Best Skin Care Routine For Dry Skin - Easy and Effective Steps

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Having a deep knowledge of your dry skin type allows you to adapt your skin care routines and product choices to your exact needs. In this guide, we will review the causes and symptoms of dry skin, as well as the exact routine you’ll need to restore comfort and luminosity in your skin.

Table of Contents

1 What is Dry Skin?
2 How to Identify Dry Skin?
3 What are The Causes of Skin Dryness?
4 What to do About Dry Skin?
5 Skin Care Routine for Dry Skin
6 Best Tips to Prevent Dry Skin
7 What You Should Avoid if You Have Dry Skin

What is Dry Skin?

Dry skin is a type where sebum production is not enough to bring comfort and suppleness to the skin. Its hydrolipidic film is weakened, therefore, the skin is exposed and can easily become dehydrated (The hydrolipidic film acts as a barrier, both against water loss and against external aggressions).

Some simple daily steps help to reduce the inconveniences of this type of skin.

How to Identify Dry Skin?

If your skin feels uncomfortable and tight.
If your complexion is dull and lacks radiance.
If your skin lacks softness, it feels and looks rough and tight.
If you’re having unpleasant symptoms like redness, tingling or tightness on fragile face areas, such as around the mouth.
If your skin is flaky and some fine wrinkles are starting to show.

There’s a high probability that you have dry skin.

What are The Causes of Skin Dryness?

Skin dryness can be caused by many factors, namely:

The toxins and free radicals to which we are permanently exposed (pollution, sunrays and cigarette smoke), as well as sudden changes in temperature weaken the epidermis and cause damage to the skin.
Some everyday habits can also trigger off skin dryness, for example, the use of overly aggressive exfoliators or aggressive treatments (chemical peels, microdermabrasion). The use of hot and long showers can also cause skin to dry out and irritate.
Besides, an unhealthy diet deficient in vitamin A, trace elements and essential fatty acids, can also damage the skin and its barrier function. In addition to your daily care routine, nutrition and hydration play an essential role in the beauty and good health of your skin.
Finally, natural aging is a major factor that can promote skin dryness. Over the years, the production of collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid fibers diminishes, as a result, the skin loses its firmness and suppleness and dries out.

What to do About Dry Skin?

For dry skin, you must be very careful with the products you use. You need skincare products with intensely nourishing ingredients, with gentle formulas, to prevent damage to the already fragile skin.

Fortunately, a few good steps can allow to quickly find a comfortable, healthy and luminous skin!

Now you might ask, what is the best skin care routine for dry skin?

Skin Care Routine for Dry Skin

Cleanse Dry Skin

For this first step, it is important to opt for a double cleansing routine, it is the most effective and gentle cleansing method for all skin types, and especially for dry skin.

This technique consists of using an oil-based cleansing product first, then applying a cleanser in the form of cream or milk

The oil will soften and nourish the skin by providing it with the fatty acids necessary for its comfort; the cleansing milk will then remove the last traces and prepare the skin for the moisturizing care that will follow.

This double cleansing is only to be adopted for your evening routine. In the morning, the lipid film created during the night should be preserved by cleansing your face using just floral water or a mist.

Gentle Exfoliation

Exfoliation helps to get rid of dead cells and, therefore, allows cellular oxygenation and optimizes the penetration of nourishing active ingredients.

Dry skin exfoliants should contain gentle ingredients that help prevent scratching or irritating the skin when applied.

To regain softness and comfort, you should choose scrubs that are adapted to the nature of your dry skin, in addition to deep cleansing, they need to be moisturizing and nourishing in order to improve the texture of the skin in general.

Oils and Serums

The skincare oil or serum is the perfect repairing step for dry skin. In order to remain hydrated and healthy as long as possible, dry skin needs a serum enriched with essential fatty acids and moisturizing active ingredients to quickly bring comfort and luminosity.

Creams and Moisturizers

In need of lipids, dry skin will have to rely on adapted rich and creamy moisturizers or even balms, formulated with moisturizing, nourishing active ingredients. Coconut, avocado, Shea butter, argan, or olive oil are all ingredients to look for in the formulas when choosing your moisturizer as a final and essential step in your routine, to regain comfort, suppleness, and softness.

Best Tips to Prevent Dry Skin

Make sure to use some adapted and targeted treatments to offer yourself the most complete routine possible, such as a nourishing face mask to be applied once or twice a week, a moisturizing eye contour cream to fight the fine lines and improve elasticity, an ultra-soft lotion suitable for dry skin, etc.
Be sure to have a balanced diet and to drink at least 1.5 liters of water per day to reduce skin dryness. By increasing your water consumption and following a balanced diet, you will immediately see changes in the softness and complexion of your skin.
It is highly recommended to apply a day cream including an SPF on a daily basis, especially during sun exposure, as the hydrolipidic film (which also has a small UV barrier function) is almost absent in dry skin.
Invest in a humidifier, as too dry air with insufficient humidity (must be between 40 and 60%) harms the skin, the use of a humidifier can help to relieve and prevent dry skin.

What You Should Avoid if You Have Dry Skin

Stop using foaming cleansers and soaps saturated with irritating surfactants that will dry out and aggravate discomfort.
Stop using strong and irritating face scrubs, use formulas with moisturizing and nourishing ingredients instead.
Stop overheating your home, indeed, an overheated atmosphere enhances skin dryness and irritation.
And finally, avoid hot showers to prevent dryness, and use lukewarm water instead!

Judy Rose

Hi, it’s Judy!

I’m a passionate skincare specialist and writer. I have more than 7 years of experience as a beauty, fashion, and lifestyle writer and editor, and I’m extremely passionate about what I do.