Beauty

My Winter Skincare Routine for Dry Skin

By Darya · November 13, 2026

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Winter is hard on skin. The air outside is cold and dry, the air inside is dried out even more by heating, and long hot showers feel wonderful but strip away the oils your skin needs. If your face feels tight after washing, if makeup clings to dry patches, or if your cheeks look dull and flaky by January, you are not alone.

My winter routine is deliberately simple. It is built on three things I genuinely use and recommend: a gentle Korean cleanser, beef tallow, and a collagen mask once or twice a week. Below I explain why each one earns its place, how I use it, and who might want to adjust the routine for their own skin.

Why Skin Gets So Dry in Winter

Your skin has a natural barrier made of oils and fats that holds water in. In winter, low humidity pulls moisture out of the skin faster, and that barrier gets weaker. Harsh cleansers, hot water and over-exfoliating weaken it further. The goal of a winter routine is not to add ten new products. It is to clean gently, put back what the cold takes away, and protect the barrier while it recovers.

Step 1: A Gentle Korean Cleanser

I use Korean cleansers, and I think they are one of the easiest upgrades for dry skin. Korean skincare has a long tradition of cleansing gently rather than aggressively, and many Korean cleansers are formulated to be low-pH and non-stripping, so your face feels clean without that squeaky, tight feeling.

What to Look For

• Low pH or "gentle" formulas. Healthy skin is slightly acidic, and a low-pH cleanser respects that.
• Hydrating ingredients such as glycerin, ceramides, hyaluronic acid or centella.
• No heavy fragrance if your skin is sensitive or irritated in winter.
• A cleansing oil or balm for the evening if you wear sunscreen or makeup. This is the first half of the Korean "double cleanse": an oil cleanser melts makeup and sunscreen, then a gentle water-based cleanser finishes the job.

My Double Cleanse

In the evening I start with the Anua Heartleaf Pore Control Cleansing Oil. I massage it onto dry skin to melt away sunscreen and makeup, add a little water so it turns milky, and rinse. Then I follow with the COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser, a gentle gel that leaves my skin clean but not tight. Together they are the reason I never feel stripped after washing, even in the middle of winter.

Wash with lukewarm water, never hot, and pat your face dry instead of rubbing. In the morning, a quick rinse or a very small amount of the COSRX gel is usually enough for dry skin.

Step 2: Beef Tallow, My Favourite Winter Moisturizer

If there is one thing I highly recommend for dry winter skin, it is beef tallow. Tallow is rendered beef fat, and skincare tallow is usually whipped into a soft balm. It is rich in fatty acids such as oleic, palmitic and stearic acid, which are similar to the fats found naturally in our own skin barrier. That is a big part of why people with dry skin love it: it does not just sit on top, it feels like it replaces what winter strips away.

How I Use It

• A small amount goes a long way. Warm a pea-sized amount between your fingertips until it melts, then press it into slightly damp skin.
• Use it as the last step at night, when your skin has hours to absorb it.
• It is also lovely on dry hands, elbows, cuticles and lips.

Homemade or Store-Bought?

I usually make my own tallow balm at home, which lets me keep it simple and unscented. If you would rather buy one ready-made, Vintage Tradition is one of the most popular and well-reviewed tallow skincare brands, and it is an easy place to start.

How to Choose a Good One

• Short ingredient lists. The best tallow balms often contain only tallow, maybe a plant oil, and little else.
• Grass-fed tallow is what most quality brands use.
• Unscented or lightly scented versions are kinder to sensitive skin.

An Honest Note: Tallow Is Not for Everyone

Tallow is rich. If your skin is oily or acne-prone, it may feel too heavy and could clog pores. Always patch test a new product on a small area, such as your jawline, for a few days before using it on your whole face. And if you avoid animal products for ethical or dietary reasons, a plant-based balm with shea butter or squalane is a good alternative.

Step 3: Collagen Masks Once or Twice a Week

My weekly treat is a collagen mask, and my favourite by far is the Biodance Bio-Collagen Real Deep Mask. I really love this one. The popular overnight hydrogel collagen masks go on like a cool, jelly-like sheet and slowly turn clear as your skin absorbs the moisture. They are relaxing, they feel luxurious, and in winter they give my skin a noticeable boost of hydration and glow.

To be honest about what they do: collagen applied to the skin works mainly as a hydrating ingredient. It does not replace the collagen your body makes, but it does hold water against the skin and leaves it plump, soft and smooth, which is exactly what dry winter skin needs.

How I Use Them

1. Cleanse gently in the evening.
2. Apply the mask and leave it on for as long as the instructions say. Some are designed to stay on overnight, others for a few hours.
3. Remove it, then press any leftover essence into your skin.
4. On mask nights, I use only a thin layer of tallow afterwards, or skip it if my skin already feels comfortable.

The Products I Use (and a Few Popular Picks)

Here is everything from this routine in one place. I have marked clearly which products I use myself and which are popular, well-reviewed options I think are worth a look.

My Routine at a Glance

Extra Winter Tips That Make a Big Difference

• Turn the water down. Lukewarm showers are far kinder to dry skin than hot ones.
• Use a humidifier in your bedroom to put moisture back into heated air.
• Keep wearing sunscreen. Snow reflects sunlight, so winter UV can still be strong.
• Go easy on exfoliating. Once a week is plenty when your barrier is already stressed.
• Drink water and protect your lips before they crack, not after.

The Bottom Line

You do not need a complicated routine to get through winter with comfortable, glowing skin. Clean gently, put back what the cold takes away, and give your skin a little extra care once or twice a week. For me, that means a Korean double cleanse with Anua and COSRX, homemade beef tallow, and the Biodance collagen mask. Start with one change, give it a couple of weeks, and see how your skin feels.

If you try tallow for the first time, I would love to hear what you think. Come and tell me on Instagram at @_darya333_.

This post is based on my personal experience and is not medical advice. If you have a skin condition, or a reaction to any product, please speak to a dermatologist.

Some links in this post are affiliate links, at no extra cost to you.