Dry, dull skin can be a persistent problem for some people, especially in the winter when the air doesn't hold moisture very well. If your complexion is dehydrated and flaky or you generally have a dry skin type, reexamine your products to make sure they’re keeping up your hydration levels. This skincare routine for dry skin will provide you with the optimal steps you need to follow to eliminate dryness for good.

When you have dry skin, small cracks can develop on the surface, making it difficult to retain liquid and allowing for the entry of bacteria. In this guide, we’ll explain the causes of dryness and give you the ultimate face routine for dry skin, which will keep your complexion healthy, vibrant, and fully hydrated.

What Causes Dry Skin?

Dryness may develop for a myriad of reasons, some of which may relate to the climate. While in winter, the air may lack humidity, in the hotter months, in particular, overexposure to UV rays could dry out the complexion. Inside your home, central heating and fireplaces remove moisture from the air and can also zap it from your skin for a dull, flaky appearance.

Over the years, levels of hyaluronic acid in the skin decrease, and its ability to hold onto moisture also declines. Thus, aging is one of the most common causes of dry skin, and the loss of plumpness may also lead to wrinkles and fine lines.

In addition, if you don’t drink enough water daily and consume hydrating foods, your skin could become dehydrated and dry out significantly. Naturally, the quality of your skincare products is one of the most important factors whether you follow a consistent, effective daily regimen for boosting hydration. For the ultimate facial routine for dry skin, follow these steps:

Step #1 - Cleanse

You should start and end your daily skin care regimen for dry skin with a gentle, all-natural cleanser with deeply hydrating and soothing ingredients. This will rid your complexion of dirt, oil, dead skin cells, and makeup and prepare it for the following steps.

Clean gently both morning and night without over-rubbing to prevent irritation or redness. Choose a foaming cleanser like Dermpura, which boosts moisture levels, soothes, and repairs the complexion while removing dirt and impurities from the surface. 

Step #2 - Tone

While this is a step many people skip, toning is an essential part of any skincare routine in both the morning and evening. If you have dry skin, following up cleansing with a toner is particularly important because it removes any of the excess dirt and dead skin cells, revealing a healthier, rejuvenated complexion underneath.

Choose an antioxidant-rich clarifying toner like Maxatone, which includes deeply hydrating ingredients to keep moisture levels high while reducing inflammation and soothing the complexion.

Step #3 - Apply Hydrating Serum

If you suffer from dry skin, add a hydrating cellular renewal serum to your morning and evening skincare routine steps for dry skin for an extra boost of moisture. Choose a product rich in ingredients, such as hyaluronic acid, shea butter, and glycerin, like Excelagene

It’s a super hydrating formula that keeps dryness at bay while also soothing, repairing skin barrier damage, and plumping the complexion to smooth wrinkles and fine lines. Excelagene is an essential component of your twice-daily dry skin regimen.

Step #4 - Moisturize

When it comes to dry skin, applying a light, quality moisturizer morning and night is key to your routine. It helps draw in liquid and keeps your levels high while soothing and calming a dry, flaky complexion. A good moisturizer also helps prevent elements like extreme weather temperatures or indoor heating from further drying out your skin.

Look for a deeply hydrating formula with rich ingredients like Infusoderm, which will help your skin draw and retain liquid, revitalize, and refresh the complexion. The formula also brightens, revitalizes, and nourishes the complexion, and it’s high in antioxidants that repair the damage.

At night, dry skin may benefit from an even deeper hydration cream which keeps the complexion high in moisture and builds a protective barrier to lock it in and prevent the entry of bacteria. 

Step #5 - Use Facial Oil

While in general, you should look for oil-free products if you have dry skin and incorporate facial oil into your routine morning and night after your moisturizer to make up for the lack of sebum production in your skin. Look for a product with all-natural ingredients like lavender or grape seed oil combined with hydrating substances like hyaluronic acid, squalane, and glycerin.

Step #6 - Put On Sunscreen

Applying sunscreen daily is essential for anyone, but it’s particularly important if you have dry skin. While you must use sunscreen in every season, each time you go outside, you can skip this step at night when your skin is not exposed to UV rays. 

The UV rays not only damage and age your skin, but overexposure to the sun also dehydrates, exacerbating existing dryness on the face, including around the mouth. To prevent dry skin from the sun, choose a rich moisturizer with potent sunscreen properties, like Dermaxsol. It hydrates, forms a barrier to keep in moisture, and has powerful SPF 30 sun protection.

Step #7 - Apply Eye Cream 

The skin around your eyes is particularly thin and more vulnerable to environmental elements like UV rays. It can dry out more easily than the rest of your face, and the lack of moisture could also contribute to the development of crow's feet and fine lines.

To combat this issue, apply a deeply hydrating anti-aging eye cream like Eyevage both morning and night to keep the skin moisturized, plump, smooth, and free of wrinkles and fine lines. With visible results in only 4 weeks, it also fades dark circles and age spots, improves skin tone, and rejuvenates younger, fresher-looking eyes.

Bonus Tips On How To Avoid Dry Skin

In addition to following a consistent skincare routine, there are some lifestyle changes you can do to stave away dryness and keep your skin hydration levels high. Naturally, following a healthy, antioxidant-rich diet and drinking sufficient water daily helps significantly. However, there are also smaller changes that can make a big difference. Consider some of these tips and watch your dry complexion quickly improve.

Use a Humidifier

In addition to following a consistent skincare regimen, running a humidifier can have an impact on the hydration levels in your home. Inside environments can become dry from the use of heaters and air conditioners, and this can certainly affect your skin. The humidifier adds moisture back into the air, preventing your skin from becoming dry and flaky and helping it to retain hydration better.

Avoid Too Much Sun Exposure

The best tip we can provide for any skin type is to protect your skin from harmful UV rays, as they can cause damage to the skin barrier, speed up aging, and certainly dry out the complexion. The sun worsens existing dry skin, leading to a cracked, flaky complexion, which may also be red and inflamed. To prevent this, wear powerful sunscreen every time you leave the house, in every season, and you may even want to add a hat for extra protection. You’d be surprised by how much the sun affects your skin, even in the darker winter months. 

Use Oil-Free Based Products

Although it may be tempting to use products with oils that may enrich moisture levels in your complexion if you have dryness, it’s preferable to use oil-free skincare. The oils in some products may sit on the surface of your skin, preventing other moisture from entering.

Instead, choose gentle, deeply hydrating products with ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, squalene, or seaweed to keep your moisture levels high and leave your complexion soft and supple instead of dry and flaky.

FAQs

Question #1 - How do I treat dry skin daily?

If you have dry skin, it's important to drink plenty of water daily and consume hydrating foods like watermelon, cucumber, nuts, seeds, and coconut. In addition, protecting yourself from UV rays with a strong sunscreen is essential. 

The most significant step is to implement a skincare routine for dry, sensitive skin, which boosts your hydration levels and your skin’s ability to retain moisture. You should follow a regimen first thing in the morning and before bed, which includes a gentle cleanser and toner followed by a hydrating serum, moisturizer, facial oil, and eye cream. Apply sunscreen in the morning as your last step to prevent UV rays from drying out and damaging your complexion. 

Question #2 - What’s the affordable skincare routine for dry skin?

Just because a product is expensive doesn’t necessarily mean it's the best one out there, so do your research to find top-quality yet affordable items. Look for formulas that contain science-backed ingredients specifically designed to promote hydration and help your skin to retain moisture.

If you have dry skin, you should follow a skincare routine twice daily, morning and night, using deeply hydrating, organic formulas to cleanse, tone, and moisturize your complexion. Add a hydrating serum and facial oil to your routine, and in the morning, make your sunblock the last step to protect yourself from harmful UV rays.

Key Takeaways

If you have dry skin, there are several changes that you can make to your lifestyle, which can boost hydration levels and prevent further dryness from occurring. This includes drinking at least 8 glasses of water daily, following a nutrient-rich diet high in hydrating foods, and protecting yourself from the sun’s damaging rays.

However, the most important modification you can make is to build a strong skincare routine geared towards increasing and retaining moisture. The Solvaderm collection contains a wide collection of products that are ideal for hydrating the complexion, retaining moisture, soothing and softening the skin, preventing dryness, and keeping it away for good. Browse through our line and build your new daily regimen today!

Melissa Feldman

Melissa Feldman

Melissa Feldman lives in Toronto, Canada and works as an independent research writer. She has undergraduate degrees in both Teaching and Psychology, and a Master’s degree in Immigration. Melissa is skilled at writing compelling articles and producing academic, marketing, and creative content. She writes about a range of lifestyle topics, including health, fitness, beauty and nutrition. She has more than two decades of experience reviewing and editing publications intended for both public and professional audiences.

Written by Melissa Feldman

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