Look, we love winter as much as the next person.
Cosying up in front of the fire, winter walks in the park, making hearty soups and wearing all the snuggle clothes we can lay our hands on.
However, when it comes to our skin in the wintertime, and how dry and irritated and tender it can feel when the temperature drops and we spend more time inside, well, that bit we could do without.
Which is why I have rounded up 10 of the very best moisturising products out there. Writing about beauty for a living, I have been lucky enough to get to test hundreds of creams, serums and masks over the years, as well as interview lots of skincare experts and beauticians – and so when I say these are genuinely the true hero products of hydrations, they really, really are.
1. Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm
With a unique blend of vegan waxes, this lip balm will soften your lips faster than you can say ‘pucker up.’
€25, Space NK
2. Olaplex No. 8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask
Infused with patented Olaplex bond building technology, this highly concentrated 4-in-1 reparative mask adds shine and body while providing intense moisture to treat damaged hair.
€22, Millies.ie
3. Codex Beauty Labs Bia Facial Oil
Infused with rosehip, bog myrtle, sea buckthorn and rosemary, this dry oil will boost hydration and skin elasticity, while also – as a great bonus – refine pores and protect against environmental stressors.
4. Weleda Skin Food
This cult product can be found in every beauty editors handbag – and probably also on their nightstands – the world over. Perfect to fix dry hands, cracked heels, chapped lips and – my favourite way to use it – as an ultra-rich overnight facemask.
€12, Holland & Barrett
5. Neutrogena Hand Cream Unscented
This might just be the world’s most popular hand cream for a reason. Neutrogena’s iconic formula contains almost 40 percent glycerin and is very effective at relieving skin dryness and chapped skin, and restoring and protecting the skin barrier. A winter-time must.
€2.99, Inish Pharmacy
6. Charlotte Tilbury Lunar New Year Magic Cream
Best-selling, award-winning, this instant turnaround moisturiser is loved by skincare experts, celebrities and beauty editors – who have all seen the magic for themselves.
€90, Charlotte Tilbury
7. Aveeno Skin Relief Moisturising Lotion for Very Dry Skin
It’s not just the skin on my face that gets dryer in the winter, the skin on my body suffers too – which is why I cannot get enough of the Aveeno Skin Relief Moisturising Lotion for Very Dry Skin.
Formulated with shea butter and a prebiotic Triple Oat Complex* (oat flour + oat extract + oat oil), this body cream is rich, fast-absorbing and non-greasy, and can soothe and moisturise even the dryest of skin.
€5.90, Rochford’s Pharmacy
8. The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2%
We can’t be talking about tackling dry skin without mentioning hyaluronic acid – and in my opinion, this extremely affordable product from The Ordinary is one of the very best ones. I like to layer it under my normal day cream for an extra boost of moisture.
€6.80, Boots.ie
9. CeraVe SA Renewing Foot Cream
Dry, cracked heels are not only uncomfortable, but can, if left untreated, become seriously painful. Which I why I am obsessed with this super-effective, super-affordable foot cream from CeraVe.
Rich but non-greasy, and absorbs quickly into the skin, I put this on at night, and wake up with baby soft feet in the morning.
€9.95, Lookfantastic.ie
10. Skin Proud Frozen Over Gel-To-Ice Hydrator
Chock-a-block with super-hydrating hyaluronic acid, this next-generation, high tech moisturiser will literally feel like giving your skin a giant drink of water.
€17.95, Boots.ie
