How to keep your dry, cracked skin from erupting this winter, according to science

lotion cream

If it feels like your skin has been screaming lately, you're not alone.

Winter months in cold climates can be a recipe for dry, itchy, angry skin. "Xerosis," if you prefer the scientific term.

But figuring out how to keep skin moisturized in the winter can be confusing. Should you change your diet? Drink more water? What about supplements and expensive oils? It's all mixed up in a web of pseudo-science and advice from people trying to sell you stuff.

We've narrowed this winter skin to-do list down to a few simple expert-approved tips.

Take a look at the advice, and then go give your skin some relief:

Winter-dry skin isn't your fault. There's a vicious cycle at work.

It's a combination of dry winter air, and the skin that's right under your nose, your face, and your hands. Actually, it's covering the surface of your entire body.

The uppermost layers of your skin are called the stratum corneum, and they're kind of like your skin's shield, protecting what's inside, while keeping out bad elements from the environment.

Our so-called "shield" of armor, this stratum corneum, is made from about 10-15 micrometers of dead-cell skin. Scientific studies show these outermost layers play an important part in keeping natural moisture inside the skin.

But when the humidity drops, and winter chill creeps in, the outside air is drier. Then, making matters worse, we use radiators and heaters to stay warm inside, drying out those environments, too.

Our stratum corneum "shield" starts to dry out, opening up the skin's natural barrier.

David Leffell, author of "Total Skin: The Definitive Guide to Whole Skin Care For Life," and chief of dermatologic surgery at Yale School of Medicine, told Business Insider when the stratum corneum gets damaged, natural moisture "leaks out" of the top layers of our skin.

"That's when we start getting itchy, scratchable skin, making matters even worse," he said. And so, the vicious cycle begins.