Prepare Before You Dare to Go Bare

Now that it’s getting warmer, the inclination is to take off those sweaters, that hose, those boots and bare a little skin.

Don’t do it.

After months of dry, indoor air, skin can grow dry and scaly. Fight dry skin with a six-pack of readily available, tried-and-true, not-too-expensive skin-care products to help you get ready for spring:

* Eucerin

This thick, fragrance-free moisturizing lotion won’t clog pores or leave skin feeling greasy.

Active ingredients: mineral oil, petrolatum; available at drugstores.

Price: $4.99 for a 2-ounce tube.

* Vaseline Intensive Care Young Hands

Fight chapped, dry hands with a product whose name evokes youth. Will this stuff make your hands look younger? Maybe. Will it make them softer? Yes.

Active ingredients: alpha-hydroxy acids, glycerin; available at drugstores.

Price: $3.16 for a 2.5-ounce tube.

* Stila Melon Shine Lip Gloss

Wear this appealing, slightly gloppy, sheer coral gloss alone or over lipstick.

Active ingredient: castor oil; available at Nordstrom.

Price: $17 for a .26-ounce tube.

* Body Shop Peppermint Foot Lotion

This thick, pale-pink lotion leaves feet feeling cool and refreshed.

Active ingredients: peppermint oil; available at the Body Shop.

Price: $6.50 for a 4.2-ounce bottle

* Blistex Medicated Lip Ointment

Blistex leaves lips feeling smooth and cool, not waxy. It also relieves some of the pain associated with cold sores.

Active ingredients: mineral oil, camphor; available at drug stores.

Price: $2.79 for a .21-ounce tube

* L’Oreal Ombrelle Sunless Spray

Get a glow with this lightweight, non-greasy, self-tanning spray that moisturizes and protects skin from harmful rays.

Active ingredients: vitamin E, Parsol 1789; available at drug stores next month.

Price: $8.99 for 4 ounces