We previously covered how to identify if you have oily skin. Click to read some of the indicators for oily skin and how to maintain it. Today we’re going to cover dry skin.
Dry skin is the easiest to identify.
1. Do you wake up in the morning and your skin feels tight all over and you don’t have any of very little oil located around your nose? (Especially try if you didn’t moisturize at night).
2. Do matte type foundations cake easily throughout the day?
3. You rarely have to touch up your makeup with powder, if at all?
4. Do you frequently have flaky skin?
If you answered yes to 2 of those, especially if you answered yes to number 1 and 2 you most likely have dry skin. Welcome to my world!!! I am just now discovering how heavily I can put on moisturizer.
Caring for dry skin can be a massive pain in the behind. Your cleanser can go two ways. You can use products like Cetaphil or CeraVe’s Hydrating Cleanser. I can’t stand using either of these products. It feels like I have a sheet mask of gunk on my face and my pores aren’t cleaned out completely. Peter Thomas Roth’s Water Drench Cleanser did the same thing. It just feels like there’s a layer of crap on my face and as a result my skincare didn’t go on right, my primer rolls off, and my makeup just looks like poo. My husband likes using it and he has sensitive skin…. so there you go. Secondly, you can get a gentle cleanser that has nothing really special in it.
If you use toner make sure is pH balanced and contains zero alcohol. Denatured alcohol, alcohol, or alcohol denat is murder for dry skin. It dries it out even further and destroys the moisture barrier in a nanosecond. Cough……ALL Clinique toners. Even staying away from Witchhazel products which can irritate dry skin is advised by most dermatologists. I use Acwell’s Licorice toner. It’s pH balanced and gentle enough for dry and sensitive skin types.
Moisturizers are going to be your best friend. In the summer time you can probably get by with something lighter. I used Clarin’s Double Serum all summer. In addition to my sunscreen there was enough oil to keep my skin moisturized all day. In the winter ❄️ ❄️ ❄️ or if you live in a dry climate your moisturizer is going to have to be thick. I’m using Klairs Rich Moisture Soothing Cream (*non-affiliate link). I got this last year towards the middle of spring and didn’t get to use it much. I’m finally using it now. It is THICK. I use a dime sized amount for my face and neck. A dime to quarter sized amount should be able to get your face, neck and décolletage (the part of your chest that you probably haven’t hit with sunscreen…..ever and every 60 year old woman wearing a scoop neck shirt displays their sun damaged décolletage). Don’t forget that décolletage.
As far as makeup I really like using a dewy finish for my foundation. I’ve been using Clinque’s Even Better Glow Light Reflecting Makeup. Not a full coverage but gives enough coverage that it evens my skin tone well. You can still use a powder to set it too without over drying your skin. Matte types absolutely zap the skin of its moisture. great for oily skin types, but does nothing for dry skin. Also using a face oil under a matte type foundation results in the foundation moving a bit too much. Alternatively, using a mineral foundation like BareMinerals can also keep the skin hydrated while evening out your skin tone. Using these with a face oil seems to work really well for me as well.
Hopefully, these tips can help those with dry skin types. As always there are plenty of things on the market now for dry skin, finding what works best for you is going to take some trial and error. I played around with Cetaphil for years before giving it up entirely and switching to gentle cream cleansers (yes I still love my Shiseido Ibuki Gentle Cleanser).
If you’re wanting some extra credit and help to understand more of the science behind Dry skin (which is another post in and of itself) this paper does a pretty good job breaking everything down including a few moisturizers both OTC and prescription strength. If you have chronically dry skin that is cracked and you can’t manage it, it’s time to see a dermatologist. They have the ability to prescribe things that one cannot get over the counter for the next 10-15 years if we ever get it OTC. Honestly I never though allergy medicine like allegra and claritin would every be available OTC, I’m glad it is though.
