The Only Winter Self Care Shower Routine & Tips You NEED

Creating the perfect winter self care shower routine is important for the season.

During the winter, your skin is more likely to be dry, cracked and feel rough. This guide will help you create daily routines that work for you. You can mix and match the products depending on your favorite scents or skin care needs.

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My Go to Warm & Cozy Winter Self Care Shower Routine 

This routine is all about smelling amazing and feeling cozy. As long as I moisturize, my skin will not feel dry. I usually prefer to use body butters and creams during this time of the year:

What is the best skin care for the winter season?

The best winter skin care routine will incorporate the following tips: 

6 Simple and Easy Winter Skin & Self Care Shower Routine Tips 

1. Incorporate a Hydrating Cleanser 

Regular cleansers might strip your skin way too much. 

Test out gentle but hydrating cleansers, on your body, hair and face. This will help put back much needed moisture into your skin, while also giving you a great cleanse. 

2. Switch to Thicker Moisturizers 

The best skincare for the wintertime is extremely moisturizing and healing products. The cold weather causes our skin to dry up, feel dull and potentially even crack. Swap out lotions for creams and thicker, more moisturizing products. This includes body butters and moisturizing creams.

It is also best to use thicker creams and butters daily after your shower, while your skin is still damp, to lock in the moisture.

3. Invest in a Humidifier 

Humidifiers help to put moisture back into the dry winter atmosphere. Dry air can cause your skin to feel rough (and DRY of course) and can damage your skin barrier.

Humidifiers help to reverse this process by replacing the missing moisture in the air.

You can also try a face mist & steamer, which is more affordable than a humidifier.

4. Reduce the Frequency of Retinols and Exfoliators 

If you are experiencing more dryness than usual, lay off the retinols and exfoliators.

You can continue to use them, but you may need to reduce the frequency of when you apply them.

A great method would be to use skin cycling instead of daily use of these products. Here are the steps: 

Skin Cycling Step-by-Step Guide

Day 1: Cleanser + Retinol + Moisturizer + Healing Ointment 

Day 2: Cleanser + Exfoliator + Moisturizer + Healing Ointment 

Day 3: Cleanser + Hyaluronic Acid Serum + Moisturizer + Healing Ointment 

Day 4: Cleanser + Hyaluronic Acid Serum + Moisturizer + Healing Ointment 

After day 4, you repeat the process over again and start back at day 1. 

5. Repair your skin barrier 

It’s very helpful to use a healing ointment on top of your moisturizer to help repair your skin’s barrier, such as Cerve’s Healing Ointment (my favorite that I use every night!).

The cold weather and harsh winds are known to damage the skin barrier.

A healthy skin barrier will leave your face feeling soft, supple and plump. If your skin feels rough or dry, that may be a sign of a damaged skin barrier. 

6. Use sunscreen 

During the wintertime, many people think they should ditch the sunscreen because the sun is not out for as long and we are less likely to be exposed to the sun.

However, even if you get morning and early afternoon sun exposure, you should protect your skin from sun damage by continuing your sunscreen routine. 

What skincare products do I need in winter?

In the wintertime, the most important skincare products need are:

1. Cleansers – one each for your face, body and hair
2. Moisturizers – this includes thicker lotions, body butters and creams, one each for your face body and hair 
3. Healing Ointments – this is mainly for your face, but you can also use it on your body. My favorite skin barrier repairer that I use religiously is Cerave’s Healing Ointment. 

How can I get glowing skin in winter?

To achieve a glowing complexion in the winter, focus on making sure that your skin is moisturized to avoid the dull look. Then you can also add body shimmers on top of your body butters and creams: such as Anastasia Beverly Hills’ Shimmer Body Oil and Supergoop’s Glow Oil. 

Best Themed Winter Self Care Shower Routines:

The following routines are fun themed shower routines, whether you want to focus on a cozy winter bath or a champagne toast theme for New Year’s Eve.

How to Smell Like Brown Sugar & Cookie – Scented Self Care Shower Routine

How to Smell Like Christmas – Themed Self Care Shower Routine

Champagne Toast Self Care Shower Routine