How To Manage Dry Skin In 7 Steps

Below are a few things you can do to hydrate and protect your skin to lock in moisture and keep flakiness at bay every day.

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Symptoms of Dry Skin vs. Dehydrated Skin

First, you need to determine whether you have dry skin, or just dehydrated skin. Dry skin includes the following issues:

-caused by a lack of oil in the skin

-pores are usually small (that’s a plus, right?!)

-skin constantly feel “tight”

-rough, flaky spots that don’t go away

-you can still have acne with dry skin

-skin looks dull and deflated

-skin doesn’t absorb products easily

-prone to irritation

Dehydrated skin is caused by lack of water in the skin and is usually found to absorb skin care products really quickly, whereas dry skin doesn’t absorb products well at all.

How To Manage Dry Skin

1. Evaluate Your Facial Cleansers

If you’re suffering with flakiness and feel like your skin is drying out, your facial cleanser may be to blame. Ditch the harsh soaps and foaming cleansers ASAP and replace them with more gentle cleansers that are milk, oil or cream based.

Many foaming cleansers contain harsh sulfates that can leave skin feeling tight and dry after use. If any of your cleansers leave your skin feeling this way, or include sodium lauryl sulfate in the ingredients list, ditch em’!

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2. Deal With Dry Patches Quickly

Once you notice a dry patch, you should treat it quickly; don’t let it get worse or crack. A heavy moisturizer or balm with rich emollient ingredients like Vichy’s Nutrilogie Night moisturizer is really good for soothing dry patches and helping keep your skin moist.

A little Vaseline in a pinch is also a great way to nourish your flaky patches and avoid further irritation.

Tip: Always apply your skin care products to damp skin, which is more absorbent than dry skin.

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3. Choose The Right Moisturizing Products

This tip sounds obvious, but finding a toner, serum or moisturizer that works well with your dry skin is essential.

Make sure that you select moisturizers, serums and toners with hyaluronic acid or sodium hyaluronate in the ingredients list to help your skin retain moisture and do your research to ensure your skin care products in general are targeted to dry skin types. Applying a hyaluronic acid serum to your skin before applying your moisturizer is also a great way to maintain more moisture in your skin.

Products with “hydra” or “hydrating” in their titles are a good place to start and stay clear of “oil free” products, since oil is your dry skin’s best friend right now. Look for creams with heavier, emollient formulas to protect and nourish skin.

Tip: Carry a hydrating mist in your purse for hydration spritzes on the go!

Layering moisturizing products in your morning and evening skin care routine by applying a hydrating toner, hydrating essence, hydrating serum, hydrating moisturizer and ending with a nourishing facial oil, is a great way to boost hydration and lock it in all day.

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4. Facial Oils Are Your Friends

Facial oils are a great way to nourish, soothe and protect the skin. They also help your skin to lock in the moisture from all the hydrating products you’ve applied underneath.

One of my fave facial oils at the moment is the Kosmea 100% organic rosehip oil. It nourishes the skin without any greasiness and rosehip oil is wonderful for healing and fighting the signs of aging because it is full of natural vitamin A.

Facial oils containing squalane are also well known to nourish and hydrate dry skin, while some facial oils also have acne-fighting ingredients built in.

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5. Protect Your Skin From The Sun

A sure way to damage and dry out your skin is over exposure to the sun. Applying sunscreen is an absolute must for all skin types and seeking shade at the hottest times of the day will help too.

It’s likely that your skin will fall prey to a little dryness after a day in the sun, so make sure you use an after-sun lotion to bring it back to life and follow a regular moisturizing routine to keep on top of things.

6. Don’t Over-Exfoliate or Over-Treat Skin

Exfoliation is a great way to remove dead skin cells that can leave your complexion dull. However, over-exfoliation – especially for dry, sensitive skin types – is a great way to make dry skin even drier.

Consider using gentler exfoliants with a lower acid content in your skin care routine. For example, lactic and mandelic acids are gentler than glycolic acid for dry skin types. You can also exfoliate less often based on how your skin is feeling.

Ingredients like vitamin C or retinol can also be irritating for dry skin types. Again, try using these ingredients less often or switching to gentler versions. Bakuchiol is considered a gentler retinol alternative for dry/sensitive skin.

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7. Don’t Use Very Hot Or Cold Water

When washing your face or body, it’s always best to use lukewarm water. Extremely hot or cold water can strip the skin of vital moisture and lead to more tightness, dryness or irritation.

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