Tips for Treating Dry Skin
Treating dry skin can be trickier than you think; this is because there is no one-size-fits-all remedy. First, you want to get to the root of why your skin is dry. Dry skin can come from overuse of exfoliants, lack of hydration, lack of oils, or built-up debris. Once you figure out exactly why your skin is dry then you can choose the best way to treat it and make it soft and healthy.
After reading this blog post dry skin won’t be a struggle for you anymore!
Reasons why your skin might be dry:
Over-exfoliating your skin:
Over exfoliated skin looks red and sensitive as well as dry and flaky. It can also be bumpy and sometimes itchy
This is probably the most common way people cause their skin to be dry, flaky, or textured. Using exfoliating products too often can cause your skin’s barrier to become damaged and unbalanced, resulting in skin feeling super dry and sensitive. The same result can happen if you have too many exfoliating products in your daily or weekly skincare routine. Sometimes I meet a new client who is using a facial scrub, a toner that contains AHAs, retinol, and maybe one other type of enzyme exfoliant. This is far too many exfoliant products, generally, I like to see only 1 or 2 products that create cell turnover in your skincare routine. Sometimes I see facial clients who are further drying their skin because they keep trying to exfoliate away the bumpy and flaky texture that they have caused themselves by over-exfoliating their skin.
I recommend using an exfoliant product no more than 3x a week, especially if you have a retinol in your routine as well. I have also seen many facial clients who only get their skin exfoliated when they come get their monthly facial and their skin is really healthy, soft, and moisturized! Just remember, less is more when it comes to exfoliation.
scrub me secret: Many people like to cycle their exfoliating products in their skincare routine. This means you plan out your skincare routine where certain days you use a product like a chemical exfoliant, other days you might use a scrub, and some days you might use retinol. But you do always leave room for a few days when your skin is free of cell turnover products (this is called a rest or reset day). This blog post I wrote on skin cycling will give you a better idea of what I’m describing.
Not exfoliating your skin enough:
If your skin is feeling tight, dry, and overall very dull then you could be in need of more exfoliation. Dead skin cells can sometimes sit on the surface of our skin and start to create a barrier that doesn’t let our skincare product fully penetrate down into our live skin cells. The result is skin that always looks and feels dry and dull.
For dry skin types, I like to use a fine-grained facial scrub like the scrub me antioxidant mask once a week or a gentle chemical exfoliant that contains lactic acid a couple of times a week (more on lactic acid below). You can also opt to skip exfoliation at home and visit a trusted esthetician for a facial every 3-4 weeks. Many of my regular monthly facial clients don’t have an exfoliant in their skincare routine at home and we get all that we need to done during the facial.
Skin isn’t retaining enough hydration:
Hydrating skin refers to helping the skin retain water molecules. When our skin lacks hydration (water) it can become dehydrated looking and have little fine lines that we can see when we look at it close up. Skin that lacks hydration also will have more visible fine lines since it lacks the plumpness that the water molecules give it. If you are lacking hydration you will also most likely feel like your skin is tight or itchy or maybe you’re noticing more pronounced fine lines.
Hydrosols are hydrating facial mists that contain a lot of water, this type of product followed by a serum that contains hyaluronic acid is the perfect remedy for skin that lacks hydration.
scrub me secret: making sure we consume enough water on a daily basis is also key for keeping our skin from feeling dehydrated. Proper hydration helps keep our skin healthy, glowing, and firm feeling. Drinking enough ounces of water everyday has more benefits than you think!
Skin doesn’t have enough moisture:
Flaky and itchy skin is a sign you could be lacking nourishing oils in your skin. Make a facial oil or balm the last step of your PM routine every night.
Dry skin types don’t produce as many skin-softening oils as other skin types. When our skin lacks moisture that means we need more oils because our skin isn’t producing enough for us. There are instances where someone with a type that makes enough oil to keep itself nourished and soft overuses oil-clearing skincare products like clay masks or items with salicylic and in turn makes it dry. When your skin is lacking moisture it can feel flaky, sensitive, itchy, or have a rough texture.
Facial oils and facial balm moisturizers are made with oils that nourish your skin without clogging your pores and causing breakouts. These types of oils are called non-comedogenic oils.
scrub me secret: comedogenic oils, otherwise referred to as pore-clogging oils should not be used on the face as they can cause whiteheads and blackheads. Popularly known comedogenic oils are coconut oil, coca butter, palm kernel oil, and marula oil.
My best tips for treating dry skin:
Use lactic acid:
Lactic acid is an alpha hydroxy acid that is used to soften and gently exfoliate the skin by breaking down dry and dead skin cells, thus helping them slough off. Not only is lactic acid one of the more gentle exfoliants it also helps your skin attract water, making it feel more hydrated.
Dry skin types should use an exfoliating product that contains lactic acid a couple of times a week. If your skin is very dry and flaky feeling you might want to choose an exfoliant that contains lactic acid only, and no other AHAs, BHAs, or retioids. I like the BYBI day glow fluid for a lactic acid-only product.
scrub me secret: lactic acid products are gentle enough to use in the AM part of your routine. Unlike glycolic acid, retinol, and other AHA/BHA blends lactic acid will not make your skin photosensitive. There is even research to show that using a lactic acid product before applying your vitamin C serum can help your vitamin C work better!
Layer your hydrating and moisturizing products:
For optimal hydration and soft skin, you’ll want to have a hydrating toner, hydrating serum, facial lotion, and facial oil in your skincare routine. Layering these products correctly is key for helping your skin retain its hydration.
You’ll first want to apply your hydrating toner with your clean hands or via a spritz bottle, while your skin is still damp with the toner apply your hydration serum. Applying a hydrating serum while your skin is still damp with toner binds the water molecules to your skin cells. After hydrating serum, apply your facial lotion and then wait for everything to soak in (about 45-65 seconds). Finally, pat a small amount of facial oil over everything to give your final coat of moisture.
scrub me secret: looking for a great hydrating toner or facial mist? Read my blog post “incorporating hydrating toners and hydrosols into your skincare routine”
Double cleanse using a balm/oil followed by a gentle or creamy cleanser:
Often I find that dry or textured skin is due to debris and skin cell buildup that is sitting in our pores. Double cleaning each evening can really help get our skin clean without stripping or unbalancing our barrier. Double cleansing will ensure we are removing this daily debris like sweat, oils, pollution, and some dead skin cells so it isn’t stuck sitting on our faces. A great double cleanse will make sure all our other products like toner, serums, lotions, etc will be able to work their best because they can reach our live, healthy skin cells.
For dry skin types, I always recommend using a gentle cleanser that keeps your pH balanced or opt for a creamy cleanser. For a pre-cleanse oil or balm I use the scrub me nourishing serum or the Josh Rosebrook Essential Balm Cleanse. If you’re looking for a new cleanser my blog post “Esthetician Recommended Facial Cleaners” has a couple creamy and gentle facial wash options on the list.
Avoid oil-stripping skincare ingredients:
When our skin is dry we lack oil and hydration. Using skincare products where the main ingredient is an oil control item like clay, salicylic acid, or willow bark will only make our skin feel more dry and unbalanced. I always suggest that my skincare clients with dry skin skip the clay masks, salicylic facial cleaners, or oil control toners.
Ingredients that are helpful for dry skin:
These are some of the ingredients I look for when choosing a product for my dry skin type.
Hyaluronic Acid
Hyaluronic acid is a molecule that helps the skin retain water. By helping skin retain water, it becomes softer, more plump, and retains more hydration. Hyaluronic acid serums should be used after a hydrating toner and before facial lotion.
The Josh Rosebrook Hydration Concentrate is my favorite hyaluronic acid serum. It also contains the ingredient right underneath, horse chestnut.
Horse Chestnut
This plant extract helps the skin to be softer by creating microcirculation in the skin cells. This microcirculation helps collagen and elastin to strengthen and maintain health. Keeping skin happy, healthy, and soft. This ingredient can be found in facial serums, facial lotions, facial oils, and more.
Rose Water
Rose water is made from steam distilling rose petals to extract water that is rich with the antioxidant properties of rose. Rose water is an amazing skin-hydrating ingredient just on its own. You can spritz fresh rose water onto your skin to add extra hydration or you can use rose water as a balancing and hydrating toner. Rose water can also be found in facial lotions.
scrub me secret: My favorite rose water is heritage rose water. I have used it for years as a hydrating mist for my face and body. I use it during many of my facial treatments.
Ceramides
Ceramides are something that occurs in our skin naturally. Ceramides’ main function is to help our skin retain water and support our barrier function. Using skincare with ceramides can help soften our skin and hydrate it by assisting our cells in retaining more water. Ceramides can be found in face creams, facial masks (I like the Dr. Jart sheet mask), serums, and cleansers.
Marshmallow root
Marshmallow root is a plant extract that has properties that soothes skin irritation and helps our skin retain moisture. It has something called a high mucilage content which is something that basically traps moisture in the skin. You’ll find marshmallow root mostly in facial moisturizers but I have seen it in serums as well. I love it when I see this ingredient on a product label.
Sodium PCA
Sodium PCA is a naturally occurring ingredient derived from oils, plants, and fruits. It has moisturizing benefits for the skin and allows our skin to attract and retain more moisture. You can find this ingredient in hydrating serums, facial lotions, and eye creams.