Hydrate Skin
A very common skin problem is over-drying and dehydration of the skin. This can be extremely irritating and hard to get rid of, as it is uncomfortable and makes make-up very hard to apply evenly. This article lists routines and tips to help combat your over-dried skin and get that baby softness you want!
Steps
- Exfoliate your skin. This will eliminate any lingering dead skin cells and reduce flakiness. Facial scrubs and exfoliating washes are good, but if your skin is already dry these can often contain chemicals that are designed for more oily skin and will make your dryness worse. Look for scrubs aimed at dry skin, or use an exfoliating glove, or even just a towel.
- Use a hydrating face mask. This will give your skin a boost of deep-down hydration. Look for masks that are not oil-based, as they may clog your pores and give you spots or blackheads. Masks with 'non-comedogenic' (will not clog pores) on the label are ideal.
- Moisturise. You should have two different moisturisers - a 'day' and a 'night'. Your 'day' moisturiser should be lighter and used to prep your skin for even make up coverage - if it is too heavy skin may look shiny and feel oily. Your 'night' moisturiser should be much heavier and penetrate deeper into the skin to obtain long-term hydration. When choosing your moisturiser make sure that it is not oil-based and is very gentle on skin with no perfume or colour - some have quite harsh or soapy ingredients that may irritate sensitive skin. Often the best moisturisers are the simplest and cheapest - try aqueous cream from your chemist.
- Concentrate on the driest areas. If you have particular areas of dryness or irritation, use a small amount of oil-based ointment or cream purchased from your chemist, such as hydrocortisone cream. These products should be used sparingly as too much will clog pores and produce blemishes.
- Use less make up! It may sound counter-productive in covering up unsightly dry patches, but make up is bad for your skin and will make any skin problems worse. DO NOT APPLY FOUNDATION TO DRY PATCHES. This will turn orange or flaky and make the patches look much more noticeable, as well as prolonging the length of time you have to put up with them or even making them worse. Better to have bare dry patches for a few days than conspicuous orange bits for weeks.
- Use very light, good quality mineral make up. Liquid make up sticks more prominently to dry patches and looks much more uneven than mineral make up, but the mineral make up you use must be good quality, as cheap stuff contains harsh and drying chemicals that will make your skin worse. Invest in some good quality, light powder which will even your complexion. ALWAYS use moisturiser before applying make up.
- Hydrate from the inside out. Ensure you drink plenty of water each day - around two litres should do it - to clear spots and hydrate skin. Bad skin quality can also be caused by a poor diet and lack of vitamins, so make sure you eat plenty of fruit, protein (especially if you are vegetarian), and get enough exercise. I'm sure you've had this preached to you thousand of times before but trust me, it works!
Tips
- If you suspect you may have a serious underlying skin problem such as eczema, or if your dry patches do not clear up within a few moths, see your doctor. They may be able to prescribe creams or give advice suited to your condition.
- If you have spots and blackheads as well as dry patches, focus on eliminating the dry patches first, even if the moisturiser worsens the spots. Spots can easily be covered with concealer: dry patches cannot. Also, make sure you are not using face washes or scrubs designed to eliminate spots: this will make the dry patches much worse. Moisturise your entire face and then apply spot cream directly onto spots to minimise drying.
