Why does my skin get so dry in winter? If your hands feel tight by mid-morning, your shins are flaky by the evening and your face stings when you step outside, the answer is not that your skin has suddenly changed. It is that winter changes the air around it, twice over. Cold air outside holds very little moisture, and the central heating that warms your home dries the air further. Together they pull water out of the outer layer of your skin faster than it can be replaced, while hot showers and harsh soaps strip away the oily barrier that normally holds moisture in. That combination is why skin that was fine in September can feel rough, tight and itchy by November.
Dry skin is one of the most common winter complaints, and for most people it is not a sign of a skin condition. It is a sign that the skin barrier needs more help than usual. This article explains what that barrier is, why winter is so hard on it, what actually helps, what to avoid, and the warning signs that mean a GP should take a look. Everything here follows NHS guidance, and where the sources differ, that is flagged rather than smoothed over.
What dry skin actually is
Your skin is made up of many layers, and together they form a natural barrier that protects your body from the outside world. To help protect the outer layer from losing water, your skin produces an oily substance called sebum. If the skin does not have enough sebum, it loses water and feels dry. That is the whole mechanism, and it explains why almost every piece of winter skin advice comes back to the same two ideas: stop stripping the oil away, and replace the moisture that is lost.
Dry skin usually shows itself in a familiar pattern. The skin feels rough or tight, sometimes it itches, small flakes come away, or cracks appear. The hands, face, shins and elbows tend to suffer first, because they are the most exposed to cold air, or the most washed. The NHS notes that dry skin is a common condition which most of us will experience at some point, and that it is more common in the winter months. It also notes that decreased production of sebum is often a factor in older people, which is one reason winter dryness can feel worse with age.
It is worth saying plainly that most winter dryness is not eczema and not an allergy. For many people it simply means they need to moisturise more regularly. The line between ordinary dryness and a skin condition is part of what this article covers below, because knowing which side of it you are on decides whether a tub of emollient is enough or whether a pharmacist or GP should be involved.
Why winter is the worst season for skin
Winter attacks the skin barrier from both sides of the front door. Outside, cold air holds very little moisture, and wind makes things worse by evaporating water from the surface of the skin. The NHS lists frequent exposure to wind and sun as a cause of dry skin, because it can evaporate water from the skin and leave the surface feeling itchy and dry. Inside, central heating warms the air and dries it further. The NHS lists environmental conditions that increase water loss, such as very hot, dry weather or central heating, among the common causes of dry skin, and an NHS trust page on mild dry skin puts it directly: during winter our bodies are exposed to more extreme temperatures as well as the drying effects of central heating.
The swings matter as much as the cold itself. Going from a cold street into a warm room, or from a hot shower into a cold bedroom, is hard on skin that is already dry. The NHS lists heat and changes in temperature as triggers for eczema flare-ups, and the same swings leave ordinary skin tight and reactive. A cold, damp winter day is kinder to your skin than a cold, dry one followed by hours in a centrally heated room, because it is dryness, not the temperature on the thermometer, that does the damage.
There is one more winter factor that surprises people: the heating is often doing more damage than the weather. Heated indoor air is frequently drier than the air outside, and you spend most of your winter hours breathing it and sitting in it. That is why skin can feel worse in the evening, after a full day indoors, than it does after a short walk outside. Adding a little humidity back into a room helps, and the NHS suggests a simple version of it: placing a damp towel on a warm radiator. It is a small step, and it is one of the few fixes that costs nothing.
The hot shower trap
It is natural to want a long, hot shower on a cold morning. It is also one of the fastest ways to strip the skin barrier. Hot water and soap dissolve sebum, the oily layer that holds moisture in, and the longer and hotter the shower, the more of it goes down the drain. The NHS lists excessive bathing, showering, scrubbing the skin while washing, and harsh soaps that dissolve the protective layer of sebum among the common causes of dry skin, and its prevention advice is direct: reduce the length of your bath or shower, and avoid harsh soaps and bubble baths.
The fix is not to stop washing. It is to wash more gently. Use warm water rather than hot, keep showers short, and use a soap substitute or a gentle cleanser instead of a strongly perfumed soap or shower gel. Emollients can be used as a soap substitute: mix a small amount in the palm of your hand with a little warm water and spread it over damp or dry skin. Pat the skin dry with a soft towel afterwards rather than rubbing it, because rubbing takes off more of the barrier you are trying to protect, and moisturise straight away, while the skin is still slightly damp. The NHS advice is to apply an emollient as soon as you have patted your skin dry, because that is when the skin most needs moisture.
Hands deserve a special mention, because they are washed more than any other part of the body in winter, and they are the part most exposed to the cold. The NHS advises applying emollient regularly to the hands and face in particular, because they are exposed to the elements more than any other part of the body. If your hands are cracking, the cause is usually the combination of frequent washing and cold air, not a single bad product, and the answer is the same combination in reverse: gentler washing, gloves outside, and emollient after every wash.
What actually helps: emollients done properly
An emollient is a moisturising treatment applied directly to the skin to soothe and hydrate it. The NHS describes emollients as covering the skin with a protective film to trap in moisture, and says they are often used to help manage dry, itchy or scaly skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis and ichthyosis. They are readily available to buy from supermarkets or pharmacies, and they can be used as a moisturiser or as a soap substitute. The important point is what an emollient does: it slows moisture loss from the surface. It does not feed the skin from the outside. That is why how you use it matters as much as which one you buy.
The first rule is frequency. The NHS says emollients can be applied as often as you like to keep the skin well moisturised and in good condition, and that ideally this should be done at least 3 or 4 times a day. Cold weather can dry your skin out more, so you may need to apply it more in winter. Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust puts the same point plainly: you might need to apply emollients more in the winter, because cold weather can dry your skin out more, and you can use emollients to create a barrier from the cold. Most people use far less emollient than they actually need, and the usual reason a moisturiser seems not to work is that it was applied once a day, thinly, to fully dry skin.
The second rule is timing. Emollients are best applied after washing your hands, taking a bath or showering, because that is when the skin most needs moisture, and they should be applied as soon as you have patted your skin dry, so they are properly absorbed. Applying moisturiser within a few minutes of a shower, while the skin is still slightly damp, locks in moisture far more effectively than applying it to fully dry skin hours later. If you only moisturise once a day, make it the one straight after your morning wash.
The third rule is technique. Emollients should be smoothed, not rubbed, into the skin gently, in the same direction that your hair grows, which helps prevent hair follicles getting blocked. Do not rub them in. Leave a thin layer to soak in for about 10 minutes. If your emollient is in a tub, do not scoop it out with your fingers, because that can add bacteria to the tub. Use a clean spoon or a spatula, or choose a pump dispenser instead. Wash your hands before applying, and do not share products.
The fourth rule is choosing the right thickness. Lotions are thin, spread easily and are the least moisturising, because they contain the most water and the least oil. Creams are thicker, absorb quickly and suit daytime use. Ointments are the thickest and greasiest, and they hold moisture in best, which makes them a good fit for very dry skin and for night-time. The NHS advises that you may need to try several products before finding one that suits you, and that a doctor or pharmacist can advise. The British Association of Dermatologists recommends speaking to your pharmacist for advice on moisturisers, and states that just because a cream is more expensive does not mean that it is better than cheaper ones. Price is not a guide to quality here, and a pharmacist will usually point you to the cheapest option that does the job.
One useful sense of scale comes from NHS hospital guidance on treating the whole body: approximately 600 grams per week for an adult, and 250 to 500 grams per week for a child. That is a lot more than most people use, and it is a reminder that emollients work by coverage. A pea-sized dab on a dry shin is not doing the job. If you are treating a large area, be generous, and if you run out quickly, that is a sign you are finally using enough.
A simple winter skin routine
You do not need a ten-step routine or expensive products. The routine below follows NHS self-care advice, and it is built around the four rules above: gentle washing, moisturising straight after, protecting exposed skin outdoors, and a little extra humidity indoors.
Start the day with a short, lukewarm shower rather than a long, hot one, and use a gentle cleanser or an emollient as a soap substitute instead of a strongly perfumed shower gel. Pat yourself dry and apply emollient straight away, while the skin is still slightly damp. Smooth it in the direction of hair growth and leave a thin layer to soak in. A cream suits the morning, because it absorbs quickly and you can dress over it.
Before you go outside, cover the skin that meets the weather. Gloves for the hands, a scarf for the lower face, and a layer over the shins on a cold day. Apply a little extra emollient to the hands and face before you leave, since they are the parts most exposed to the elements. If your hands are already cracked, wear cotton gloves under outdoor gloves for an extra layer of protection, and apply emollient again when you come back inside.
During the day, reapply emollient whenever your skin feels dry or tight. Keep a small tube at work or school, because the NHS notes that many people find it helpful to keep separate supplies of emollients at work or school. Hands need it after every wash, so keep the tube next to the sink rather than in a bathroom cabinet you never open. A cream during the day and an ointment at night is a combination many dermatology teams recommend, because the ointment can sit undisturbed while you sleep.
In the evening, keep the house comfortable rather than hot. Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust advises keeping the house at a comfortable 18 degrees Celsius when managing eczema, and the same logic applies to ordinary dry skin: overheating the rooms dries the air further. A damp towel on a warm radiator adds a little humidity back. Before bed, apply a thicker layer of ointment to the driest areas and let it soak in. If your skin itches at night, resist scratching, which breaks the barrier further, and apply emollient instead.
Two lifestyle points from NHS self-care advice are worth including, because they are easy to overlook. Drink plenty of water, and stop smoking. Smoking reduces blood flow to the skin and slows healing, and the NHS lists stopping smoking among the lifestyle changes that can help treat and prevent dry skin.
When dry skin is eczema, or something else
Most winter dryness settles with regular moisturising within a week or two. If it does not, or if there is redness, weeping, or a pattern in specific areas such as the creases of the elbows and knees, that points towards eczema rather than simple dryness. Straightforward dry skin generally responds well to regular moisturising. Eczema does not, or not fully, because the skin barrier itself is not working properly, letting water out and irritants and bacteria in. Using a moisturiser helps repair the barrier and protects it, but eczema often needs more than moisturiser alone, and that is a reason to speak to a pharmacist or GP rather than buying stronger products on your own.
Winter is a known season for eczema flare-ups. Research at the University of Bristol, published in Clinical and Experimental Dermatology in September 2023, found that UK children with eczema had more prominent symptoms in the colder winter and fewer symptoms in the warmer summer, with some evidence that cold weather increased the risk of a flare-up. Patient surveys show many people with eczema experience a worsening linked to seasonal changes in the weather. The seasonal shift can cause skin to dry out and be more prone to a flare-up, with symptoms such as cracking, soreness, bleeding and blistering. If you already have a skin condition, winter’s combination of dry air, heating and hot water does not just add ordinary dryness on top. It tends to make the underlying condition itself flare, so people with eczema need to use their emollients more frequently when the weather changes.
Other causes are worth knowing about, because they change what you should do next. Contact dermatitis is a reaction to a product or material that touches the skin, and the NHS notes that dry skin is often linked to atopic eczema or contact dermatitis. If dryness started after you changed a soap, detergent or laundry product, that is a clue worth mentioning to a pharmacist. Dry skin can also be a feature of other conditions, including an underactive thyroid, and the NHS lists it among the symptoms of perimenopause and menopause. A rash or irritation that does not respond to basic emollient care after a couple of weeks is worth having properly assessed rather than escalating to stronger products on your own. It may not be simple winter dryness at all.
The fire warning nobody mentions
There is one safety point about emollients that almost never appears on the tub, and it matters in winter, when candles, fires and heaters are all in use. Emollients can soak into clothing, bedding and dressings, and that residue is a fire hazard. The NHS is direct about it: keep emollients away from fire, flames and cigarettes, whether the product contains paraffin or not. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has issued safety warnings on this specifically, because there is a risk of severe and fatal burns with all emollients, and the risk applies whether or not the product contains paraffin.
The practical steps are simple. Do not smoke while using emollients, and do not sit close to a naked flame, a gas fire or a heater with emollient on your skin or soaked into your clothes. Wash bedding and clothing regularly, which reduces but does not fully remove the residue. This is not a reason to stop using emollients. It is a reason to treat them like any other product that soaks into fabric: useful, safe when used sensibly, and kept away from flames.
When to see a GP
Most winter dry skin is a self-care problem, and a pharmacist is often the best first port of call. The British Association of Dermatologists recommends speaking to your pharmacist for advice on moisturisers, and pharmacists can advise on which emollient to try and how much to use. But there are lines where self-care stops and a GP should be involved.
See your GP if your itchy, dry skin is affecting your daily life, does not get better with self-care, or keeps coming back. The same applies if it is all over your body, if it is severe, or if it is linked to a new rash, lump or swelling that you are worried about. NHS guidance on mild dry skin is specific: widespread dry, cracked, itchy skin which persists beyond two weeks should be seen by your GP. A GP can check whether the cause is eczema or something else, prescribe creams, lotions or tablets depending on what is causing the problem, and refer you to a skin specialist, a dermatologist, if needed.
Get same-day advice if the skin is oozing, crusted, spreading redness, or accompanied by fever, because that may mean the skin is infected and needs a different kind of treatment entirely, not more moisturiser. Do not wait for a routine appointment in that case. Call your GP practice or NHS 111, and describe the skin as well as the fever, so the urgency is clear.
Winter dry skin is, for most people, a maintenance problem rather than a medical one. Cold air and central heating strip moisture from the skin, hot showers and harsh soaps strip the oil that holds moisture in, and the fix is unglamorous but reliable: wash gently, moisturise generously and often, protect the skin outdoors, and add a little humidity back indoors. Do that consistently for a fortnight and most winter skin feels like itself again. If it does not, that is useful information in itself, and it is worth taking to a pharmacist or a GP.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my skin get so dry in winter?
Cold air outside holds very little moisture, and central heating warms the air inside and dries it further. Together they pull water out of the outer layer of your skin. Hot showers and harsh soaps strip away sebum, the oily substance that normally holds moisture in, and wind evaporates water from the surface of the skin. The NHS lists central heating, wind, excessive bathing and harsh soaps among the common causes of dry skin, and notes that dry skin is more common in the winter months.
How often should I moisturise dry skin in winter?
The NHS says emollients can be applied as often as you like, and that ideally this should be done at least 3 or 4 times a day, with particular attention to the hands and face. Cold weather can dry your skin out more, so you may need to apply it more in winter. Apply emollient as soon as you have patted your skin dry after washing, bathing or showering, because that is when the skin most needs moisture, and reapply whenever the skin feels dry or tight.
Is a cream, ointment or lotion best for winter dry skin?
A cream or ointment is usually a better choice than a lotion for genuinely dry winter skin. Lotions contain the most water and the least oil, so they are the least moisturising. Creams contain more oil and absorb quickly, so they suit daytime use. Ointments are the thickest and greasiest and hold moisture in best, which makes them a good fit for very dry skin and for night-time. The NHS advises that you may need to try several products before finding one that suits you, and that a pharmacist can advise. The British Association of Dermatologists notes that a more expensive cream is not necessarily better than a cheaper one.
Can central heating really dry out my skin?
Yes. Heating dries the indoor air, which speeds up water loss from the skin. The NHS lists central heating among the common causes of dry skin, and an NHS trust page on mild dry skin notes that winter brings both more extreme temperatures and the drying effects of central heating. Keep rooms comfortable rather than hot, add a little humidity with a damp towel on a warm radiator, sit away from radiators where you can, and moisturise after washing.
When should I see a GP about dry skin?
See your GP if widespread dry, cracked, itchy skin persists beyond two weeks despite self-care, if it affects your daily life, if it keeps coming back, if it is all over your body or severe, or if it is linked to a new rash, lump or swelling you are worried about. Get same-day advice if the skin is oozing, crusted, spreading redness, or accompanied by fever, because that may mean infection. A GP can check whether the cause is eczema or something else and prescribe treatment or refer you to a dermatologist if needed.
Related reading
- Why Do I Keep Getting Nosebleeds in Winter?
- Why Do I Keep Getting Cold Sores?
- Why Do My Fingers Go White in the Cold?
Sources
- NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, Mild dry skin, https://www.shropshiretelfordandwrekin.nhs.uk/self-care/mild-dry-skin/
- NHS 111 Wales, Emollients, https://111.wales.nhs.uk/emollients/ (page last updated 31 July 2025)
- Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, Emollients and how to use them, https://www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/health-information/emollients-and-how-use-them
- Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Eczema, https://www.newcastle-hospitals.nhs.uk/resources/eczema/ (page last updated 10 November 2026)
- NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board, Visit your local pharmacy this winter for dry skin, https://blackcountry.icb.nhs.uk/news-and-events/latest-news/dry-skin
- The Independent Pharmacist, Caring for skin during winter, https://www.independentpharmacist.co.uk/clinical/caring-for-skin-during-winter
