Dry Skin – No Thanks

It’s officially Autumn and all the fun Autumn crafts and delicious Autumn food are in full swing, or is that fall swing? There isn’t much about Autumn to dislike if we’re being honest but there is one part of the colder months we’re not here for and that’s dry skin.

What Causes Dry Skin in Colder Months?

The main factor affecting our skin in colder months is the humidity levels in the air. During colder months the humidity drops. This can strip away a whopping 25% of our skin’s natural moisture. This leads to dehydration of the skin.

Dehydration of the skin can lead to cracks in the skin, dryness and flaking. Your skin can look duller and darker in some areas. All of this may also lead to itchiness and redness of the face.

How to Treat It?

The problem with skin dehydration is that it can take a little time to fix it. It’s not just about sticking a hydrating mask on and calling it a day. Fixing your skin will take time but it is as simple as making sure you’re hydrating yourself enough.

Whilst we’re drinking more water let’s talk about the skin moisture barrier. Although dehydrated skin can take time to repair, repairing your moisture barrier can be a simple step and can also make a huge difference to the skin’s overall health. This could be the only step you need if you’re staying well hydrated and just suffering from dry skin due to the weather. It will take some moisture and the right active ingredients to get your skin glowing again. Ingredients that will help and not aggravate the problem further.

What Ingredients Are Best For Dry Skin?

Skin care now can be a little over-complicated with so many products and ingredients to choose from. Where do you even start? Here are three top ingredients that can help you repair your skin from dryness.

• Ceramides – This is a naturally occurring fatty acid your skin produces. This can go off balance so having these as a part of your daily routine can help your own ceramides rebalance. Keeping the moisture barrier healthy and happy.
• Hyaluronic Acid – This is a humectant which literally makes water bind to it and helps your skin reabsorb it. This is best used in conjunction with a ceramide so they can aid each other.
• Niacinamide – This aids cell turnover in your skin whilst giving them a little boost. Helping to protect them from outside stresses such as pollution, toxins and weather.

What Ingredients to Avoid?

It’s all well and good to talk about the ingredients to incorporate into your daily routine but which ones should you be avoiding? Which products will make your skin dryness worse? Here are the top three ingredients to avoid when suffering from dry skin.

• Salicylic Acid – Focuses on drying out excess oils from the skin but if you don’t have excess moisture to give this can lead to further dryness and irritation.
• Denatured Alcohol – This, again, focuses on removing excess oil and if you don’t have that it will dry your skin out further.
• Glycolic Acid – This is an exfoliating ingredient and when your skin is dry you’re aiming to repair not strip away more. If you have dry skin you need to be very careful with exfoliation so as to not make your dry skin much worse.

Daily Routine for Dry Skin

The perfect, daily skincare routine for dry skin?

• Cleanse – Use a fragrance-free cleanser. Look for cream or milk cleansers as they help hydrate the skin. Look for the ingredients listed above as an ingredient in your cleanser.
• Tone – Toning is the first step of hydrating your skin so you should use one. Avoid harsh ingredients like tea tree oil and similar. Again, you want to keep an eye peeled for the ingredients listed above.
• Oils and serums – Now you are really into your hydrating stage. Oils and serums are a must when you’re suffering from dry skin. Start slow when using new oils and serums to give your skin time to get used to them.
• Moisture – Seal in all that added hydration with a good moisturiser. This will really help protect your moisture barrier and help your skin absorb your other skincare products.
• Facemask – twice weekly (start once a week and build to two if placing a new skincare regime in place)

Products Perfect for Dry Skin

Cleanser

• CeraVe – Hyaluronic acid cleanser for dry skin (includes 3 extra ceramides)
• Superdrug Me+ – Hyaluronic acid cleanser
• The Inkey List – Hyaluronic cleanser

Toner

• Fresh – Rose deep hydrating toner
• Cosrx – Propolis Synergy toner
• Versed – Baby Cheeks Hydrating Milk Toner

Oils and Serums

• CeraVe – Hydrating hyaluronic acid serum
• B. – Skincare Intense Hydrating Serum
• Aesop – Lightweight facial hydrating serum

Moisturiser

• The Inkey List – Vitamin B, C and E moisturiser
• Clinique – Moisture Surge Intense
• Me+ – Ceramide Moisturiser

Facemask

• Garnier – Moisture Bomb facemask (Chamomile or Sakura are the best choice and is a personal favourite of mine)
• Elf – Holy Hydration Sleeping mask
• Revolution Skincare – Hyaluronic acid Hydrating Sleep Mask

So, there you have it my beauties. Banish dry skin this Autumn and Winter and enjoy beautifully hydrated, healthy skin. Dry skin can be a real problem, especially during the cold months. It can become sore, red and sometimes very painful. Get ahead now and say goodbye to dry skin. Do you suffer from dry skin in the cold months or perhaps your skin type is dry? Let us know in the comments the bit you hate most about dry skin. For me, it’s that burning sensation you get if you have dryness on your cheeks as it is so painful. Not anymore though, thank you hydration!

Lots of Love,
Tahnee