dry skin. Say goodbye to tight, uncomfortable and parched skin and hello to a suppler, soft and visibly plumped complexion!
Mistake 5: You've stopped exfoliating, or you're doing it too often
This one goes both ways. Some people avoid exfoliation entirely in winter because their skin feels sensitive, which allows a buildup of dead skin cells that prevents everything else in their routine from absorbing properly. Others over-exfoliate in an attempt to remove flaky, dry patches, which strips the barrier further and worsens the problem.
The fix: Keep exfoliation in your routine but reduce frequency if needed, once a week is often enough in winter for most skin types. Choose a gentle chemical exfoliant over a physical scrub, as these dissolve dead cells without the physical friction that can aggravate already-sensitised skin. If your skin is particularly reactive, a low-concentration lactic acid is one of the gentlest options available and has the added benefit of drawing moisture into the skin as it exfoliates.
Try: Phytomer Vegetal Exfoliant with Natural Enzymes
This soft, yet highly effective exfoliant for even the most sensitive or rosacea prone skin, uses natural enzymes to encourage cell turnover without scrubbing or irritating skin. It’s a Phytomer global best-seller and for good reason!
Mistake 6: You've stopped wearing SPF
It's a deeply common misconception that SPF is only necessary in summer or on sunny days (even though you know I tell you to wear SPF daily come rain, hail or shine!). UV rays (particularly UVA rays, which are responsible for premature ageing and pigmentation) are present year-round, penetrate through cloud cover, and come through glass, which means your skin is exposed even when you're sitting near a window indoors (crazy right?)
The fix: SPF doesn't stop at the end of summer. A broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher every single morning is non-negotiable regardless of the season, and in winter it becomes even more important if you're using actives like retinol or acids that increase sun sensitivity. If the texture of your usual SPF feels too heavy in winter, look for a hydrating SPF that doubles as a moisturiser, it simplifies your routine and removes the barrier to using it consistently.
Try: Hubislab Post Rays UV Protect Sun Block 50g SPF50
If you've ever skipped sunscreen because it feels heavy, greasy or leaves a white cast, this may change your mind. Hubislab's Post Rays UV Protect Sun Block combines broad-spectrum SPF50+ protection with a lightweight, breathable texture that absorbs quickly and leaves skin feeling comfortable all day. Suitable for all skin types, including sensitive and reactive skin, it also contains soothing botanical extracts and antioxidants to help calm, protect and support the skin barrier. The added tone-up effect gives skin a healthy, radiant finish, making it an excellent everyday sunscreen and makeup base.
Mistake 7: You're drinking less water and not compensating topically
Cold weather suppresses the sensation of thirst, which means most of us are mildly dehydrated throughout winter without realising it! Unfortunately, dehydration shows up in the skin quickly, increasing the appearance of fine lines, making skin look dull and flat, and making dry patches harder to shift no matter what you apply topically!
The fix: Now you know this, make a conscious effort to maintain your water intake through winter even when you don't feel thirsty! If you simply can’t bring yourself to drink another glass of water, herbal teas are an excellent way to keep yourself hydrated!
Dry winter skin is extremely common but it's rarely inevitable. More often than not, a few small adjustments to your routine and habits make a significant difference without needing to overhaul everything at once. Start with the mistakes that sound most like yours, make one or two changes, and give your skin two to three weeks to respond before reassessing. I promise you’ll notice a significant difference!
