Winter Care from Head to Toe: Every Part of the Body in One Guide

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The short answer

In winter each part of the body dries out differently, so one cream does not do everything, but you do not need ten products either. Three core rules: a short lukewarm bath with a gentle bar (Cetaphil Gentle Cleansing Bar), moisturiser all over within 3 minutes of the bath (CeraVe Moisturising Lotion for Dry to Very Dry Skin), and at night a thick balm on the driest spots (lips, nose, cuticles, elbows, heels), such as Bioderma Atoderm Intensive Baume. On the face use Cerave Moisturizing Cream For Normal To Dry Skin, sunscreen by day, and on the lips Sebamed Lip Defense SPF30 Cherry Lip Balm. Below, from scalp to heels, each area gets one practical rule and one product, with a link to the detailed guide.

Why each area needs different care

The face has many oil glands; the shins and heels have very few. The lips have none at all. The skin under the eyes is the thinnest on the body, and the heel skin is the thickest. That is why in winter the lips and heels crack first, the under-eye stings, and a heavy cream on the face can cause breakouts. Matching the texture to the area solves half the problem: light where skin is thin, thick where it is thick. For the timing of each step across the day, see the 24-hour winter skincare routine.

Scalp

In winter the scalp dries, sheds small white flakes and itches. Do not wash your hair in hot water; use lukewarm or normal water. Two to three times a week, use a gentle moisturising shampoo such as L'Oréal Paris Elvive Hyaluron + Plump 72H Hydrating Shampoo, rubbing it into the scalp with your fingertips (not your nails), then rinse well. If you oil your hair, do it 1 to 2 hours before washing, not overnight, as overnight oil can feed dandruff. Large, yellow, greasy flakes are dandruff and need different care. Details: itchy scalp in winter and how to get rid of dandruff.

Face

Morning and night, wash with a gentle cleanser and, while the skin is still damp, apply a pea to a fingertip of cream. For dry or normal skin, Cerave Moisturizing Cream For Normal To Dry Skin works well. In the morning, after the cream, apply two finger-lengths of sunscreen such as Cerave Hydrating Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF50, because winter sun still damages skin. Oily skin should pick a light gel-cream. Which moisturiser suits whom is covered in the best moisturisers for dry winter skin.

Lips

Lips cannot make their own oil, so they need balm 4 to 5 times a day. By day, a balm with SPF such as Sebamed Lip Defense SPF30 Cherry Lip Balm; at night, a thick layer of Laneige Lip sleeping mask. Do not lick your lips or peel the skin with your teeth. Details: how to heal chapped lips in winter and why balm alone does not fix chapped lips.

Nose

Wiping a runny nose again and again turns the skin around it red and peeling. Instead of wiping, press gently with a soft tissue. Apply a thin layer of a thick fragrance-free cream such as Purito Mighty Bamboo Panthenol Cream 3 to 4 times a day and before sleep. Do not put anything inside the nose. Details: peeling skin around the nose during a cold.

Under the eyes and eyelids

This is the thinnest skin of all. At night, take a rice-grain amount of fragrance-free cream such as Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream Dry to Very Dry, Sensitive Skin on your ring finger and tap it gently along the bone, not right next to the eye. Do not rub your eyes. Keep strong actives, scrubs and fragranced products away from here. Details: dry, flaky skin under the eyes in winter.

Neck

The neck is as thin as the face, yet most people forget it. When you apply face cream, sweep what is left down onto the neck, and take morning sunscreen down to the neck as well. If a wool muffler itches against the neck, put a cotton scarf or orna underneath. You do not need a separate neck product; the face cream, Cerave Moisturizing Cream For Normal To Dry Skin, is enough.

Hands and nails

After every hand wash, ablution or round of dishes, apply half a pea of thick cream such as Cerave Moisturising Cream For Dry to Very Dry Skin. We do not have a dedicated hand cream on our shelf right now, and this cream works well on hands. At night, rub a little Bioderma Atoderm Intensive Baume into the cuticles, and wear rubber gloves for dishes and laundry. Details: dry, cracked hands and feet in winter and breaking nails and cracked cuticles in winter.

Elbows and knees

Elbows and knees look rough and darker in winter because the skin is thick there and we lean on them often. Once a day after the bath, apply a thin layer of CeraVe SA Lotion for Rough & Bumpy Skin. It contains gentle salicylic acid, which slowly smooths the roughness. Do not use it on cracked or broken skin, and if you are pregnant, talk to your doctor before using it. Do not scrub with pumice. Details: dark, rough elbows, knees and heels in winter.

The whole body

Take a 5 to 10 minute lukewarm bath, with soap only on the underarms, groin and feet, using a gentle bar such as Cetaphil Gentle Cleansing Bar. Pat dry and within 3 minutes apply CeraVe Moisturising Lotion for Dry to Very Dry Skin all over: one teaspoon per arm, two teaspoons per leg. For very dry skin, or a large tub for the family, use Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream for Dry Skin. What to do when the body itches, and when it is more than dryness, is in why the whole body itches in winter. Choosing a lotion is covered in which body lotion is best for winter, and the after-bath rule in the 3-minute rule after a bath.

Heels and feet

Heel skin is thick, and when it dries it cracks deep. To be honest, we do not stock a dedicated heel or foot cream right now. The closest working solution: at night, wash and dry your feet, apply a thick layer of Bioderma Atoderm Intensive Baume or Cerave Moisturising Cream For Dry to Very Dry Skin to the heels, then put on cotton socks. Twice a week, when the skin is soft in the bath, rub the heels gently; never cut them with a blade. Do not put cream between the toes; keep that area dry. Details: cracked heels: the two-step fix and dry hands and cracked heels in winter.

At a glance: what, where, when

Common mistakes

• Using one bottle of perfumed body lotion everywhere, including the face, lips and under the eyes.
• A long hot bath, then cream an hour later.
• Licking the lips, or peeling the skin off the lips or cuticles.
• Scrubbing elbows, knees or heels with pumice or lemon. Why that harms, see home remedies that harm the skin.
• Dropping sunscreen in winter.
• Leaving oil on the scalp overnight.

The Bangladesh reality

In our homes, one tub of Vaseline or one bottle of mustard oil often serves the whole family from face to feet in winter. That is not entirely wrong, but different areas need different things. Where petroleum jelly makes sense and where it does not is in the Vaseline and petroleum jelly guide, and mustard oil is covered in the mustard oil guide. On a tight budget, start with three things: a gentle bar, one body lotion or cream that also works on hands and feet, and a lip balm. Add a face cream and sunscreen later. Short answers about every body area are together on the Winter FAQ: body areas page.

When to see a doctor

If any of these happen, stop switching creams and see a doctor or dermatologist:

• Cracks in the heels or fingers are bleeding, red, swollen or have pus, especially if you have diabetes.
• The skin around a nail is swollen with pus, or a nail turns yellow, thick and crumbly.
• Thick, silvery, scaly patches on the scalp, or hair falling out in round patches.
• Severe itching at night with others at home itching too, or round patches that keep growing.
• Red, scaly or weeping patches that keep coming back.
• Cracks at the corners of the mouth that have not healed in two weeks.
• A red, painful eye or trouble seeing.
• Any area still cracking or itching after two to three weeks of steady care.

For children or during pregnancy, check with a doctor before starting any new product.

Why buy authentic

On the lips, under the eyes and on cracked heels, the unknown chemicals in a fake product do the most harm. TheSkinProof is an invoice-verified skincare marketplace: we check the source invoice for every product. If a product is proven counterfeit you get 2× your money back, with claims made within 7 days of delivery. We deliver across Bangladesh, and cash on delivery is available.