Softer Skin For Everyone

It’s that time of year when the whole family’s skin has a major case of winter-it is. So we asked top experts for the easiest, most effective strategies to keep you and all the people you love smooth and cuddle-able.

- Gina Way

Stock your bathroom with simple products they’ll all like

If you set out a few basic, gentle body formulas (meaning, no strawberry-and kiwi-scented anything), your guy and kids will take to them like ducks to water.

1 A hydrating body cleanser 

“Look for a creamy wash with glycerin or argan oil,” says Rosemarie Ingleton, M.D., director of Ingleton Dermatology in New York City. (Try Nivea Cocoa Butter Body Wash, $5.99.) Like many dermatologists, she recommends the classic Dove Beauty Bar ($3.08 for 2 bars), and yes, it’s perfectly safe for several people to share the same bar. Just store it in a dish that allows water to drain from the bottom.

2 A fragrance-free body lotion 

Pick one that has both hyaluronic acid and ceramides, such as CeraVe Moisturizing Cream ($15.99). Pros prefer a pump bottle over a jar—that way, everyone isn’t dipping their paws into the same tub of cream.

3 A multipurpose ointment 

One tube can  tackle a bunch of problems. “A petroleum based ointment like Vaseline or Aquaphor treats chapped lips and skin, smooths ragged cuticles, and helps heal cuts, scrapes, and minor burns,” says Jennifer Lee, M.D., a clinical assistant professor of dermatology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Vaseline and Aquaphor both work by sealing water into the skin, and while “Vaseline is all petroleum, Aquaphor includes other moisturizers such as glycerin and panthenol as well.”

Exfoliate more often