Your skin is as unique as you are — making it important to embrace a skincare journey tailored to your specific needs. But when it comes to dry skin, the road to helping it look and feel its best can be full of twists and turns.
The shortcut? A consistent routine designed to restore and maintain moisture. Join us as we share basic and simple tips steps to nourish dry skin.
Let’s get started.
What causes dry skin?
Dry skin lacks water, but also has a low amount of natural oils. And these natural oils (AKA sebum) help keep your skin barrier working at its best. What makes the skin barrier so remarkable? This brick and mortar-like structure is your skin’s first line of defense against the outside world. Its main job is to protect you from pathogens while balancing your skin’s moisture levels.
In normal skin, the barrier helps keep the bad (irritants, pollution) and the good (water, oils) out. But, in dry skin, the layer of skin that your barrier calls home changes permanently. This means that you Skin cells lose some of their ability to retain and replenish water.
What does dry skin look (and feel like)?
- You have refined, barely visible pores
- It feels tight, especially after washing your face
- You are used to matte skin (no shine)
Sometimes these marks appear all over or only in a certain place, such as the nose or cheeks. Either way, a targeted skincare routine can help relieve dryness and put you on the road to smooth, comfortable skin.
Your step-by-step routine for normal to dry skin
When creating a skin care routine to combat dryness, the mantra is simple (and perhaps a little obvious): moisturize, moisturize, moisturize! Approach the products that help replenish lost moisture while working to keep your skin hydrated throughout the day.
Step 1: Nourishing Cleanser with Oil
If your skin is dry and irritated, choosing the wrong cleanser could make things worse. Harsh cleansers can strip leather of its natural oilsfurther destroying the moisture barrier and contributing to dryness, flaking and, in some cases, irritation.
Choose a gentle cleanser that respects your skin’s moisture barrier. Wondering where to start? An oil cleanser is the best choice for deep cleansing that doesn’t strip the skin. Oil attracts oil, making it ideal for gently removing oily residue, stubborn makeup and sunscreen.
Most importantly, look for oil cleansers with emulsion softness. This gentle texture helps keep dry skin comfortable during cleansing and after. Our pick: Basic cleaning.
Step 2: Moisturizing eye cream
Your daily environment can affect your skin more than you think. These factors that affect the skin are called exposures and include things like UV radiation, temperature, stress, and pollution.
Unfortunately, all of these everyday factors can affect your skin’s barrier. One of the thinnest areas of skin on your entire body, the sensitive area under the eyes, is particularly sensitive to these stressors — makes it even more important to hydrate and protect it. Look for an eye contour formula designed to deliver fast-acting yet long-lasting hydration. Our pick: Hyaluronic Eyes.
Step 3: Hydrating serum
Both morning and night require a moisturizing serum. Helping enhance natural moisture levels on the skin, certain formulas can also help calm and soothe, reducing the feeling of dryness associated with dehydration. Look for serums that contain humectants such as hyaluronic acid and glycerin.
How do moisturizers work? These hydration heroes help attract water molecules and lock them in, keeping moisture in the skin. Hyaluronic acid also offers a plumping effect, address loss of elasticity — making hyaluronic acid serums a popular choice. Our choice: Hyaluronic concentrate.
Step 4: Targeted moisturizer
Now it’s time to seal in moisture with a soothing formula. This step helps maintain a serum’s hydration, as well as minimize moisture loss as the day goes on. Where do I start? A lightweight yet hard-working moisturizer can help deeply hydrate, protect your natural moisture barrier and support anti-aging. Our pick: Hyaluronic moisture for normal to dry skin
Step 5: Broad spectrum sunscreen
Regardless of your skin type, sunscreen is essential. Daily use protects it from harmful UV rays and minimizes further dehydration or dryness due to the harsh effects of the sun.
Mineral formulas are a good choice for normal to dry skin as they are generally suitable for a wide range of skin types. Choose a mineral formula with moisturizing ingredients such as vitamin E to keep your skin protected and boost hydration.
You’re not the only one wondering: Can I exfoliate if I have dry skin? It’s a common myth that you shouldn’t. But following some tips, Exfoliation can be a necessary ally for dry skin.
The truth is, some manual exfoliators (think scrubs and brushes) can irritate the skin and lead to more dryness and redness. With dry skin, chemical exfoliants like AHAs (alpha-hydroxy acids) are usually a good choice, especially in gentle formulations.
Have you ever heard of glycolic acid? It’s an AHA exfoliant with water-attracting properties, meaning that at lower concentrations it’s effective while still being kind to dry skin. Try to start with glycolic acid one or two nights a week and then increase from there if needed. Just remember to wear sunscreen, as peeling can make skin more sensitive to the sun. Our PM choice: Glicoisdin® 8 Soft
Sources and references:
Hashizume H. Skin aging and dry skin. J Dermatol. 2004 Aug;31(8):603-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1346-8138.2004.tb00565.x. PMID: 15492432.
Van Smeden, J., Janssens, M., Gooris, GS, & Bouwstra, JA (2014). The important role of stratum corneum lipids for skin barrier function. Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta (BBA) – Molecular and cellular biology of lipids, 1841(3), 295–313.
Tončić, RJ, Kežić, S., Hadžavdić, SL, & Marinović, B. (2018). Skin barrier and dry skin in the mature patient. Dermatology Clinics, 36(2), 109–115.
Editorial team
Our namesake embodies the spirit of embracing life and all its wonder. As wellness journalists, we explore topics that stimulate the senses and keep curiosity alive. We believe that glowing skin is the result of a healthy body and mind. By connecting beauty with science, we aim to inspire you to live young at every age.
