Living in the Midwest is like a teeter-totter for your skin.

In the summer, it’s humid and hot, which is great for your skin. In the winter, it’s dry and cold, which is NOT so great for your skin.

My beautiful, normally soft skin becomes like sandpaper. I’m itchy, chapped, dry, and slightly flaky. (And while these sound like cute seven dwarf names, it is rather annoying.)

It has taken me years to realize that products that work awesome in the summer, don’t necessarily work as well in the winter. You really do need to have a summer skin routine and a winter skin routine. But having TWO routines can get expensive, so here are my top picks of the best drugstore products to fight off winter skin.

Best Drugstore Products To Fight Off Winter Skin

1. Carmex. It’s the original. It works. It heals and protects all in one. I usually have seven bottle open at one time so I’m never without it. I may have an addiction.

2. Cuticle Oil. Not only do my hands take a beating in the winter, my cuticles do too. In order to not look like I was chopped up by Edward Scissorhands with torn cuticles and scabby spots, I put cuticle oil on my hands every night. To be honest, I’m not picky about which brand. They all do a great job.

3. Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream. Inevitably, your hands are going to get dry and chapped. This stuff is gold for not only healing a chapped and sore hand, but providing relief and protection. Plus, a little dab is all you will need. One bottle will probably last you the entire winter.

4. St. Ives Timeless Skin with Collagen & Elastin Facial Moisturizer. There is no better value out there than this product. (In fact, it made my list of best anti-aging moisturizers from a drugstore.) First, it’s ingredients are bananas. (Both Collagen and Elastin.) And it is HUGE. The jar is 10 oz. Most facial moisturizers are under 4 oz. Because of the value, I smother my face, neck and chest area every night. It’s thick, smells great, absorbs well, and keeps my skin from feeling like sandpaper.

5. Dawn With Olay Beauty Hand Renewal Dish Soap. I love to cook. This translates into, I do a lot of dishes by hand. And Dawn is the ONLY dishsoap I use. But in the winter months, regular Dawn, coupled with hot water, wrecks havoc on my hands, nails and cuticles. So I make the switch the Dawn Hand Renewal Soap. Same power as regular Dawn, easier on the hands.

6. Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser. In order to keep you skin healthy in the winter, you need to make sure you aren’t stripping your face of precious oils every time you wash it. Cetaphil is the dermatologists choice because it doesn’t strip your skin, but instead protects and balances it. I’ve been using Cetaphil for over 25 years because it is the best facial cleanser. Period.

7. AVEENO® Skin Relief 24-Hour Moisturizing Lotion. Getting in and out of the car for multiple errands or activities when it is cold is murder on your skin. I realize that we think most lotions are all the same, but AVEENO® Skin Relief 24-Hour Moisturizing Lotion has a Triple Oat Complex and reduces the amount of alcohol, so the lotion absorbs and stays with you all day long. No need to reapply at night, it’s a one and done.

8. A&D Ointment. This ointment is the BOMB for chapped skin. Sometimes, you can’t help that your lips, cheeks, hands, or feet are red, chapped, and sore. Smother the offending area in A&D, wrap it in cotton, if possible, and wait overnight. Nine times out of 10 it is back to normal in the AM. (We’ve been using A&D since our kids were babies. If it can cure an nasty case of diaper rash in less than 24-hours, it can cure the other chapped cheeks.)

These are the best drugstore products to fight off winter skin, period. Having soft skin in the winter doesn’t need to cost a fortune!

And be sure to checkout, Best Anti-Aging Masks and Moisturizers (Drugstore Edition).