As puffy parkas and cozy wool sweaters make their debut this winter, you might find something else returning for the season…dry skin. If so, you’re not the only one! From rough hands to chapped lips to flakiness on your face and body, dry skin in winter can be downright uncomfortable, but having the right moisturizer on hand can make all the difference. We’ll help you learn how to navigate your cold-weather skin woes as we tackle these frequently asked questions about dry skin in winter:

• What causes dry skin in winter?

• Why should I use moisturizer for dry skin in winter?

• What is the best winter moisturizer for dry skin?

What Causes Dry Skin in Winter?

Dry skin can strike any time of year, but it’s especially prevalent in the winter for a few reasons. When cold weather takes hold, humidity levels also tend to drop. Therefore when skin is exposed to the cold dry air outside, the moisture in your skin evaporates more quickly than on a humid summer day causing your skin to dry out. Indoors, forced-air heating circulates dry air that saps moisture from your skin in much the same way. The cumulative result? You might notice flaky skin on your face, chapped lips, cracked hands and itchy skin on your arms and legs.

Another contributor to your dry winter skin could be your showers. “Hot showers are very challenging to the skin during the winter, or really anytime, to be clear,” says board-certified dermatologist and LovelySkin CEO Dr. Joel Schlessinger. “Hot water strips away your skin’s natural oils, making it feel even drier and damaging it. Instead, use lukewarm water and try to keep your time in the shower to five to ten minutes.”

Should I Use Moisturizer for Dry Skin in Winter?

Using a moisturizer is an easy and effective way to help relieve dry skin on your face or body. The best moisturizer for dry skin in winter helps soothe dryness by replenishing lost moisture and supporting the skin barrier to protect against future moisture loss.

“Once the skin barrier is ‘broken,’ infections can occur and skin just continues to have more and more problems,” Dr. Schlessinger says. If dry skin still persists after using a moisturizer, consider checking in with a board-certified dermatologist. “They can help make sure your dry skin isn’t being caused by something unrelated to dry winter weather, such as an underlying medical condition,” he says.

What Are the Best Winter Moisturizers for Dry Skin?

Here are seven tried-and-true moisturizers that our experts reach for when dealing with their dry skin in winter. From cracked lips to dry hands to flaky limbs, this list has you covered!

Epionce Enriched Body Cream

This all-over body cream was created with extremely dry skin in mind. A combination of safflower and meadowfoam oils mixed with date and apple extracts helps restore moisture while also preventing future moisture loss, making it to the top of our list for the best moisturizers for dry skin in winter. This formula also contains zinc pyrithione, an active ingredient with antifungal and antibacterial properties that can help soothe dry, flaky skin caused by eczema, seborrheic dermatitis or psoriasis.

FixMySkin Healing Lip Balm

“The skin on and around your lips is fragile and can easily become dry and cracked during the cold winter months,” says Dr. Schlessinger. This medicated lip balm comes to your rescue with moisturizing skin care ingredients, such as shea and cocoa butters. It was developed from an idea that came from Dr. Schlessinger’s son, Dr. Daniel Schlessinger, when he was 12 years old. “It also contains 1% hydrocortisone, which penetrates deeply into your skin to help heal chapped lips and dry, flaky skin at the corners of the mouth,” he says. This balm is available in a subtle vanilla scent, as well as an unscented version.

Obagi Hydrate Luxe

Want to wake up to softer, smoother skin on your face? Reach for this extra-rich overnight moisturizer for dry skin in winter. Hydromanil helps provide long-lasting hydration while shea butter, mango butter and avocado oil work in tandem to help lock in moisture to keep skin feeling smooth and supple. As an anti-aging bonus, this face cream also helps improve skin texture and firmness while reducing the appearance of fine lines with biomimetic peptides.

Avene Cold Cream Concentrated Hand Cream

Frigid winter winds and frequent hand washing can leave the skin on your hands feeling dry, chapped and cracked. This concentrated hand cream contains sucralfate, an ingredient that helps heal damaged skin tissue, as well as hydrating glycerin, nourishing fatty acids and mineral-rich thermal spring water. All of these ingredients add up to make this hand cream one of the best moisturizers for sensitive skin in winter.

SkinMedica Dermal Repair Cream

Is dry skin on your face making your fine lines look more noticeable? This twice-daily facial cream is one of the best moisturizers for dry skin in winter that also helps diminish the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. This formula features hydrating hyaluronic acid to help bind moisture to skin cells for a plump, more youthful-looking complexion. It also contains vitamins C and E to help boost your body’s own collagen production and defend against free radical damage.

La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5 Soothing Multi-Purpose Balm

Free of fragrance and allergy tested for safety, this all-over body balm is one of the best moisturizers for sensitive skin in winter. It can be used anywhere on the body, including the face and hands, to help relieve cracked, irritated skin and smooth dry, rough patches. Its formula of shea butter, glycerin and vitamin B5 works to reduce redness and irritation and restore your skin’s moisture barrier. Best of all, it soaks into skin quickly and dries to a non-greasy finish. Read what LovelySkin customers think of this pick by checking out the La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Balm B5 Reviews.

LovelySkin LUXE Ultra-Rich Peptide Moisturizer

This daily facial moisturizer from LovelySkin’s own LUXE product line is packed with potent ingredients that are designed to leave skin feeling and looking smoother and more refreshed. “We formulated this moisturizer to not only provide long-lasting hydration but also help improve signs of aging with peptides while supporting your skin’s natural moisture barrier with afaLUXE, an innovative proprietary molecule,” Dr. Schlessinger says.

In the winter and year round, using skin care products with hyaluronic acid can help improve your skin’s moisture levels. You can learn more about when, where and how to use hyaluronic acid on the LovelySkin blog.