Sorry to say, but your normal bare-bones grooming routine isn’t gonna cut it once colder weather sets in for the season.

Dropping temps, crisp winds, and low humidity are a nightmare scenario for your skin and hair, which will get dry, rough, and generally unpleasant. So fight back. Add these tweaks to your grooming routine once winter rolls around to avoid a season of chapped lips, dry skin, and unmanageable hair.

Stock Up on Moisturizer

Applying some body moisturizer after you towel off from the shower will do wonders for your skin: you’ll feel softer and more comfortable throughout the day, and you’ll avoid the itchy dryness that cold weather can often cause.

And if you’re worried about smelling like lavender and fruit, there are masculine and unscented options out there. Bonus points if you get unscented stuff and add a few drops of your cologne for a personal touch.

Tone Down the Exfoliating

Scrubbing off dead skin and grime with an exfoliator every few days is a good habit to get into for warm weather, but in the winter it can be too rough on weather-affected skin. If you exfoliate regularly, reduce the frequency or switch to something a little gentler.

Keep Your Beard Happy

If you’ve got a masterful beard going, take care of it. Just like the hair on your head, it’ll get dried out and coarse in the winter unless you add moisture by conditioning when you take a shower.

So for added softness and hydration, pick up a bottle of beard oil and comb some in each night. It’ll make your beard softer, and can make the whiskers more manageable if they’re naturally curly and you want to comb ‘em straight.

Moisturize Your Mug

You should be doing this already, since it’s one of the best things you can do to prevent visible aging, and it keeps your face feeling comfortable and looking healthy. It’s doubly important in the winter, when your face is constantly getting beat up from exposure to cold air and low humidity.

Find a relatively thick formula – the lighter stuff is better for warm weather when there’s not as much heavy lifting to be done – that feels comfortable and leaves your skin looking good, and apply it every morning. If you want to really treat your skin, try out a facial serum underneath, which delivers moisture and nutrients deep down to the pores to make your skin look great.

And no, you can’t just use body moisturizer. That stuff has a much higher oil content, so it can gunk up your face and cause breakouts.

Don't Forget the Conditioner

No, shampoo by itself isn’t enough. To keep your hair from losing a natural shine, puffing out, and becoming hard to manage during the dry season, keep hydrated. Condition every few days, or as often as you need to keep your hair feeling soft and looking healthy.

Amp Up Your Cologne

In the warmer months, you want something fresh and floral that won’t overwhelm on a ninety degree day. But once the heat has subsided, switch to something with more punch. Tobacco, leather, musk, spicy, and woodsy notes and plenty more are all fair game.

Take Shorter Showers

We know, this is a tough pill to swallow on the frigid days when an hour-long scalding shower is the only thing you want. But long hot showers dry out your skin like crazy, stripping natural oils from your skin that’ll leave you feeling itchy and tight.

Moisturizer helps, but if you’re still feeling rough, you’re gonna need to cut down.

And, of Course, Buy Lip Balm

This one’s a no-brainer. Get a bunch, and leave them in every pocket and bag you’ve got because we both know that you’re gonna lose them like clockwork. The drugstore ones will work fine, but we especially like slightly higher-end options with extra-hydrating formulas.