Nothing tests the skin like a plains winter. Months of bitter cold, howling wind and the parched air of a heated house strip moisture from the skin as surely as they drift the snow, leaving cheeks chapped, hands cracked and lips split. The salons and spas of the region have built a whole season of care around the single great winter challenge: keeping the skin intact against the elements.

A Barrier Against the Elements

Fictional day spas such as Prairie Rose Skincare in Fargo counsel a winter regimen built around the barrier — rich creams over lighter lotions, gentle cleansers that do not strip, and a humidifier running against the desert-dry furnace air. The wind, the aestheticians warn, is as much the enemy as the cold, and a protective balm before venturing out is no vanity but a necessity.

From the almanac's reckoning:

• Cold wind and dry indoor heat strip moisture from winter skin.
• Aestheticians recommend richer creams and gentle, non-stripping cleansers.
• A humidifier counters the parched air of a heated plains house.

The reward for diligence is skin that survives the season without the raw, chapped misery the plains winter otherwise inflicts. The almanac counts winter skincare among the practical arts of the plains, where beauty and simple survival meet in a jar of good cream.