My skin gets extremely dry and cracked every winter. What's the Ayurvedic approach?

In Ayurveda, winter is the peak Vata season — cold, dry, light, and windy. All of these qualities directly increase Vata in the body, and the skin is one of the first places Vata imbalance shows up, since Vata governs all dryness and rough texture in the body.

The reason external moisturisers don't work long-term is that they address the surface symptom without addressing the underlying cause: insufficient internal moisture and oils, and a Vata nervous system that is constantly depleting fluid reserves through stress and cold exposure.

External approach:

• Sesame oil before your shower every morning — apply warm sesame oil to the entire body (especially hands and feet), leave for 15 minutes, then shower. Sesame oil is the most penetrating of all Ayurvedic oils, warming, and deeply nourishing to Vata. This is more effective than any moisturiser applied after a shower, because oil applied before hot water opens the pores and drives the oil into deeper tissue layers.
• Ghee for hands and feet overnight — apply a small amount of pure ghee (clarified butter) to cracked hands and feet, put on cotton socks and gloves, sleep. Ghee penetrates cracks and heals fissured skin faster than any commercial product.
• Avoid very hot showers — they strip the skin's natural oil barrier. Use warm water and reduce shower time in winter.

Internal approach (equally important):

• Increase healthy fats — ghee in cooking, soaked almonds, sesame seeds, avocado, and warm milk daily. Skin dryness is partly a reflection of insufficient fat intake. Vata types often unconsciously eat too little fat.
• Stay warm and hydrated with warm water — not just cold water. Cold water in winter itself increases Vata. Carry warm water in a thermos and sip throughout the day.
• Reduce Vata foods — raw vegetables, crackers, popcorn, and cold foods. Focus on warm, cooked, unctuous (lightly oily) meals.

The hands and feet are particularly prone because they are the extremities — furthest from the core warmth of the body, and also the areas most directly governed by Vata. Applying ghee overnight to the feet, as uncomfortable as it sounds, usually produces dramatic results within 7–10 days.