Simple Ways to Winterize Your Skin Care Routine

Next, plan a supplement strategy. You can enhance the moisturizing benefits of your current moisturizer by layering it over a hyaluronic serum, such as L’Oréal Paris Revitalift Derm Intensives Hyaluronic Acid Face Serum ($35, cvs.com) or The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2%+ B5 Hydrating Serum ($10, sephora.com). Hyaluronic acid attracts moisture and pulls it into the skin to plump up lines. You can also restore radiance and a more supple texture by applying a drop or two of facial oil, like Burt’s Bees Facial Oil ($24, walgreens.com) with jojoba, rosehip and evening primrose oils; Summer Fridays Heavenly Sixteen All-In-One Face Oil ($55, kohls.com), a blend that includes olive, grapeseed and prickly pear oils; or Osea Dayglow Face Oil for Sensitive Skin ($58, ulta.com), with argan oil and grapeseed oil, right over your moisturizer (with or without the serum) to lock in its do-good ingredients. Just warm a drop or two between your hands before pressing them to your face on dry areas.

(From left) Olay Regenerist Night Recovery Cream Face Moisturizer, Fragrance-Free; Kiehl’s Since 1851 Ultra Facial Overnight Hydrating Mask with 10.5% Squalane; Skinfix Triple Lipid-Peptide Cream Barrier + Moisturizer with Ceramides; IT Cosmetics Confidence In Your Beauty Sleep Night Cream.

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3. Sleep dry, dehydrated skin away.

Snooze hours are skin rehab. Free of makeup and sunscreen, your face has a chance to address winter dryness and/or dehydration overnight. Dry skin lacks emollients and feels flaky, itchy, tight or rough; dehydrated skin lacks moisture and appears dull, fatigued, lined or saggy. You can have either one or both (many women over 50 do), and continuous cold weather and low humidity don’t help.

Consider putting night creams containing retinol on pause. While effective at reversing sun damage, their exfoliating properties can get in the way of the restorative benefits you need now. Instead, choose creams and balms that emphasize winter-defying ingredients like humectants, hyaluronic acid and glycerin, which plump wrinkles and restore bounce; emollients such as ceramides, lipids, squalane and shea butter that add a cushioned, juicier feel to the skin; and peptides to help reboot collagen for a firmer look. 

Good choices include Olay Regenerist Night Recovery Cream Face Moisturizer, Fragrance-Free ($34, cvs.com), a rich cream with peptides and glycerin; Kiehl’s Since 1851 Ultra Facial Overnight Hydrating Mask with 10.5% Squalane ($45, kohls.com), a cream-to-grease-free oil (you massage it in); and Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Moisturizing Overnight Treatment ($98, ulta.com), a balm with hyaluronic acid, peptides and lipids. Still reluctant to quit your p.m. retinol? Try reducing the frequency and alternating it with one of the above.

Quick reminder: An effective “night cream” does not always have to be labeled as such. Rely on the ingredients! Multipurpose creams, like Skinfix Triple Lipid-Peptide Cream Barrier + Moisturizer With Ceramides ($54, sephora.com) and Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer Fragrance-Free ($17, walgreens.com), with hyaluronic acid, squalane, glycerin and ceramides, have the right stuff to restore all when you’re awake or asleep — and that’s what matters.

(From left) Merit The Uniform Tinted Mineral Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF45; Lancôme UV Expert Supra Screen Invisible Sunscreen serum SPF 50; e.l.f. Suntouchable Invisi-Stick SPF 50

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4. Update your sunscreen and use it.

UVA rays will find you on freezing cold days — rain or shine, or snow — even if you’re driving a car or working indoors in front of a window. Remember, these are the aging rays, the ones that show up as lines, wrinkles, brown spots, discolorations and potential skin cancer. And yet many women still say, “The sun is too weak to do any damage.” So wrong!

First of all, snow and ice act as giant reflectors for UVB rays — the burning ones — so if you’re seriously engaging in sports or outdoor activities, grab an SPF 30+ stick sunscreen, like e.l.f. Suntouchable Invisi-Stick SPF 50 ($15, cvs.com) or Olay Glow & Protect SPF50 Face Sunscreen Stick ($20, walgreens.com), for protection and easy reapplication.

For everyday winter situations at work, home and running errands, add what I call indoor lifestyle sunscreens. Choose those with a beauty-based twist. Some are sun-protecting serums with skin care ingredients. Lancôme UV Expert Supra Screen Invisible Sunscreen serum SPF 50 ($43, macys.com) contains hyaluronic acid, brightening vitamin C and soothing niacinamide and can be worn under or over makeup. 

Others are emollient-based sunscreen-makeup hybrids, like Merit Uniform Tinted Mineral Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF45 ($38, sephora.com), in an impressive 15 skin shades; or marketed as moisturizing tinted sunscreen-primers, like Supergoop! Glow Sunscreen SPF 40 in Sunrise, Dawn, Sunset and Golden Hour ($38, nordstrom.com), with hyaluronic acid and peptides. They seriously protect without feeling heavy or greasy, so you can wear a cashmere turtleneck or suede jacket without worrying about stains. And be sure to wear sunglasses with UVA/UVB protection to shield the sensitive eye area.

(From left) Olay Cleansing & Nourishing Body Wash with Vitamin B3 and Hyaluronic Acid; Sol de Janeiro Delicia Drench Moisturizing Shower Oil for Dry Skin; CeraVe Intensive Moisturizing Cream.

AARP (CVS, Kohl’s, Target)

5. Tweak your shower and bath routine.

Everyone, from your own dermatologist to the American Academy of Dermatology, says that two winter pleasures — long, hot, steamy showers and scented soaks in the tub — can exacerbate dry skin and its itchy, flaky side effects. They suggest short five-minute showers and 15-minute baths with warm — not hot — water. But let’s be honest, most women over 50 tend to disregard this advice.

The solution? Modify your routine. Cut down on water temperature, shorten your shower and bathing time (even shaving five or 10 minutes off helps), and splurge on a few special emollient body care products to sweeten the get-out-faster deal. Swap your basic soap or body wash for a beauty-based formula, like Olay Cleansing & Nourishing Body Wash with Vitamin B3 and Hyaluronic Acid ($15, cvs.com), with skin-loving niacinamide, glycerin and lipids to tackle flakes and dryness, or Sol de Janeiro Delicia Drench Moisturizing Shower Oil for Dry Skin ($26, sephora.com), an oil-to-foam lathering wash with botanical oils. They work like the face cleansers in tip No. 1 to revive and prep skin for body lotion or cream. Then gift your body again by applying a new lotion or cream to towel-blotted, damp skin, which helps lock in moisture. 

Good choices include a rich silky lotion, like Nivea Essentially Enriched 72H Moisture Body Lotion Pump Bottle ($11, walgreens.com), with hyaluronic acid and almond oil; or a whipped body butter, like Saltair Multi-Lipid Replenishing Body Butter in Golden Hour ($21, ulta.com), with ceramides, essential fatty acids, coconut and sea buckthorn oils (it smells like coconut and pineapple, for a tropical feel). For the driest skin on earth, CeraVe Intensive Moisturizing Cream ($20, target.com) is formulated for extra-dry skin with shea butter, ceramides and 5 percent urea, a powerful humectant-emollient that banishes flakes and reduces itching fast.

(From left) Neutrogena Hydro Boost Lip Water Balm in Sheer Ice; Vaseline Cocoa Butter Healing Petroleum Jelly; Aquaphor Healing Ointment Advanced Therapy; Charlotte Tilbury Unreal Skin Sheer Glow Tint Hydrating Foundation Stick.

AARP (CVS; Target, 2; Kohl’s)

6. Get ready for your close-up.

You don’t have to be a celeb on a giant screen for others to see every inch of your face. FaceTime and social media photos do that just fine. However, red noses and parched, cracked lips, created by exposure to cold weather or by a cold or lingering flu, can wreak havoc on anyone’s carefully maintained skin care. Women try to cover up with a bright lipstick and extra concealer, but that tactic often falls flat — the lipstick goes cakey on dry lips and drifts into cracks, and the concealer just looks like cupcake frosting.

Try a twofold plan to heal and conceal. At home and overnight, apply a thick ointment with a petroleum jelly base, such as Vaseline Cocoa Butter Healing Petroleum Jelly ($5, target.com), CeraVe Healing Ointment ($20, walgreens.com) or Aquaphor Healing Ointment Advanced Therapy ($11, cvs.com). The idea is to create a nongreasy, occlusive physical barrier that prevents moisture loss, relieves irritated skin and helps it get back on track.

When going “live” online, switch to a soothing hyaluronic acid-based, tinted moisturizer, like Charlotte Tilbury Unreal Skin Sheer Glow Tint Hydrating Foundation Stick ($46, sephora.com) or Wet n Wild Bare Focus Tinted Hydrator Tinted Skin Veil ($5, walgreens.com), to reduce redness, and a soothing lip balm with ingredients like shea butter, cocoa butter, squalane, hyaluronic acid and vitamin E. Good choices include Sun Bum Mineral Sunscreen Lip Balm SPF 30 ($4, macys.com); Neutrogena Hydro Boost Lip Water Balm in Sheer Ice ($13, cvs.com); or, for a healthy hint of color, try a tint like Lancôme Lip Idôle Squalane — 12 Butterglow Hydrating Lip Balm in 10 Keep It Glowy, 26 Don’t Be Chai or 36 Nude Now  ($32, ulta.com), in light, neutral colors that don’t reveal damaged lip texture.

And remember: Chapped lips are not only painful but compounded by a cycle of licking your lips. Burning, stinging and tingling are signals to check your balms and lip products for any that contain eucalyptus or menthol, or flavors like cinnamon, mint or peppermint, which may irritate already compromised lips.

(From left) Tatcha The Rice Polish Foaming Enzyme Powder in Classic; Dr Teal’s Shea Sugar Body Scrub Citrus; Patchology Rosé Fingers Renewing Hand Mask; DHC Face Wash Powder Cleanser + Enzyme Exfoliator

AARP (Kohl’s, CVS, Macy’s, Target)

7. Give hands, elbows and feet TLC.

The most beautiful moody burgundy manicure can’t make up for hands that are red and irritated. Cozy shearling mules lose their stylish charm when they reveal tough heels that are calloused and cracked. And don’t get me started on crusty elbows, which appear out of nowhere in winter and make wearing trendy elbow-length sweaters a new problem. All three areas respond quickly to protective, softening treatments overnight with occlusive ointments that contain petroleum jelly, such as those in tip No. 6. Before bed, simply cover your hands and feet with clean cotton socks, and wear an old cotton long-sleeved tee to prevent smears and stains on your sheets. 

Add a body scrub to your bath or shower routine to address rough spots on elbows and feet. Now more refined in texture and elevated with emollient ingredients for more slip, formulas like Dove Body Scrub Brown Sugar and Coconut Butter ($10, walgreens.com) and Dr Teal’s Shea Sugar Body Scrub Citrus ($9, cvs.com), with shea butter, orange and avocado oil, smooth and soothe with consistent daily use. Those with extremely delicate skin can also try enzyme-powered face scrubs, such as Tatcha The Rice Polish Foaming Enzyme Powder in Classic ($68, kohls.com) or DHC Face Wash Powder Cleanser + Enzyme Exfoliator ($14, target.com) for an even milder form of polishing. Yes, face scrubs for your body! These water-activated powders transform into a creamy, exfoliating foam that painlessly dissolves crusty skin and flaky skin.

For an emergency fast fix (sandals on a midwinter vacation, or going to a Valentine’s Day party in a bright red manicure and slingbacks), count on one-shot disposable foot and hand masks like Aquaphor Advanced Therapy Repairing Foot Masks, 1 Pair ($7, cvs.com), infused with shea butter, avocado oil and glycerin; or Patchology Rosé Fingers Renewing Hand Mask ($9, macys.com), also pre-infused with shea butter and strawberry oil. All you need are 10 minutes and a quick massage-in of excess product, and you’re good to go.