Dry skin can be something that we are born with, but a lot of the time it can become dry from external factors. Over the many years that I have been treating client's skin, I have learnt that there are different types of dry skin. Some skin types are dehydrated and others are oil dry. Either way, let me give you some reasons why you might be suffering from dry skin...
YOU'RE OVER CLEANSING
Less is definitely more with cleansing. In the morning, you can cleanse with a gentle cream cleanser such as my Cleansing Beauty Cream or my Cleansing Rosewater and then in the evening use my Cleansing Beauty Balm followed with my Cleansing Beauty Cream as your second cleanse.
You just want to massage the product with your fingertips (or apply to a cotton pad if you're using the rosewater) and remove with a warm flannel.
Definitely avoid daily face scrubs, cleansing brushes, face wipes, muslin cloths and face washes when cleansing. These can all strip the skin and remove natural oils and leave your skin at risk of TEWL (trans-epidermal moisture loss). This is where the moisture will leach out of the skin and become very dehydrated.
EXTREME TEMPERATURES
Going from hot to cold or vice versa can impact your skin. Air conditioning in cars and offices will dry out your skin, as will central heating and fan heaters.
Try and use a humidifier when you can to prevent your skin from drying out.
YOU HAVE A FOOD INTOLERANCE
Yes, believe it or not if you're eating foods that you are intolerant to, it could be contributing to dry and irritated skin.
One of the best things to do is a food intolerance test to see if there are foods that you're eating daily that can be contributing to inflammation in the body.
YOU'RE ON A LOW FAT DIET
We need fats in our diet to contribute to healthy skin. If you are cutting out fats in your diet it could be a reason why your skin is dry. It's never a great idea to cut out healthy fats and I would always recommend consuming plenty of omegas (especially omega 3's) daily.
YOUR PRODUCTS ARE TOO ACTIVE
I personally am not a huge fan of prescriptive retinols - I know it's a bit controversial because they are such a big trend. They can cause a lot dryness and flaking if they are very active and so this could be contributing to your dryness. Please be aware if you are using products that are very stimulating, you can be at risk of post inflammatory pigmentation which can be what you're trying to treat in the first place with retinols!
YOU'RE USING COSMETICS THAT ARE DRYING
Primers and some foundations can be very drying on the skin and if you have dry skin already, I would avoid using them where you can. Primers can really dry the skin (they do this to get the makeup to stick!) and also block pores. They are never a product that I would recommend using and unless you're going to a big event where your makeup needs to really last all day long, I wouldn't use them.
YOU'RE TOUCHING YOUR FACE A LOT
Constantly touching your face can take away a lot of natural oils from the skin and also spread bacteria on the skin. Don't pick your face and don't touch your face when you don't need to. Get out of the habit!
ITS YOUR PILLOW
Cotton pillowcases can really dry out the skin and absorb natural oils. Don't forget, your face can be touching a pillowcase for up to 9 hours (or more if you're lucky!) every night!! Treat yourself to a silk pillowcase and wash it regularly to prevent spreading bacteria. I love these silk pillowcases.
Are you doing any of these things? Maybe it's causing your dry skin?
I hope you've found this helpful!
Lots of love,
Emmaline