Sensitive skin in winter: what actually changes
Temperature swings, heating and scalding showers. Three simple corrections worth more than any new cream.
From November onwards three things change at once: the air outside turns dry and cold, indoor heating drops the humidity, and the shower goes up ten degrees. Sensitive skin reacts to all three.
The corrections that matter
Turn the water temperature down. Very hot water dissolves the lipids in the skin barrier. A short, lukewarm shower does more for dry skin than any bath oil.
Add humidity to the air, not only to the skin. A humidifier in the bedroom overnight reduces morning redness more than you would expect.
Move to richer textures, without changing everything. There is no need to rebuild the routine: swap the moisturiser for a more occlusive version and leave the rest alone.
What not to do
Do not increase exfoliation because the skin is “flaking”. That flaking is a damaged barrier, not an excess of dead cells: exfoliating it makes things worse.
And do not drop sunscreen. Snow reflects light, a grey sky does not stop UVA, and days in the mountains are among the harshest of the year.
