If you are in the dry skin gang, you need a good skincare routine for dry skin. Skin routine for dry skin keeps your skin hydrated, plump, and soft all day long.
Who wouldn’t want that?
If you have dry skin, you must have noticed how it has a papery, rough feel and gets wrinkly, flaky, and sometimes downright ashy and unhealthy.
This is why your dry skincare routine should focus on absorbing moisture into your skin and locking the moisture in to reveal healthy, hydrated skin.
Got it?
Another aim you should strive for in your skin regimen for dry skin is repairing your skin’s protective layer.
Truth is, the reason why your skin dries out fast is because the protective layer is compromised.
So you must use skincare products with ingredients that repair and strengthen your skin barrier.
Why You Need a Skincare Routine for Dry Skin
You need a skincare routine for dry skin if:
- You have a dry skin type.
- The weather is drying, and your skin needs extra moisture.
- You have a health condition like hypothyroidism or diabetes that dries the skin.
- You take long hot baths that have tampered with your skin’s moisture and retention capacities or baths with hard water.
- Your skin is dehydrated.
- Your skin is dry as a reaction to a harsh skincare product or irritant.
The 5-step Skincare Routine for Dry Skin You Need
You need to take a quick detour from the general skincare routine you find online if you have a dry skin type.
This is because your skin needs extra TLC and will not get it without a proper skincare routine for dry skin.
Where it can get tricky is using the right product for your skin.
You need not worry about that, though. We’ve got you covered!
Now, let’s follow this dry skin routine to reveal plump and healthy skin, shall we?
1. Cleanse
The first step in any skincare routine is cleansing, and it also applies to a skincare routine for dry skin.
Cleansing helps to remove dirt and grime from your skin.
When cleansing in a dry skin routine, you want to pay attention to cleansing without stripping your skin of its natural oils or disrupting your skin’s protective layer.
This is why you need to stay away from cleansers with heavy lather.
The best cleanser to use in a dry skin regimen is a creamy cleanser.
But if cleansers don’t work well for you or strip away too much oil from your skin, use Micellar water formulated for dry skin.
For Micellar water, you can determine whether to rinse it off or not based on the instructions on the product and also depending on your skin concern.
If you have sensitive skin, it’s better to rinse it off after use to reduce the risk of skin irritation.
2. Tone or use an essence
This step is optional, but you should consider it if you want your skincare routine for dry skin to work for you.
You can choose between using a toner or an essence.
Both toners and essences help further prepare your skin to properly absorb other skincare treatments you will be applying.
Now, essences are more hydrating compared to toners because they have thicker viscosity and even coat your skin better to repair your skin’s protective layer.
When choosing an essence, go for ones with hydrating ingredients like Hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 for moisture retention, and black raspberry seed oil to help strengthen the skin’s barrier.
You might also opt for one containing spring or mineral water for extra skin nutrients.
Toners do not hydrate as much, but they can help maintain a healthy skin PH level.
When making your choice, go for alcohol-free toners; otherwise, you are introducing a dehydrator into your skincare routine for dry skin.
3. Hydrating serum
Your skincare routine for dry skin is grossly inadequate if you do not include a hydrating serum.
For dry skin, one of the major issues you’ll be addressing is dryness, which can often lead to wrinkles, fine lines, flakiness, and uneven skin texture.
In combating dryness, you need a serum containing hydrating ingredients like humectants, e.g., Hyaluronic acid.
What this does is introduce potent moisture into your skin to keep it healthy, supple, and dewy.
By the time you’re done with this dry skin care routine, no one will be able to guess that you struggle with dry skin, and that’s a flex!
4. Moisturize
Immediately after applying your hydrating serum, you need to lock in the moisture with a creamy moisturizer. In a skincare routine for dry skin, using lotion will not cut it.
You need to opt for creamy moisturizers with occlusives or oils. Check for ingredients such as Hyaluronic acid, Lactic acid, Mineral oil, Lanolin, Petrolatum, Shea butter, Jojoba oil, Glycerin, or Dimethicone.
These will ensure that your skin does not lose the hydration you’ve worked so hard to introduce into it.
Also, in choosing a moisturizer, look for ones with antioxidants to repair and strengthen the skin’s protective layers because it is the weakness of this layer that allows skin moisture to dry out fast.
You can also try applying an eye cream to the delicate areas below your eyes to keep the area moisturized and slow down the signs of aging common to the dry skin type.
At night, go for stronger moisturizers like body oils to really lock in moisture and get your skin ready for the next day.
5. Protect with Sunscreen
No skincare routine is complete without a good sunscreen. Go for a fragrance-free mineral sunscreen to avoid sensitivity.
Also, go with ones that are non-comedogenic and have a broad spectrum coverage of at least SPF 30+.
Quick Dry Skin Routine Tips by Dermatologists
- Exfoliate once a week with a mild exfoliator.
- Use products with ingredients like ceramide to improve your skin’s texture.
- Combat aging signs with ingredients like peptides and also hyperpigmentation and dark spots with vitamin C serums for dry skin.
- Keep your baths between 5-10 minutes and avoid hot baths.
- If your dry skin is acne-prone, go for non-comedogenic products.
- Get a humidifier.
- Apply facial mist during the day to refresh your skin.
- Get a hand cream to keep your hands moisturized as you go about your daily business.
- Apply eye cream to keep your undereye looking young and combat the signs of aging.
Final Thoughts on Skincare Routine for Dry Skin
Having a dry skin type is not a death sentence. You just need to tailor your daily routine to hydrate your skin, strengthen your skin’s barrier, and improve your skin texture.
If you commit to this, you’ll reveal healthy and radiant skin in no time!
You just need to cleanse, tone, or apply facial mist, treat with a hydrating serum, moisturize, and protect with sunscreen.
You also need to get products suitable for dry skin to get the best result and keep glowing all year round!
