Effective Ways to Moisturize Dry Skin
Help My Face, Dry Skin is Taking Over!
For 10 months out of every year, you will hear me complain about my oily skin. During those months, I have the skincare worked out - oil free, powder-based, etc. But as extreme as my skin is the majority of the year, there are also the months of March and April.
During March and April, my skin takes on a whole new life, and not in a good way. It’s dry. It’s flakey. It doesn’t matter what makeup I wear it all looks bad, because when you are rockin’ patches of dry skin, makeup doesn’t look good.
Maybe you can identify with me this time of year. Or maybe you suffer from really dry skin all year long. Or, maybe your skin is perfect and basically, the rest of us hate you….I kid, I kid. We just hate your perfect skin😉
Why are many of us prone to dry skin this time of year, anyway? Essentially, winter sucks the life right out of us. Sounds harsh, but I have experts to back me up. Dr. Liia Ramachandra, a former Pharma Exec, turned beauty and skincare expert agrees, “(dry skin) is a loss of moisture from upper layers of the skin that causes it to dry out. Winter air is usually cold, dry and windy and more moisture is sucked out from your skin.”
See. So if you’ve always felt like winter was sucking the life out of you, you were basically right.
For me personally, I don’t know if I’m just holding on to some extra moisture I stored up in our humidity-laced spring, summer and early fall (like a camel), or what exactly, but, my dry skin never hits until the end of winter. And when it does….it. is. a. beast.
So what can we do to help it? I’m a firm believer that when it comes to skincare, what works for some, won’t yield the same results for others (just read my about my little coconut oil experiment if you don’t believe me). In other words, the best dry skin face moisturizer for me, might not be the best dry skin face moisturizer for you.
That said, there are some things that can help most, if not all, of us when it comes to fighting dry skin.
Dry Skin, Skincare Routine
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Moisturize! This seems obvious, but I know there are those people who aren’t slathering on moisturizer everyday. While I definitely lean toward water-free moisturizers (Neutrogena Hydro-Boost is fantastic) in summer months to help my oily skin, in winter I don’t.
Personally, my winter favorites are Pixi's Vitamin C Priming Oil and Neutrogena Naturals Multi-Vitamin Nourishing Moisturizer.
The "priming" oil I actually love so much, I use it before bed as well. It absorbs into my skin and, although it's an "oil," it doesn't feel greasy at all, which I love.
Right now, the Netrogena Moisturizer is sold out and I'm not surprised. It's an affordable, more "clean," option than most drug-store brands, and yet it hydrates as it quickly sinks into my skin.
If you're on the hunt for the perfect dry skin moisturizer for yourself, Dr. Ramachandra offers the following advice, "Look for the ones without alcohol or any chemical ingredients. Ingredients such as shea butter, 100% white pure petrolatum, hyaluronic acid, ceramide and niacinamide are preferred. Stay away from parabens and phthalates."
MicroDermabrasion. I've had an at-home microdermabrasion kit forever, but really only started using it this winter.
If you have dry, flaky facial skin, and need it to not be, for an event or trip, or whatever it is, this is a must-have tool! Everytime I've used it, I've been a little grosed out by the dead skin it pulls from my face and then traps in it's filter.
Unfortunately, there is a downside. First, it's not a cure. I think I really anticipated it sucking away all my dead skin and then, "poof," it would be gone forever. That's not the case. It comes back, and fairly quickly. I did get into a habit of using it weekly, but trying to time it for when it was most important to me, to have my skin look good.
Secondly, it can cause some irritation. My cheeks especially got a little red and there was that one area I was DETERMINED to make sure all dead skin was gone. I ended up holding it a little too long in that one spot and my skin did bruise a bit. Oops.
I would still very highly recommed, however. Even if it's only for a few days, my skin feels incredible afterwards. Super soft, products that are able to full absorb and makeup that looks like it should.
I have this portable version from Trophy Skin but do really want to spring for their Microdermabrasion Kinetic Toning Machine.
Hydrate from within. You heard me all you non-water drinkers out there. We can’t expect our skin to stay hydrated if our bodies aren’t. Do you need some easy ways to make sure you’re getting enough water, especially in colder months? Disguise it (as tea). Add some fresh citrus slices, mint or cucumber. Make a conscious decision to drink, even a small amount, 1/2 a cup for example, every time you go into the kitchen.
You can also get extra water from fruits and veggies. I love to set some grapes out in the morning and then grab a few whenever I walk by.
Whenever I realize I haven’t been getting enough water, and start making a conscious effort to do so, I noticeably see a difference in my skin.
Raise your hand if you are ready to kick your dry winter skin to the curb✋🏻✋🏻✋🏻 I’m also a firm believer in DIY home remedies, so if you have one for dry skin, please share it below!
**Dr. Liia Ramachandra, Pharm.D., Ph.D. is a serial entrepreneur and healthcare executive. Dr Liia is the Founder and CEO EpiLynx, Gluten-Free Skin Care and Cosmetics Brand. She comes with a vast experience in Global Medical Affairs, Global Ethics and Compliance, Clinical Research and Global Publications. She has worked with multiple companies like Takeda Pharmaceuticals Inc, Pfizer, Astellas. Dr. Liia holds a Master’s degree in Pharmacy and Doctorate in Pharmacy from Groningen University, Netherlands and Ph.D. from the University of Utrecht, Netherlands.
To learn more about EpiLynx, visit her website at www.EpiLynx.com, where you’ll find a variety of clean beauty products, all made in the USA!
