Discover new and easy ways to combat dry hair & skin this winter. Sharing my favorite bentonite clay hair mask, oils for dry skin, what to avoid, & more!!!
For anyone out there who is experiencing the harsh effects on your skin & hair that the winter months usually bring, this post is for YOU! No one wants dry hair or skin, so I put together a list of things to help you combat dryness or whatever you may be experiencing!! I promise there is something here for everyone!!
I naturally have really dry skin & hair so I have to work extra hard to make sure everything is looking moisturized & good to go. But it’s hard! It’s BEYOND freezing here in Canada & I feel like I don’t even have to leave my apartment to experience the elements of the cold. Even the air is completely different…it’s so dry!
Last year around this time, I posted about my two favorite skincare essentials that really helped save my skin last winter when I was living in Sweden! Again, my skin really went through a period of not really knowing what on earth was going on! I spent a ton of time walking outside…the town was relatively small but we didn’t have a car, so I walked everywhere! With that said, my skin is experiencing some of the same things I experienced last winter, so I thought this would be the perfect time to share some more skin secrets. But I also wanted to take it a step further & talk about dry winter hair too, because that is definitely a thing!!
So let’s get into it!!
How to combat dry skin in the winter
- Drink a ton of water. Hydrate from the inside out. Drinking celery juice first thing when you wake up is amazing for the skin as well!!
- Dry brush!! I try to dry brush at least once a day. It does wonders for your body & your skin, while also brushing away any flaky or dead skin! Want to read more on dry brushing? Check out this post!
- Cut down on time spent in really hot showers…this one is the hardest for me!!
- Spritz your face with all-natural rose water spray! Rose water helps moisturize, purify, soothe & calm the skin, while reducing any skin inflammation! I spritz my face at least 10x per day!
- Moisturize with rose hip oil. Rose hip oil is wonderful for any skin impurities & irritation. It really helps lock in the moisture!
- Use Almond Oil to take your makeup off instead of a makeup wipes. Makeup wipes can strip the moisture from your face. Using an oil can add hydration & moisturize the skin while literally melting off the makeup! Nut allergy? Use Grape Seed oil!
- Use shea butter to moisturize your body.
- Exfoliate the skin 1-2 times a week! You can make the simplest exfoliant ever by mixing a tiny bit of coconut oil with sugar!! It works great!
- Avoid products or soaps with harsh foaming agents because they easily dry out the skin. Try a gentle cleanser instead.
- Invest in a humidifier! I would definitely do this but since I’m not staying here permanently, I don’t want to have to buy one only to use it for a few months… & space is going to be limited in my car when I drive back to the states LOL!
How to combat dry hair in the winter
- Incorporate a hair oil or serum to your routine to lock in the moisture, especially on your ends! You can even use rose hip oil for this!
- Don’t shampoo as often. Shampooing strips the moisture from your hair! I have an entire post on this that I can’t wait to share! – Read how to oil train your hair here!
- On days when you skip the shampoo, give your hair a good, deep conditioning!
- Experiencing dandruff or a dry scalp? Try a bentonite clay hair mask! I’ll put the instructions below!!
- Apply a scoop of coconut oil to your hair, root to ends, put your hair up in a bun, & leave it on for as long as possible! This adds instant moisture!
- Go NATURAL! Forget the heat & rock your natural hair. This will be different for everyone but I manage to only use heat/styling tools only a few times a month & it REALLY helps! And if you do use heat often, make sure you are using a heat protectant!
- Do an Apple Cider Vinegar rinse weekly before you shampoo! Work 2-3 tbsps of ACV into your scalp before rinsing! It helps to restore the scalp!
Bentonite Clay Hair Mask
- Mix 2 tbsp of bentonite clay, 5 drops of tea tree essential oil, & 1/4 cup of Apple Cider Vinegar.
- Whisk until smooth.
- Apply the mixture to wet hair & scalp.
- Comb the mixture through the hair.
- Leave the mask on for at least 20 minutes.
- Wash your hair. (I’m not going to lie, it might take a while to wash everything out!)
- Repeat as often as needed. (I saw results after the first time!)
I hope you found something that you might want to try in an effort to combat your dry hair & skin!! This is the first time in my life that I’ve experienced any sort of dandruff or a dry scalp, but I swear the bentonite clay mask really did help!! At least for me, winter is no where near over, so I will be doing these things repeatedly in order to keep myself together LOL!
Do you have any tips that help save your skin & hair during the winter?

This is a nice read. I tend to use oils all year wrong to keep both my hair and skin moisturized. I also have a friend who swears by rose water although I’ve never used it myself. Who knows, maybe I’ll try it eventually.
Rose water is one of my favorite products to use! Thank you for reading!
Thanks for these tips, I absolutely love the smell of shea butter, that’s one tip I can instantly get on board with!
Yes! Shea butter is the best & it’s very healing!! Thanks for reading! xo
as always, great photos and useful info! i need to work on bringing some life to my hair so will use your tips
Thank you!! I hope they help!! xo
I am so intrigued by dry brushing. I’m going to incorporate this into my current routine. I also love the almond oil tip – I use it!
Yes!! Dry brushing is my absolute favorite! Thanks so much for reading! xo
Thanks for this! I have always struggled with dry skin and a dry scalp! I will for sure look into some of these. I hope one works for me.
Try the clay mask!! The tea tree oil will work to draw out impurities, therefore helping the scalp! Thanks for reading! xo
Definitely gonna try that clay hair mask! I always have a hard time with dry hair in winter, so I really need to try this!
It definitely helped me! Thanks for reading Jubilee! xo
Great post – especially for traveling, too. Rose hip oil is a lifesaver…helped out with a huge scar I had on my leg..disappeared in a few days with that stuff! Gonna book mark this post for sure 🙂
Omg that’s amazing! Rose hip oil is definitely one of my must-haves too! Thank you for reading! xo
Great post! I also have very dry hair and skin and drinking more water has helped it a lot… and coconut oil! Now I want to try to use almond oil as make up remover. Can I use it to remove the eye makeup too! Does it irritate the eyes?
YES! I use it to take off everything…including eye makeup! And this is coming from someone with extremely sensitive eyes. I just wet a little cotton pad, apply some oil to it & it works like a charm! Even takes off tricky lipsticks as well! Thanks so much for reading! xo
Thanks for sharing these! I live in Utah, so I definitely struggle with the winter dryness!
Yes, I can relate!! Thanks for reading Bri! xo
These are great tips! I hate dry skin!
Me too! Thanks for reading! xo
I love these tips! My skin just went dry to super dry in the past week, so I am struggling with keeping my skin moisturized. But I absolutely love rosehip oil for my face. Never thought to put it in my hair!
I love putting just a little bit on my ends! Gives it such a nice scent too, as you can imagine! Thanks for reading Lauren! xo
I cannot wait for the post about shampooing less often. I love to go longer between hair washes but it’s hard for me to disguise the fact that it is dirty.
Loved this post!
Thank you so much Julia!! xo