Why does skin get dry in winter, and what actually helps?

"Due to the drop in temperature and lack of humidity, our skin can have a difficult time retaining moisture." That is the American Academy of Dermatology's one-line explanation of winter skin (AAD news release, 31 Jan 2023), and it is behind most of the questions people ask once the heat goes on.

Office Hours takes real questions, asked in public, and answers them plainly. Each question below is quoted as it was asked, with where it was asked in the sources.

"Why does my skin get so dry in winter, and what actually helps?"

Asked as the headline of a Doctify article, 12 Oct 2026.

Two things at once: the air outside and the air inside. Cold air holds less moisture, and the AAD notes that "turning up the furnace or lighting the fireplace creates dry heat and takes moisture out of the air."

What helps is mostly about what goes on and when. The AAD says to use "an ointment or cream because they are more effective and less irritating than lotions," and to apply it right after washing, because it traps the moisture already in your skin. Its dry skin tips (updated 2 Jan 2026) add two more: choose products labeled fragrance-free, and boost the humidity at home with a humidifier. The 2023 release specifically suggests a filtered, cool-mist humidifier in the bedroom.

If you are not sure whether your skin is dry, oily or both, how to tell your skin type walks through it.

"Do hot showers dry your skin?"

Asked as the headline of a WYTV report, 21 Feb 2026.

Yes, and the AAD's fix is specific: "Limit baths and showers to five to ten minutes, using warm water" (AAD, updated 2 Jan 2026). Its winter release says the same in fewer words: warm water instead of hot, to keep dry skin from getting worse. WYTV's report put the best temperature, according to doctors, at "lukewarm to warm, around 100 degrees."

The answer is ten: five to ten minutes, warm water. Then the timing that matters most: the AAD says to apply moisturizer while your skin is still damp after a shower or bath, which its winter release explains traps the moisture already in your skin.

"Can you actually be addicted to lip balm?"

Asked as the headline of a Stylist article, 19 Aug 2020.

Not physically. Cleveland Clinic dermatologist Dr. Melissa Piliang says lip balm is not addictive in that sense, but "it can definitely be habit-forming" (Cleveland Clinic, 13 Oct 2023). The more useful part of her answer is why some people feel they need more and more: certain ingredients, including phenol, menthol and salicylic acid, can dry lips out, so they feel chapped again soon after, and scents and flavorings can irritate. "These ingredients dry out the skin and can leave it feeling more chapped, so less is better."

The AAD's list of what to skip on dry, chapped lips is longer: camphor, eucalyptus, flavorings (cinnamon, citrus, mint and peppermint especially), fragrance, lanolin, menthol, octinoxate or oxybenzone, phenol, propyl gallate and salicylic acid. Its list of what to look for includes castor seed oil, ceramides, dimethicone, hemp seed oil, mineral oil, petrolatum, shea butter and white petroleum jelly, plus a lip balm with SPF 30 or higher outdoors. Two habits make it worse: licking your lips, and picking or biting them.

Where we differ: petrolatum, white petroleum jelly and mineral oil are on that list because they seal in moisture well. Even so, we don't recommend them. They are petroleum-derived, and we leave them out of everything we sell for their possible health and environmental effects. From the AAD's own list, shea butter, castor seed oil, hemp seed oil and ceramides are the ones we would reach for, and for SPF outdoors, a mineral one.

A lip balm is a product like any other, so the label check in how to read a skincare label applies to it too.

"Do I need to change my skin routine when the weather changes?"

Asked of dermatologist Dr. Ramya Kollipara in a D Magazine winter skincare Q&A (January 2023, per the page address).

Not much. The basics stay: a gentle cleanser, a moisturizer and sunscreen. What can change in winter is texture and timing. The AAD's advice is a cream or ointment over a lotion if skin feels dry, put on right after washing.

Oily skin is not the exception: The Moisturizer File goes through why oily skin still needs moisturizer. And sunscreen does not go away with the summer: snow reflects up to 80 percent of the sun's UV light, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation (14 Nov 2024), so ski and snow days count.

The Live Free routine is the same in January as in July, with prices checked in our store on 30 Oct 2026:

No fragrance appears in the ingredient list of any of the three, which matters here because the AAD's dry skin tips point to fragrance-free products. What order to apply skincare in covers how much of each, and how sunscreen works covers the fourth step.

Questions people ask

Why does skin get drier in winter?

Because the air is drier. The American Academy of Dermatology says the drop in temperature and lack of humidity make it hard for skin to hold moisture, and that indoor heat from a furnace or fireplace takes even more moisture out of the air. Its advice is a cream or ointment after washing, warm rather than hot showers, and a humidifier at home.

How long should a shower be if you have dry skin?

Five to ten minutes, in warm water, according to the American Academy of Dermatology's dry skin tips (updated 2 Jan 2026). The AAD also says to moisturize while skin is still damp after a shower or bath, because it traps the moisture already in your skin.

What should you avoid in a lip balm for chapped lips?

The American Academy of Dermatology lists camphor, eucalyptus, flavorings such as cinnamon, citrus, mint and peppermint, fragrance, lanolin, menthol, octinoxate or oxybenzone, phenol, propyl gallate and salicylic acid. Its list of what to use includes petrolatum and mineral oil, which we don't recommend for their possible health and environmental effects. We'd choose a balm built on shea butter, castor seed oil, hemp seed oil or ceramides, with a mineral SPF outdoors.

Do you still need sunscreen in winter?

Yes. The Skin Cancer Foundation says snow reflects up to 80 percent of the sun's UV light and that UV exposure rises 4 to 5 percent with every 1,000 feet above sea level. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends a broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher and extra caution near snow.