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POSSIBLY MORE THAN any other season, winter is full of annual traditions -- like holiday shopping, spending more time with family, and overindulging in eggnog because you've spent so much time at malls and with your in-laws. But for many of us, there's one ritual we dread even more than that yearly milk-induced hangover: surfacing dry skin.
Thankfully, however, using a body wash uniquely designed to combat dry skin (along with a quality moisturizer, of course) can go a long way in alleviating this issue. So if you face flakes and redness year-round or are only prone to dryness when temps dip, a gentle and nourishing men's body wash for dry skin should hold a key spot in your showering routine.
Of course, many dudes suffer from dry skin year-round and even those who don't deal with it regularly have in the past or probably will, at some point, in the future. Board-certified dermatologist Dr. Heather Woolery-Lloyd explains that dry skin is incredibly common, and no one is outright immune to an occurrence. "Under certain conditions, anyone can develop dry skin," she says.
In general, the two primary causes of dry skin are decreased humidity (as it retracts moisture from the outermost layers of your skin) and exposure to harsh chemicals (because they strip away the skin's natural oils). One of the most useful tools in the fight against dry skin (besides a humidifier) is a quality body wash designed specifically for this skin type as it will fight lower humidity by adding moisture to the skin and avoid introducing any irritating ingredients.
That being said, dry skin is also incredibly complicated and unique to each person, so there are a few things to keep in mind when choosing a body wash to help combat dry skin.
By far, the two most important factors to consider when choosing a men's body wash for dry skin is what ingredients are and are not included in its formula. According to board-certified dermatologist and Associate Clinical Professor of Dermatology at Yale University Dr. Alicia Zalka, "When dealing with dry skin, the goal is to cleanse without stripping away the skin's natural moisture. The addition of moisturizing and hydrating ingredients can help."
Dr. Woolery-Lloyd adds that this may include glycerin to draw moisture from the environment onto skin, hyaluronic acid as a moisture retainer, ceramides to protect and maintain the skin's natural barrier, natural oils to hold moisture in, or oat extract for its skin soothing anti-inflammatory properties.
Similarly, for those of us who deal with dry skin, what ingredients are not included in a body wash will be equally as important as those that are. There's a laundry list of chemicals commonly found in skincare, like sulfates or parabens, that can aggravate and escalate already easily dried-out skin with added fragrance as the most frequent culprit. As a result, you should always look to unscented or fragrance-free options when searching for a body wash with very few exceptions, especially if you're dealing with a severe case of dry skin.
Do you suffer from dry skin year-round or usually only during the cooler months? That's the primary question to ask yourself when purchasing a body wash for dry skin. If this is a consistent struggle for you, opt for the largest bottle you can find to limit trips to the digital skincare aisle. However, people who merely face dry skin during the winter can probably zero in on smaller options to save dough.
Our grooming editors and writers, especially those prone to dry skin, have spent the past year testing every body wash for sensitive or dry skin they could get their hands on. Experts, including our Grooming Commerce Editor Sean Zucker, put a number of men's body washes for dry skin to the test and evaluated their lather, skin-soothing abilities, and long-term effectiveness in combating dry skin. We also consulted with a pair of board-certified dermatologists on which dry skin body washes they recommend.
Following all of that first-hand testing and expert-based research, we were able to pare down to the following list of the eight best men's body washes for dry skin.