Skincare for a Pakistani Winter: Dryness, Heaters and Cleansing

Lahore looks damp on a winter morning. Your cheeks feel like paper anyway.

That mismatch is the interesting part. Fog outside does not tell you how much moisture is in the room where you spend your evening, or how comfortable your skin will feel after a hot wash.

Why does skin dry out when the air outside feels damp?

Because the weather outside and the conditions around your skin are not the same thing.

Relative humidity depends on temperature. Cold air can have a high relative-humidity reading while containing less water vapour than warmer air. Warm that air without adding moisture and its relative humidity falls. Heating, ventilation and sources of moisture all affect the room you actually sit in.

So the useful question is not just “Was it foggy this morning?” It is also “Have I spent the evening in a warm room, and is my skin becoming dry or itchy?” A weather percentage alone cannot answer that.

Pakistan does not have one winter. Conditions in Lahore, Karachi and the northern mountain regions differ, and so do homes, heating systems and time spent outdoors. Your routine needs to respond to the conditions you experience, rather than one rule for the whole country.

Does your face really suffer more than the rest of you?

Exposed facial skin can be particularly affected, although it is not always the first or only place you notice dryness.

In a 2002 study, Kikuchi and colleagues, including Hachiro Tagami, measured the cheek and forearm skin of 39 healthy Japanese women in late summer and again in winter. Barrier function worsened at both sites, with a larger seasonal difference on the cheek.

One detail is easy to miss. The cheek’s hydration measurement did not show the same seasonal decline as its barrier function. Skin’s water content and its ability to limit water loss are related, but they are not identical measurements.

This was one small study in a particular population and climate. It does not establish that every Pakistani face responds the same way. It does help explain why winter care is about supporting a comfortable barrier as well as adding moisture.

Why does your usual cleanser suddenly sting?

It may not have changed. Your skin’s tolerance may have.

A wash that felt comfortable in September can feel different when your skin is dry or irritated in January. Hot water, rubbing, extra exfoliation and a change in products can add to the problem.

That is worth considering before starting a round of product-hopping. Sometimes a simpler routine helps. Sometimes the cleanser no longer suits your skin. Stinging does not prove which explanation is right, and it is not something to push through to finish the tube. Persistent discomfort deserves attention.

What does smog add?

Another reason to think about the day’s buildup, without turning cleansing into a repeated scrubbing exercise.

A 2024 paper in Frontiers in Sustainable Cities examined Lahore’s recurring smog and the weather and emissions associated with it. In the years studied, many smog incidents occurred in December. It is air-quality research, not evidence that a particular cleanser prevents pollution-related skin damage.

You may come home with sunscreen, oil, dust and the day on your skin. An appropriate gentle wash can be part of your evening routine. A smoggy day does not automatically mean washing again and again, using hotter water or choosing a harsher product.

So how should you cleanse in winter?

Gently, and with a routine your skin can tolerate.

The American Academy of Dermatology’s general facial-washing guidance is twice daily and after heavy sweating. That is a starting point, not a reason to force the same routine through persistent dryness or irritation. Neither adding nor removing a wash is automatically the right change just because the calendar says winter.

Use lukewarm water, gentle fingertips and a thorough rinse. Pat dry. A hot shower, scrub or rough towel can make an uncomfortable wash feel worse.

Then comes the step people skip: moisturise soon after washing, while skin is still slightly damp. Dry skin may feel more comfortable with a cream or ointment than a light lotion. A cleanser can suit you well and still leave you needing a moisturiser; those products have different jobs.

If dryness or stinging develops, review exfoliating acids and other irritating steps too. You may need to reduce or pause them. A prescribed treatment should be adjusted with the clinician who recommended it.

What should a winter cleanser leave out?

Start with what your skin is reacting to, rather than a long ingredient blacklist.

For dry, sensitive skin, the AAD recommends gentle, fragrance-free products and advises against harsh scented, deodorant or antibacterial soaps. A strong scent or a very stripped feeling is not evidence of a better winter wash.

Be careful with drying alcohols, too. This does not mean every ingredient with “alcohol” in its name has the same role. Fatty alcohols used for texture and conditioning are different from ethanol-based alcohol ingredients.

Finally, acids need context. A product containing an exfoliating acid may be harder to tolerate when skin is already irritated. That applies to Mugtea too. “Cleansing” on the label does not make a potentially irritating ingredient irrelevant.

Outside the bathroom, protect exposed skin from cold and wind. Indoors, avoid making the room unnecessarily hot. If the air is dry, a humidifier may help, but it needs regular cleaning and is not a reason to make an already damp room damper.

What does a better winter routine look like?

Picture someone in Lahore with a heater running most evenings. Her nose flakes, her cheeks sting after washing, and smog days leave her unsure whether washing more or less is the better call. This is an illustrative example, not a testimonial.

She reviews four things: the scented bar, the hot water, the scrub and acid toner, and the gap between washing and applying moisturiser. She chooses a gentler wash, pauses irritating extras and applies moisturiser while her skin is still slightly damp. She also considers whether the room needs to be so warm.

She watches how her skin responds. The useful question is whether it becomes more comfortable with those changes. If it does not, or if the soreness persists, she seeks advice rather than adding another product and hoping.

Where does Mugtea fit?

Mugtea takes care of the wash. It is designed for normal, oily and combination skin and turns from paste to cream to foam as you work it.

The SCI-led cleansing blend contains sodium cocoyl isethionate, sodium methyl cocoyl taurate, sodium cocoyl glutamate and coco-betaine. Glycerin and panthenol are included for conditioning. Microfine kaolin is included for excess-oil pickup, and salicylic acid is the exfoliating ingredient.

Salicylic acid is a beta hydroxy acid. If your skin is dry, tight or stinging, do not assume that leaving the product on longer will help. The optional pack is not a required winter step, and you can skip it. If even the daily wash is uncomfortable, stop using it rather than relying on moisturiser to make continued irritation acceptable.

If you choose the optional pack and your skin tolerates the product, the approved directions stay the same: a thin layer on dry skin for two minutes, then add water, massage gently into cream and foam, and rinse thoroughly. Do not extend the time or wait for it to dry hard.

Mugtea is not a moisturiser or a treatment for eczema or damaged skin. Pair cleansing with appropriate moisturising, and get professional advice for persistent dryness, painful cracking, bleeding or skin that is not improving.

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When the heater goes on this year, what is the first thing you notice on your face? Tell us. Your answers help decide what we write next.