The Best Skin Care for Dry Skin in Winter Includes This Five Minute Moisturizer Hack

I live in New York City and as is customary for everyone living in the Northeast, it is my obligation to exclaim—rather loudly—just how cold it is here during the winter any chance that I get. As much fun as it is to see snow on the ground and really get into the holiday spirit, the dryness of the air can wreak havoc on the skin. Add in the fact that I'm getting married in a few weeks and have gone back to a strict skin care routine that includes using tretinoin for a minimum of four days a week, it's safe to say that my skin is dryer than it’s been in a while. It's time to turn to the best skin care for dry skin in the winter.

Thankfully, I work with some legitimate icons and Marie Claire’s Beauty Director, Hannah Baxter, has a timely technique that she claims will banish dehydated winter skin in just five minutes. “[For this hack] I pile on a ton of moisturizer and give it about five minutes to sink into my skin,” she says in an Instagram time lapse video, showing the product gradually disappearing over the allotted time. In the end, she rubs in any leftover product and shows off a serious glow, which is a feat for someone with self-proclaimed “really dry” skin.

“This is an amazing trick for dry and dehydrated skin,” esthetician and founder of Stalle Studio, Elizabeth Grace Hand, says. “Even oily skin can be dehydrated, especially in the cold and winter months.” That being said, this isn’t a trick that you should do every day, especially if you have oily skin. “I would limit it to two times per week,” Hand says. “Think of it more like a hydrating mask.” If you experience acne, follow the same cadence, but make sure that you’re sticking to a non-comedogenic moisturizer.

Because my face has legitimately reached the point where I can see it peeling, (seriously, don’t look too closely at the corners of my nose) I decided that it’s time for me to give this technique a whirl. All it takes is applying your usual hydrating serums (anything with hyaluronic acid is a good idea) and then piling on plenty of moisturizer for dry skin—more than your face and neck can absorb right away. Then you wait! Five minutes is usually enough time for your dehydrated pores to drink in the moisturizer.

Keep scrolling to watch the moisturizer sink in and see my final result.

In conclusion, the proof is in the pudding and you can see how well this hack worked for me. Just for fun, I put on a touch of makeup—my favorite full-coverage concealer—the Anastasia Beverly Hills Magic Touch—and as I expected, it glided across my skin like butter. So for my makeup lovers out there, this is your sign to use this hack to properly prep your skin before doing a full face beat.

“This is an amazing trick because it gives the skin extra hydration, plumps it, and leaves an occlusive film on top that not only gives the skin an amazing glow but also protects it throughout the day, preventing more dryness,” Hand says. “It’s a must for getting through that cold winter air.”

Keep scrolling to see a few of our favorite moisturizers to use with this dry skin technique, and let’s all take a moment to thank the beauty aficionados that come up with hacks like this to continuously save our skin.

Shop the Best Skin Care for Dry Skin In Winter

Meet the Expert

Elizabeth Grace Hand

Elizabeth Grace Hand is the founder of Stalle Studios and an Esthetician.