Jessica Alba Swears By These Products to Soothe Her Dry, Wintertime Skin

We're arguably in the worst months of the year — specifically for our skin. Fluctuating temperatures, dry air, and unpredictable elements like snow and rain, can make for a pretty rough environment. Personally, mine is bone dry, cracked, flaky, and thirsty — and my everyday moisturizer is just not doing the trick.

If you're as lucky as me (this is sarcasm), kicking the moisturizer up a notch and reaching for those thick formulas or expensive luxe items isn't always helpful. In fact, they sometimes lead to breakouts, which, of course, is fabulous.

But the good news is Jessica Alba's natural beauty, baby, and home brand The Honest Company, can be completely trusted (they have a whole team of chemists who make their products from naturally and plant-derived ingredients), and they just launched several new products totally geared toward moisture and hydration.

Alba tells me over the phone that she created these products since she, too, struggles with sensitive skin that is easily irritated. "Depending on the time of year, hydration is a major thing," Alba tells us. "I did a movie in New Mexico recently, and my skin literally was peeling off everyday. It was so dry. I had to reapply moisturizer throughout the day, all day long. It's never been more dehydrated in my life."

And like me (and probably many of you), she shares that she cannot pile on product after product to deliver moisture. Anything that's petroleum-based or contains harsh chemicals will immediately lead to rashes, redness, or breakouts on her skin.

The Stay Hydrated Hyaluronic Acid +NRM Serum, Calm + Renew Melting Eye Balm, Cleansing Body Conditioner, Clean Curves Cleansing Oil, More Moisture Body Butter, and the Glow On Body Cream were all created and formulated with one main purpose: to soothe dry skin without any further irritation. Alba tells us these products are now all incorporated into her (and her kid's) winter routine, and contain the brand's new revolutionary hyaluronic acid serum formula, created by their in-house chemists, which contains three types of hyaluronic acids of different molecular weights.

"It helps bind and retain moisture for the different layers of the skin," she explains.

She personally couples the serum with the brand's Daily Calm Lightweight Moisturizer during the day and before bed, then she adds in the Calm + Healing Melting Balm. Her skincare routine ends by adding their new Calm + Renew Melting Eye Balm. "It just sort of gives you that nice balm, and you can feel it protecting all around the eyes," she shares. "I put it on morning and night. I'm obsessed with it!"

While our main priority always seems to be our face, the winter can wreak some serious havoc on your body, too. The actress and businesswoman tells me that the cold, dry air leads to dehydrated skin and itching for her. So she developed the Cleansing Body Conditioner, and the Clean Curves Cleansing Oil , designed to be used in the shower for fresh, clean skin that's left soft without any residue. You can follow up your bathing ritual with another moisturizer or nothing at all. The products are powerful enough to provide hydration long after you rinse. And they're kid — and husband — tested and approved.

"My son, who's four, hates getting lotion or oil on after a shower," she says. "But it's great because after we do our shampoo and body wash, I'll just put this cleansing body conditioner all over him, rinse him down, and then he's good to go. And I normally don't even have to put a moisturizer on him after that."

If you do choose to finish with a moisturizer, the More Moisture Body Butter is a rich and creamy moisturizer that hydrates without feeling sticky. Or you can choose the Glow On Cream to moisturize, tighten, and firm creating supple skin.

The Cleansing Oil is her husband Cash Warren's favorite, and Jessica often finds it mysteriously missing from her beauty arsenal. "My husband's actually taking that. I'm like 'Excuse me, that's mine. What are we even talking about, my friend?'" she says with a laugh.

Of course, a lot of us (especially mothers) feel like we don't have the time to spend on self-care. As a mother of three, actress, producer, and businesswoman, Alba can relate to this sentiment, but she decided to make taking care of herself a priority — even if she only has a couple minutes everyday.

"I think self-care is interesting. I think it's important whether you're a mom or not," she says. "And I think creating a way to preserve your time and really it's really forcing that sacred time that you need to just ground yourself and center yourself." Waking up before her family to fit in a quick meditation is what works for her, but it can look different for everyone. She mainly just focuses on being present.

"Even just spending three minutes breathing and focusing on air that's coming into your nose and out of your mouth is so important. I didn't realize how important that self-care was and carving out that time."