Everybody thought Tina was addicted to applying cream on her body every second. They just didn’t know she had a very dry skin. She was tired of watching her skin look flaky and uncomfortable at the end of the day. Several times, she’d wished God gave her another skin type but if wishes were horses, beggars would ride, right? Her best resort was to research on the skincare tips for dry skin and ever since she discovered them, she’s been sticking to it like some glue.
Are you like Tina? Do you look at your skin and wonder why it has to look so dry and flaky when you don’t moisturised? Do your lips easily get dry and cracked too? What about your palms? Do they feel coarse when not moist?
Oops!
You really must be tired of your dry skin condition. But you know you can’t change it. You just have to adapt to it and make it better by practising the skincare tips for dry skin.
What is Dry Skin Type?
If your skin doesn’t retain enough moisture, your pores are almost invisible, your complexion looks dull and your skin is not too elastic, you most likely have a dry skin.
This skin type easily gets cracked and rough because it suffers from lack of oil. It is caused by hormonal changes, genetics, weather conditions, cosmetic products, dehydration, etc.
Having a dry skin can be sort of annoying because the day you forget to cream or oil your body, you wouldn’t like the way you’d look. It’s super worse during harmattan. You look white and parched little wonder people with dry skin have no choice but to stay moisturised all the time.
But not to worry, if you’ve figured out your skin type and realised you have a dry skin, we’re here to help you out. Sit tight as you’re about to see some great skincare tips for dry skin. These tips will help you pamper your skin so even if they are dry, other skin types will envy you and wish to have your skin.
Are you ready to learn the tips? You know it’s for the betterment of your skin so you don’t have to stop reading.
Skincare Tips for Dry Skin
If your skin is dry, make it glow and look better than your favorite celebrity’s skin by adding these skincare tips for dry skin to your routine every day.
1. Cleanse Your Face
You should do this when you wake up in the morning and before retiring to bed. Since your skin is dry, a mild, gentle and hydrating face wash is preferable for cleansing your face. Avoid cleansing your face too often as this could strip moisture off your face. If you get the urge to wash your face multiple times in a day, just sprinkle water on it.
2. Moisturise
I’m pretty sure you know this already. Since your skin is dry, you have to moisturise it regularly with an oil-based moisturiser to trap in moisture in your skin. Do this after showering or washing your hands. It’s better to moisturise with ointment and cream rather than with lotion. This is because the former are less irritating than the latter. Therefore, you should look for creams and ointments that contain ingredients such as lactic acid, olive oil, urea, hyaluronic acid, jojoba oil, dimethicone, glycerin, lanolin, shea butter, mineral oil, and petrolatum.
Also, while you moisturise your outer skin, you should moisturise inside too by drinking enough water every day.
3. Hot Water Isn’t Your Friend
This is hard for some people with dry skin who are fond of bathing hot water, but sadly, it’s the truth. If you’ve got dry skin, you shouldn’t bathe with hot water. Rather use warm or lukewarm water. Hot water strips your skin of essential oils making it lose moisture and feel drier. Even when you’re just cleansing your face or washing your hands, let it be with lukewarm water.
4. Exfoliate Regularly
When dead skin cells build up on your skin, it ends up looking dry and dull. Hence, to avoid this, you need to exfoliate to revive it. If your skin is dry, you should add an exfoliating face scrub to your skincare routine. While doing this, monitor how your skin reacts to exfoliation. This will help you decide on how often you should exfoliate. Exfoliating helps your skin to feel soft, smooth and comfortable.
5. Avoid Wearing Matte Makeup
If you have dry skin, you should avoid wearing matte makeup. Instead go for liquid products to create a moist finish and prevent your face from looking patchy or dry.
6. Avoid Spending Long Hours in a Dry Environment
This includes air-conditioned rooms. However, if you can’t avoid spending most of your time in an air-conditioned room, always carry an ointment or a facial mist you can apply on your face or hands anytime your skin feels dry.
7. Apply Lip Balm
Since you are prone to getting peeled or cracked lips, you should always apply a lip balm. Avoid lip balms that contain camphor, phenol, eucalyptus, lanolin, fragrance, flavouring, menthol, etc. These properties can irritate your lips, making them chapped and dry. Instead, go for lip balms that contain hemp seed oil, castor seed oil, mineral oil, petroleum jelly, shea butter, etc.
8. Use Skincare Products that Don’t Have Fragrance
Your soap and cleanser should be unscented if you have a dry skin and want your skin to retain its natural oil. Hence, you should avoid deodorant soaps and products that contain fragrance, alcohol, alpha-hydroxy acid and retinoids. They are harsh for dry skin.
9. Be Selective of Your Laundry Detergent
If your skin is dry, then you should be careful of the laundry detergent you use to prevent skin irritation. So, when next you want to do your laundry, check for detergents labelled hypoallergenic and use them.
10. Always Use Sun Protection
This applies to every skin type. To prevent the harsh rays of the sun from harming your skin, always wear sunscreen. You can wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or something higher every day. If possible, reapply every two hours.
Furthermore, while it is good to wear sunscreen, it’s also good to avoid being in the sun for long hours. If there are no shades nearby, use an umbrella or wear a hat. And don’t forget to protect your eyes with sunglasses too.
It is not enough to know these skincare tips for dry skin. You have to use them and be consistent at that if you want to see your desired results. So, don’t just read this article and say to yourself, “now I know.” Practise these skincare tips for dry skin and be committed to it.
Do you think there’s a tip we left out in this post? Let us know by dropping a comment below.