Una, what leave-in conditioner do you put on your hair in the winter? My hair is always so very dry.

Fleece lined tights and Cuddl Duds are my winter essentials! Add to that a nice, heavy snowsuit for snowshoeing.

A pair of gloves in the pockets of every coat, so I'm not without them when I need them. Granted, these are thin Seattle-weather gloves, easy to stash in the pockets. I hate getting my hands wet on door knobs! Little knit gloves are the answer.

I don't have any winter advice to add.

But Una I wanted you to know that I met you in a dream last night. I went to Alaska and we went diving under the ice (like polar bears) and we had to train ourselves to hold our breath for 2 minutes. I kept trying to do it but couldn't. It was not clear if you did the two minute dive but there were men around us who could. (Such a bizarre sexist dream.)

Oh these tips are such fun to read! I'm so excited to have real winter again after a few years in south Texas. I'm sure I'll have more advice next year but for now it boils down to wool everything, keep your ears covered from cold wind, and silk long johns/underlayers! Walking briskly doesn't hurt either, lol. Vintage full wool skirts or coats are especially nice because of all of that extra insulating fabric is like a blanket.

Do any of the dog owners have snowy winter advice? I'm wondering if snow boots for dogs are helpful or just a gimmick: my pup likes to lick her paws and I'm worried that salt from sidewalks will make her sick. Or that the snow will make little painful balls between her pads when we're walking. Should I just wait and see? I adopted her in Texas so she's never seen snow or ice before.

I thought of one more. These little fleece ear warmers are great if you don't want to wear a hat and don't want your ears to freeze. I bought a pair a few years ago at a local haberdashery. Mine came with a little bag to store in my bag.
http://shop.earbags.com/en/ear.....rk-colours

I love smart wool socks. My feet can run warm and these do such a nice job of keeping them dry.
I also keep a jar of coconut oil in the shower and rub a glob all over my body right before hopping out.
Gloves drive me crazy, so I like to keep those little $1 magic glove sets in the pockets of all my coats.
I hate sopping wet pant hems more than cold knees, so I'll often choose dresses with regular tights and boots over pants.

I think Janet and I are twins separated at birth! My husband gifts me with a box of hand warmers at the start of every winter, and I use them in my mitts for the commute to work. They last long enough that they are sometimes warm enough for the commute home. Yes, Reynaud's.

Leather gloves in early winter, and fingerless mitts for indoors sometimes. Last year I scored some leather mitts at Danier. The streamlined silver grey worked nicely with my charcoal grey winter coat, and the fleece inside kept my hands warmer than gloves.

Wool socks over hose or tights when wearing boots. They don't show, and they keep feet warm. My favourites are a pair I bought when vacationing in Ireland. Wish I'd bought more than one pair.

I have a collection of cashmere and/or wool pashminas that I use instead of scarves with coats. If it is cold at work, they can be used like a shawl.

Fleece for sporting activities.

When the weather turns cool, I switch to flannel sheets and flannel duvet cover!

These are fun to read! As a surfer girl who always thought she was a lumberjack, I have been dressing for faux winter all my life. Flannel plaid shirts, jeans with a cuff of plaid flannel, hiking boots, shearling vest. Plus I get painfully cold ears, so even here in SoCal I wear earmuffs in winter. But in real cold like some of you gals are facing I would be a clueless muttonhead but for these handy tips!

One winter we got a mountain cabin in Arrowhead for a week. It snowed. It was dang cold. We were fine while fully clothed, but there are those inevitable times when you have to shimmy out of your pajama layers and shimmy into your clothes layers. I suggest you stand directly in front of the heater vent to perform this operation, and scream obscenities at your significant other. It seems to help.

Also, a humidifier with eucalyptus oil.

Denise, I LOVE that so much. It continues to amaze me how much Fabbers have become an uplifting part of my life in so many ways. And I would do that with you any time! XO

Karie, I use "It's A 10" leave in conditioner. Stupid name but great product. It's light but really effective and doesn't take much to work. It's expensive, though it lasts a long time and smells really good. I've seen rave reviews of it online.

Oh, and E - dog booties! And shave her paws down. Dog booties are so common here, I pick them up on the trails all the time.

For the dog - Mushers Secret, or just spray some cooking oil on their paws before the walk. It helps prevent painful ice balls from forming. Sadly, we learned this from experience. (My dog won't keep booties on his feet.)

I put thick cream on my hands at night. Usually Cerave from a tub. It prevents the cracking and eczema that is so common in cold weather.

I love merino tights, layers, scarves, and pack-able down jackets. I would love to have a poncho or extra sweater of some sort at every place I work for times it gets chilly but this would be cumbersome. Pack-able down is compact, light weight and easy to transport. It has become my warmth solution on casual work days. It also layers well under my other coats to make them extra warm on sub zero days.

I love the idea of a down skirt. They would definitely work well in our snowy cold Central New York climate. They would also fit well with my lifestyle. I can see one of these in my future. I'm guessing the mid length version would work best for me.

Some great tips! One I read about and used backpacking was making a vapor barrier next to the skin. Not something you probably want to try for everyday, but good for extended walks through snow or working outdoors in it all day. You basically put a thin layer of latex or plastic right against your bare skin, and wear something form-fitting over it. So for example I wore medical latex gloves under thinsulate gloves under mittens or whatever. I put a thin plastic bag over each of my feet, then a liner sock, then my hiking sock. Your skin doesn't get smelly, sweaty or clammy because there is no air pocket between the skin and the plastic, I actually didn't feel it at all, and I stayed toasty warm on my extremities even spending about three days out in tents in the snow.

ETA: I also read that you could wear a thin wool or poly base layer under the plastic layer, if that is more comfortable.

Oh my gosh, I literally opened this thread to share the same advice as Rabbit. I learned this while working on a cold, rainy archaeological dig. This has been a lifesaver tip for me in everyday life as well because I have very poor circulation. I usually keep a spare pair in my purse. And hey, I'm prepared for medical emergencies!