Dry Skin Care Tips
Dry Skin Care
If dry skin leads the list of your beauty woes, take heart: Your complexion may not be as dry as you think. While that tight, parched feeling can be aged-related, dry skin may also be caused by a cleaner that’s too harsh, a moisturizer that’s not rich enough for your skin’s needs or rough treatment, like over-scrubbing with a grainy facial cleanser.
So before you cry dry, take a closer look at your skin-care routine: If you have truly dry skin, you’re dry everywhere-your face, your scalp, your body. And cold, dry weather just aggravates the problem.
But relief is possible: An extra-gentle cleansing routine teamed with the right moisturizer can help make even the thirstiest skin lovelier and more supple.
Dry skin tends to be thinner and less oily that other skin types, so it can’t recover from harsh cleansers as easily. It’s important to find a cleanser that removes dirt and makeup thoroughly without hanging your skin out to dry.
Some Signs of Dry Skin
• Roughness to the touch
• Flakiness, tightness
• Occasional itchiness
• Rare breakouts
But don’t turn to soap. Many soaps, especially antibacterial or deodorant soaps, can chap dry skin, leaving it vulnerable to rashes caused by makeup or other skin-care products. Your eyelids are particularly vulnerable, especially if your skin is sensitive as well as dry.
So scrap soap and opt for a soap-free cleanser instead. There are many to try, including superfatted bars (often called beauty bars) with added emollients like olive oil or lanolin, milky liquids or tissue-off cleansing creams. If your skin is severely dry, you might try a cleanser that can be used without water. You can rinse it off if you prefer, and they’re so mild just about anyone can use one.
Oily cleansers, especially the tissue-off kind, can make even the driest skin sprout blemishes, however. So make sure your cleanser is not formulated with ingredients known to cause blemishes (noncomedogenic). But even these cleansers aren’t guaranteed blemishproof, so if your breaking out after two to six weeks, try another cleanser.
Your morning cleansing routine couldn’t be simpler: Just splash or mist your face with water to hydrate it. At night, use your fingertips to gently remove makeup and dirt. Don’t use a washcloth or an abrasive facial pad: they’re too rough for dry skin. Here is a suggested cleansing technique:
If you’re using a lathering cleanser, make suds in the palm of your hand, then transfer the lather to your fingertips or a disposable cotton pad.
Massage the cleanser into you’re your skin, moving fingers or pad in a circular motion.
Rinse or tissue off the cleanser as directed on the label.
Gently blot your face dry with a soft towel. Never rub.
Apply moisturizer while your skin is still damp to seal in the moisture your skin has just absorbed.
