As the weather gets colder, the air becomes drier and causes our skin to dry out as well. If you see a white sheen to your skin or when you scratch the skin and white flaky skin comes off, these are signs of dry skin. Other things that can exacerbate dry skin include turning on the heater and our showering habits. In general, longer and hotter showers (as well as drying soaps) take oil out of the skin, causing it to dry out. When the skin is first dry, not much happens, but gradually the skin becomes itchy and later can start to get inflamed causing different forms of eczema.
There are different things you can do to prevent dry, itchy skin. Use a humidifier when possible. Keep showers short (about 5-10 minutes) and use lukewarm water. Do not shower more than once a day. Avoid drying soaps such as antibacterial soaps and use instead, moisturizing soaps or non-soap cleansers such as Cetaphil or Aveeno cleansers. Moisturize with a thicker cream while the skin is still damp after showering. This will help seal in the water that has been absorbed into the skin. Oils are helpful right after showering while the skin is still damp. However, if you have dry skin, oils do not moisturize the skin; they act as barriers to prevent moisture from leaving the skin.