How to take care of dry skin?
How to take care of dry skin?
Coralie Techer
Dry skin is particularly sensitive and requires gentle and careful care. How to take care of this fragile skin type? Follow the guide.
Summer and winter, dry skin doesn't make any distinction. To avoid redness and tightness in winter, peeling skin and itching in summer, you have to make sure to give it the right skincare routine. Whether you have oily skin, combination skin, sensitive skin, dry skin or normal skin... We pamper it, out of the question to let it suffer because of external factors!
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How to know and recognize if you have dry skin?
If you have dry skin, you've probably had it forever. However, sometimes we don't really pay attention to the condition of our skin before a problem sets in. To avoid this and define your skin type, here's what you need to know to recognize a dry skin type:
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A feeling of tightness or discomfort on the skin after cleansing the face or body.
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Itching, redness or irritation that appears easily is also an indicator of dry skin.
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Skin can appear dull or rough when no skincare is applied.
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Wrinkles and fine lines are particularly visible, even at a young age.
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The skin may peel or flake easily (in summer and winter).
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The skin is more sensitive to climatic changes, especially when it is cold and dry.
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The skin has a great tendency to blemishes, more quickly and more easily.
When the skin presents most of its symptoms, there is a 90% chance that it is indeed dry skin. In this case, and if it is not already done, it is important to set up an appropriate skincare routine. Both for the face and for the body!
Distinguishing between dry skin and dehydrated skin
This is a common confusion, considering dehydrated skin as dry or dry skin as simply dehydrated. However, there is indeed a difference and the mistake is no longer to be made! Combination skin, oily skin and normal skin can also be dehydrated, while dry skin is a skin type that cannot change over the course of life.
A good way to differentiate between the two is to see how the skin responds to moisturizers. If the skin remains dry and rough despite using rich, nourishing moisturizers, it is most likely a dry skin type. On the other hand, if the skin responds positively to moisturizers and regains its elasticity and luminosity, it is simply dehydrated skin.
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Characteristics of dehydrated skin
Dehydrated skin is caused by a lack of water in the skin. It can be caused by environmental factors such as dry and windy weather, or by an unbalanced lifestyle such as excessive alcohol or coffee consumption and poor hydration in general. Signs of dehydrated skin include rough skin texture, fine lines, dull skin and a tired appearance. Generally, balancing your water intake is enough to get things back on track. It is recommended to drink up to 2L of water per day to nourish the body (and therefore the skin) properly. A hydrating beauty routine can ideally complement this habit, with the application of a hyaluronic acid serum (ultra hydrating and anti-aging) and a rich cream.
The skincare routine to implement when you have dry skin
Now that the diagnosis of dry skin has been made, it will be necessary to set up a gentle routine adapted to this type of skin which is particularly sensitive to external aggressions.
What treatments should you add to your routine?
To prevent dryness, discomfort, redness and tightness of the skin barrier, add appropriate care to your routine, both for the body and the face.
A gentle facial cleanser, without harsh products for gentle but deep skin cleansing. A gel, a foam or even a cleansing balm are products particularly suited to dry and sensitive skin. On the active side, choose natural formulas containing moisturizing and nourishing agents such as sweet almond oil or shea butter.
A tonic or floral water for the face . To balance the pH of the skin and reduce the irritating effects of dry skin, floral water or a tonic (preferably a natural formula) can work wonders. Rosehip floral water, gentle, soothing and moisturizing, is perfect for maintaining the hydrolipidic film of dry skin.
A lip balm. It is the great forgotten of skincare routines, yet lip balm has so much to offer! Essential for dry skin, it is ideally applied at night before bed to act as a mask on the fragile skin of the lips.
Choose a rich moisturizing treatment for the face and body . While it should be avoided for oily skin (like all treatments for oily bodies), rich moisturizing treatment is totally recommended for dry and sensitive skin. It is chosen in the form of a moisturizing cream or nourishing oil, it all depends on the preferred texture. Although the cream has a softer and more comforting galenic, the oil can be particularly soothing and lead to a massage exercise on the face and body that can only do good. In addition, for the face, we always couple it with a serum (preferably with hyaluronic acid) for double effectiveness and to fight against the lack of water.
Apply sunscreen. This is the new hobby horse of the health and beauty world. Applying sunscreen should be done daily, summer and winter! Even under a gray sky, the sun's UV/UVB rays can harm the skin, especially when it is sensitive, such as dry skin.
A mask break, once a week. It is essential for dry and sensitive skin, it is highly recommended for all skin types. The mask, whether it is purifying, moisturizing, detoxifying, nourishing is a cocooning step in the beauty routine. We give ourselves 20 minutes just for ourselves, once a week to apply it. Dry skin loves fabric masks soaked in moisturizing active ingredients that deeply nourish and boost the skin's protective barrier.
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What should you avoid at all costs when you have dry skin?
If we are quickly tempted to experiment with all sorts of trends that we see blooming on social networks, when we have problem skin like dry skin can have. We avoid it! The skin respects itself and before applying all sorts of products or routines that seem "cool" to us, we must know (imperatively) what suits it or not. Generally speaking, the skin is satisfied with a simple routine, as long as the latter is adapted.
Dry skin should avoid at all costs products containing alcohol or other aggressive agents such as retinol, BHA and AHA. Repeated peels, whether mechanical or chemical, should also be avoided, unless they are gentle and once a month. When washing dry skin, it is better to use lukewarm water than hot water, which will further weaken the sensitive dermis. In terms of lifestyle habits, the ideal would also be to avoid smoking and drinking alcohol, to allow the skin to assimilate hydration optimally.