Dry-Air Season: An Easy Hand and Foot Care Routine

The furnace has been running for a few weeks now, and your skin knows it. Indoor heat pulls moisture out of the air, and hands and feet feel it first — tight knuckles, rough heels, cuticles that snag on everything. The good news is that a hand and foot routine doesn't need to be elaborate. Three steps, a couple of times a week, and you'll notice the difference by the time holiday guests arrive.

Step 1: Exfoliate before you moisturize

Lotion sitting on top of dry, flaky skin doesn't get very far. A quick scrub in the shower clears the way so everything you put on afterward actually soaks in.

Our Hand Picked Ingredients Body Scrub uses a light exfoliating salt texture infused with rose essence. Massage a handful into damp skin, let it sit a minute or two, then rinse. It comes in several scents — rose, aloe, milk, honey and strawberry — so you can pick whichever one you'll actually look forward to using.

• Focus on heels, elbows and the backs of hands, where skin gets thickest.
• Twice a week is plenty in winter — daily scrubbing is overkill.
• Pat dry rather than rubbing, and moisturize while skin is still slightly damp.

Step 2: Give hands a weekly treatment

Hands take the worst of the season: dish water, cold air, hand washing, and a lot of it. A once-a-week treatment is an easy way to make up the difference.

The Milky Moisturizing Hand Mask comes as a glove pre-filled with cream, so there's nothing to measure or mix. Slip it on, massage for about three minutes, then remove and wipe with a warm damp towel. The outer layer is a soft PE membrane and the inner layer is a woven mesh that spreads the cream evenly, which is what makes it feel less messy than scooping balm out of a jar. It's formulated with shea butter and rose extract, and it works on feet too.

Do it while you're watching something — it's twenty minutes of doing nothing, which is the appeal.

Step 3: Keep heels covered overnight

Bare feet on cold floors plus wool socks plus indoor heat is a rough combination for heels. Covering them while you sleep keeps moisturizer where you put it instead of on your sheets.

Our Moisturizing Foot Care Silicone Gel Socks are made for exactly this. Apply a moisturizer first, then pull these on over it — the listing recommends using them together with a moisturizer for better results. They're lightweight silicone with air holes so feet can still breathe, they fit US sizes 6–10, they're unisex, and they're reusable: hand wash with warm water and soap, then air dry. You can wear them under socks, over socks, or on bare feet.

Build it into a night you already have

Pick one evening a week — scrub in the shower, hand mask on the couch, gel socks before bed. That's the whole routine, and it takes a season's worth of dryness down to something manageable.

Ready to put yours together? Browse the full VIGOR collection and find what fits your routine.