Dry skin is short on oil, dehydrated skin is short on water, and a Toronto winter reliably produces both at once. If your face feels tight straight after cleansing, looks flat by mid-afternoon, and stings faintly when a serum goes on, this is the right shelf. The aim is to support a comfortable moisture barrier before anything else gets added.

We usually move clients onto iS Clinical Cream Cleanser first, because a foaming wash undoes much of the work that follows it. Hydra Cool Serum puts the water back, and Reparative Moisture Emulsion or Medipair Deep Moisture Cream holds it there. iS Clinical Sheald Recovery Balm is the overnight option for the worst weeks of January. Apply everything to damp skin, run a humidifier at night, and reassess when the season turns.