The Humble Humidifier Is My Winter Skincare Secret

We may earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this story. Learn more.

Oh good, it’s winter.

Thanks to the combination of dry air, hot showers and heaters, our skin is dry and our lips are chapped.

But there may be a solution, and it’s not moving to Mexico (though if that’s an option, definitely take that). It’s a humidifier.

We all want glowy skinfluencer-worthy skin (like @namvo), but not all of us have the time or energy to commit to regular steams, masks and facials. Enter, the humidifier: Turn it on, and it’ll help your skin without much effort required.

As a longtime Sydney resident, I’m very familiar with a dehumidifier, but the concept of putting moisture back into the air is a little foreign to me. However, it turns out, it might be the winter skin saviour we’ve been looking for.

Humidifier Benefits for Skin

US-based dermatologist Paula Bourelly told Vogue why a humidifier can be a useful addition to your skincare regimen.

“As the weather gets colder, the ambient air becomes drier. This can have negative consequences for those with dry skin and atopic dermatitis [aka eczema],” she said. “Humidifying the air can help skin retain water.”

Yep, that checks out. And it compounds the problem when you’re going from outside (where the cold air is drier) to inside (where the heating is running), stressing out your poor skin further and leading to more obvious fine lines and wrinkles, and a general un-glowy appearance.

Extra moisture in the air helps keep extra moisture in your skin, which is what we all want.

As a side benefit, some more modern humidifiers double as air purifiers, which further helps salvage your tortured skin.

“Air purifiers can help remove allergens from the air,” Bourelly said. “In patients who suffer from seasonal allergies and have atopic eczema, reducing the allergens in their environment can have a profoundly therapeutic effect not only on skin symptoms, but also upper-respiratory complaints such as congestion, sneezing, and asthma.”

Less stuffy noses, less sneezing, less dry coughing? What a bonus.

Types of Humidifiers

There are four main types of humidifiers you can get.

Impeller humidifiers pump a cool mist into the air. It works by using a rotating disc to fling water at a diffuser, which breaks the water up into the fine mist droplets. These types of humidifiers are usually noisier than others (which is great if you love white noise while you sleep) due to all the moving parts.

Evaporative humidifiers use a wick made of a porous material to absorb water from the reservoir and evaporate off the larger surface. That surface sits in front of a fan, which blows the evaporated water away and into the air. As the humidity in the room increases, the rate at which the water evaporates decreases.

Steam vaporisers boil the water internally, which releases the water into the air as steam. These ones are often used with essential oils to make a room smell nice. The heating element does create a level of risk, so avoid leaving them unattended.

Ultrasonic humidifiers use sound at such a high frequency that we can’t hear them. The sound vibrations in turn shake tiny droplets of water into the air. Some use fans to disperse the mist further, but smaller personal ones often don’t.

The Best Humidifier Brands to Check Out

Breville

This quiet device uses a water atomising transducer to produce a fine water mist that can be set to the temperature of your choice, so you can use it year-round.

Himist

This cute and colourful humidifier is portable, so you can easily move it around the house or office to hydrate your skin all day long. The 750ml capacity can silently run for up to seven hours too— though refilling is super-easy with this one.

Philips

This gadget offers a minimalist design, automatic controls and smart evaporation technology. It’s hygienic, thanks to its natural ‘NanoCloud’ technology evaporation process.

Skincare obsessed? You need to read J Lo’s best tips for a healthy glow, here.