There are so many wonderful things to love about winter (warm fires, hot chocolate, cute coats), but there’s also one thing that drives us absolutely crazy in the cold: dry skin. Low humidity in the wintertime combined with dry indoor heat can rob your skin of moisture. This loss of moisture is what causes dreaded redness, itchiness, and cracking of skin. We consulted skin-care professional Dr. Candace Thornton Spann, a Las Vegas dermatologist who works as a consultant for Galderma Laboratories, L.P., the makers of Cetaphil products, to get her expert opinion on curbing “winter itch” so we could concentrate on our favorite parts of winter.

1. Consider switching to a gentle, fragrance-free cleanser. The harsher, heavily fragranced soaps contribute to drying out skin and damaging the delicate skin barrier. Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser is fragrance-free, soap-free and nourishing for sensitive skin.
2. Pat skin dry instead of rubbing after getting out of the shower. Patting dry leaves a bit of dew on the skin, which can aid in moisturization. Overly aggressive rubbing of dry, delicate skin is nearly as traumatic as scratching and should be avoided.
3. Moisturize skin immediately. Especially in winter, a fragrance-free moisturizer is a superior emollient. A cream by definition has less alcohol and is more nourishing for dry skin. Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream is an excellent choice because it’s formulated specifically for dry, sensitive skin.
4. Go fragrance-free. One of the most common irritants to dry, sensitive skin is fragrance. Since chronic irritation of skin can trigger the itch-scratch cycle, it’s a good idea to minimize fragrance in your household. This includes cleansers, perfumes or colognes, laundry detergent, and fabric softener.