With colder winter months come impossibly dry skin and stubborn, static riddled hair. We’re bundling up in heavy wool coats, tightly wrapped scarves, mittens and cozy knit toques all to come inside to crackling fires and cranked radiators. We are stripping our bodies of hydration at every turn!

Each season, as I’m slathering on hand lotion for the umpteenth time that day, I vow next year will be different. Well, I’ve done my research and I’ve put together my top five suggestions for winning the battle of dry skin and frizzy hair.

Keep Hydrated

Apple cider, eggnog lattes, candy cane tea… the list goes on. After all the fun holiday drinks—looking at you, Starbucks—it’s a struggle to get back on track and it’s easy to forget to consume enough water throughout the day. Couple that with all the after work drinks, Christmas parties and get-togethers we had, we easily consumed more alcohol than usual over the holidays. What you’re looking at is a recipe for dehydration that quickly shows on your skin!

When the cold weather snaps, I carry around a thermos of hot water with lemon and sip it throughout the day. It keeps me hydrated and warms my body from the inside out! I can’t recommend S’well bottles enough. They come in every fun color, print, sparkle you could want and they keep things warm and cold for 24 hours. P.S. These make great gifts anytime of the year!

Switch up your Shower Routine

 As someone who can’t get warm once I have a chill, a shower is my only salvation! Coming in from the cold all I want to jump into the shower to raise my body temp. This year I’ve made a commitment to changing my shower routine for the betterment of my skin and hair! Limiting myself to one shower a day and at a cooler—yet still tolerable—temperature. There are a few reasons for this and you probably already know them but they’re a good reminder

1.) Too many (or too long) showers will dry out your skin 2.) Too hot water dries out your skin and

3.) if you actually rinse the conditioner out of your hair with a cooler temp it leaves all the moisturizing goodness in tact, rather than stripping away all the amazing reasons you use conditioner in the first place!

I know this seems like common sense but it’s definitely a struggle to make this commitment. Challenge yourself! Bonus: the less hot water you consume; the more cash you will save!

To save myself from having a too long shower, I’ve made myself a three song shower playlist. I blast my tunes and when the song is over, the water goes off. I’m currently listening to The Weeknd’s new album, Starboy and Bruno Mars 24k Magic!

Up your Moisturizer Game 

I was super hesitant to switch to a face oil at first. I was worried it would be too heavy or sit on top of my skin rather than sink in. Éminence Organics makes a wonderfully light yet deeply moisturizing Facial Recovery Oil. It sinks in quickly and you don’t need a lot so it goes quite far. The sage leaf extract helps to even out skin tone as well. I also include a 2-3x weekly treatment with La Biosthetique’s Masque Hydro-Sesitif. It’s Blackcurrant Seed oil and plankton extract help to soothe skin while reducing the size of my pores!

 Don’t forget about the under eye and lips—they’re just as exposed to the harsh cold and being thinner by nature, are often the first to show the effects of dehydration! I typically apply under eye and lip treatment before bed, at this time of year I double down and give them some love in the mornings as well! I love Kiehl’s new cooling, protective lip treatment with restorative eucalyptus, ultra-hydrating Cactus Flower, and invigorating Tibetan Ginseng, that helps to mend cracking lips and maintain healthy moisture lip. I’m obsessed with La Biosthetique’s under eye gel patches that go on cool and smooth and leave your skin completely plumped up with an instant lifting effect. I have both of these in my purse at ALL times and let me tell you they sure come in handy when I’m travelling!

Pack A Prepared Purse

Remember when the only ‘travel-sized’ items you could find were the one or two drugstore brands? Now, every trip to the Sephora checkout is a test not to buy everything mini! I make sure I add a few additional winter-ific minis to my bag to make sure I am prepared for absolutely every winter conundrum.

Hair Spray— Bumble and Bumble Does it All Hair Spray not a stiff hair spray but perfect for taming the after hat frizz!

Hand cream—I love Kheil’s Ultimate Strength Hand Salve, easily an addiction!

Face refresher—Evian Mineral Water spray a must have for the car, office, home and in your bag!

Eye drops—I keep a bottle of Visine Original Red in my bag because sometimes with the heat cranked in the car or at the office, it’s easy for eyes to feel dry and tired!

Don a Braid

The season of the toque is officially in full swing. One thing I can’t stand is dealing with hat hair. Maybe it’s just me but I always take my hat off when I get to a friend’s home. I know, I know, it’s a little old school but it’s ingrained in me! Anyways, in addition to keeping my purse prepped with everything to revive limp hair, I usually don a hat friendly hairstyle underneath my chapeau.

I frequently wear a loose chunky braid I pull to the side. I love this style like what Amber Fillerup Clark has done above because it keeps my hair from being tangled from my scarf and it’s easy to shake out the braid and tousle in some texture spray to give it messy waves—I use La Biosthetique Powder Spray.

If I’m looking to keep my hair down, I’ll pull up a very small section of hair from all around my part and wrap it into a loose bun with a kink-free tie—I like Invisibobble. This small bun stays under the hat and when the hat comes off I pull out the tie and let that top, unkinked layer flow over the flat hat hair!

Would love to hear from you! Was this helpful? Which tips are you going to use?

Natalie xx

Images by Allison Kuhl Photography 

Hair + Makeup by Red Carpet Ready by Christina

Clothing by Lole Women