In the cold winter months, skin care becomes even more critical. Chapped lips and dry skin can be both painful and not very pretty.

To find the best products, Consumer Investigator Ruth Spencer went shopping with dermatologist Dr. Steven Grekin. They walked through the aisles of the Meijer in Warren, looking for products that have ingredients that work but won't break your budget.

"It doesn't matter whether you're a man or a woman, you still need to protect your skin in the winter," said Grekin. "The product I like best is Cetaphil Restoraderm. They're sort of the dermatologist's gold standard, or one of them, for moisturizing."

Grekin said the Cetaphil Skin Restoring Body Wash contains ceramides that tell your body to make moisture -- giving you a one-two punch to fight dry skin. He also said to remember to put it on when your skin is wet from the shower, and pat yourself dry. The body wash retails for $14.99.

Avoid cracked lips

The doctor said winter can also be tough on your lips, causing them to crack, and sometimes even bleed. Grekin suggested Vaseline Lip Therapy, which has white petrolatum, an ingredient that protects against the elements and moistens the lips.

Vaseline Lip Therapy retails for just 99 cents. However, he said if you have a few extra dollars, Burt's Bees offers more advantages for only $2.99. He said Burt's has some medicated ingredients and clove oil.

Make skin glow during the winter

It's easy to get a golden glow when the summer sun is shining. However, when things are gray and gloomy, you may be thinking some self-tanning products.

Dr. Grekin said the ingredients are all the same -- it's a matter of which application you like to use, spray or lotion. He also said you must exfoliate dead skin cells to get the best results.

"The loose dead skin cells, exactly, are the problem because they'll give you that uneven look and you'll turn sort of orange and funny-looking," said Dr. Grekin.

Dr. Grekin picked the L'Oreal Sublime Bronze spray for $9.32, and the Neutrogena Build-a-Tan Lotion. The lotion sells for $9.39, a few cents more, but you get two extra ounces in the lotion.

Best anti-aging creams

When it come to anti-aging, two ingredients are key: sunscreen and retinol, said Dr. Grekin.

"Retinol sort of peels away that sort of dark ugly mess that we have over time and it gives us that fresh radiant glowing skin," he said.

Products with retinol can help even out your skin tone and smooth wrinkles. Dr. Grekin recommended Neutrogena's Anti-Wrinkle, Deep Wrinkle Night Moisturizer to tackle those two problems. The Neutrogena was on sale at Meijer for less than $20.

To revitalize sagging skin, he liked Oil of Olay Regenerist. The Oil of Olay contains proteins, the building blocks of healthier, younger looking skin. It was $24.99.

Dr. Grekin summed up the search by saying, "Rule number one: stick to the basics, all right. Use the products that have ingredients we know work, and save your money."