How to Care for Dry Skin
Are you on a perpetual search for a good moisturizer to alleviate dry skin? Although there are some great moisturizers out there, many fall short. In fact, we’re constantly surprised at how many contain ingredients that can absolutely make dry skin worse! Knowing what to look for in a moisturizer, as well as what factors actually caused the skin to become dry in the first place, is incredibly helpful in finding relief for your itchy, uncomfortable, tight-feeling skin.
As odd as it sounds, dry skin isn’t about a lack of water in skin. Studies comparing the water content of dry skin with the water content of normal or oily skin show there is no significant difference between them. In fact, healthy skin is only 10% to 30% water.
Adding more water to dry skin is not necessarily a good thing! If anything, too much moisture, such as from soaking in a bathtub, is bad for skin. Excess water disrupts skin’s outer layers, making it dry, flaky, dehydrated, and crepey. [135,136] The primary reason your skin becomes dry is because its outer layers become impaired; that is, it loses its ability to maintain normal moisture levels. For the most part, this is due to sun damage, and, to some extent, the use of skincare products that contain irritating or drying ingredients. [16,17,137]
Have you ever noticed that the parts of your body that don’t have sun damage (the parts that are not routinely exposed to daylight) are rarely, if ever, dry? Just look at the inside part of your arm or your derriere! That’s because areas with little to no sun damage don’t suffer from the range of problems that stem from the cumulative damage of daily UV light exposure.
Anything you do that damages your skin will either cause you to have dry skin or make dry skin worse. Following are fundamental ways to stop the cycle of dry, uncomfortable skin. The first step is to stop damaging the outer layer of the skin by avoiding:
All of these items or activities cause damage and irritation, which disrupt the skin’s surface. This disruption in turn leads to water loss and destroys the vital substances in skin that allow it to hold on to just the right amount of moisture.
The next steps are to give your skin what it needs so it can act like it did before it was damaged by the sun. Skin can also be genetically dry, dry from varying health problems, or dry as a side effect of medications. Regardless of the root cause, dry skin needs barrier-repairing ingredients that help it maintain a healthy moisture balance as well as help it “hang on” to the types of substances that keep it hydrated, smooth, pliable, and soft.
Following are some fail-safe ways to help you have beautifully-smooth, younger-looking skin:
Does Drinking More Water Help?
Can’t you just drink more water to eliminate dry skin? This is one of those beauty myths that refuses to go away, but here are the facts: Although drinking eight glasses of water a day is great for your body, it doesn’t improve or reduce dry skin. [135,136] If all it took to get rid of dry skin was to drink more water, wouldn’t it be wonderful? How simple, right? And no one would need to endure this frustrating condition and struggle with searching for the perfect moisturizer or worrying about any of the skincare products they use. Alas, drinking more water will only result in more trips to the bathroom; the water you drink doesn’t go to your skin to keep it hydrated and eliminate dryness.
What About Facial Oils?
You’ve likely noticed more and more brands launching pure facial oils like argan, jojoba, and coconut, or blends of oils with claims to treat everything from acne to rosacea and wrinkles. Are these worth exploring, and, if so, how do you know which one is right for you?
Non-fragrant plant oils or synthetic oils can be used anywhere on the face or body to help improve and even eliminate dry skin. As is true for all skincare products, it’s important to remember that fragrance, whether natural or synthetic, is a problem for skin because of the irritation it can cause. This is even more important with these types of products because many facial or body oils contain “essential oils,” which are just fragrance disguised with a pleasant name. We’re not saying that a facial oil should smell bad, but shopping for a facial oil shouldn’t revolve around whether you prefer a citrus or floral aroma you’ll smell for hours after the oil is applied to your skin.
Many facial and body oils are sold with claims that the special oils they contain have miraculous properties. Examples are argan oil (also called Moroccan oil), moringa oil, coconut oil, and noni oil. There’s nothing miraculous about any of these oils. Each is just a good, non-fragrant plant oil, but no better for skin than the less glamorous, but exceptionally wonderful, options like grape seed, sunflower, canola, meadowfoam, rosehip, and avocado oils. And there’s no research to the contrary.
You can consider using a single pure oil, but many products contain a blend of oils so you’ll get the best properties of each. Plus, you may find that, aesthetically, certain oils or blends work better for you than others, so experiment to see which you prefer.
How do you use a facial oil (or body oil)? If you have dry to very dry skin or seasonal/environmental dryness and find that your moisturizer isn’t quite doing the job (especially during the colder months of the year or if you live in a dry part of the world), try applying or mixing a facial oil with your usual moisturizer. It may be just what your skin needs, and you can use these types of non-fragrant facial oils around the eyes, too.
Those with oily skin likely won’t find facial oils helpful because the amount of oil their skin produces naturally will eliminate the need to add more oil.
If you have combination skin, you can benefit from applying the oil to dry areas. The trick is to keep it away from the oil-prone areas, which isn’t easy because oils have movement and will slide to other areas after they’re applied. A tip: Blend away from your oil-prone areas, which is typically the center of the face. So, blend an oil on your cheeks and smoothe it toward your ears, not your nose!
Although plant or mineral oils are helpful for boosting skin’s moisture, they are rather “one note” on their own; that is, they don’t provide the complete array of beneficial antioxidants, skin-repairing ingredients, and cell-communicating ingredients necessary to keep your skin younger looking and healthy. That’s why we don’t recommend replacing your well-formulated moisturizer with a facial oil! Facial oils are really additive products, not products to be used on their own as your only moisturizer.
Many plant oils are indeed rich in antioxidants, and some, like safflower oil, contain some very good fatty acids that can help repair skin’s barrier. [138] However, as we’ve said, your skin needs more than any single oil or blend of oils can provide. Think of face oils as supporting players rather than as the centerpiece of a skincare routine.
Concerns such as sun damage and wrinkles, rosacea, and acne are all complex issues that require a combination of products to treat them. [5,9,33] The skin can never have all of its needs satisfied by a single ingredient (even with anti-aging powerhouses like retinol or vitamin C) or a single product. Yes, we’ve said that before, but it’s important enough to bear repeating. The myth about some miracle ingredient being the only thing your skin needs is so pervasive, it drives us crazy!
If you’re considering adding a facial oil to your routine, avoid fragrant oils, such as lavender, eucalyptus, or any type of citrus or mint. These fragrant, so-called “essential” oils do not have the same benefits as the non-fragrant variety because each contains compounds that have significant potential to irritate skin. For example, many citrus oils are phototoxic to skin when it is exposed to UV light (potentially leaving the skin discolored). [139] A surprising number of facial oils contain non-fragrant and fragrant oils, so choose carefully and opt for fragrance-free or, at the very least, minimal fragrance.
If you’re not sure which oils to avoid because of their potential to irritate skin, see Chapter 16, Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary, which includes the most common fragrant oils you’ll come across when checking skincare product ingredient lists.
Dry Skin vs. Dehydrated Skin
“Dehydrated skin” is something we’re asked about frequently, and there’s quite a bit of confusion about it because the term is often used interchangeably with “dry skin.” We’re happy to tell you it’s not as confusing as it seems! Let’s see if we can help resolve your questions.
Unlike truly dry skin, dehydrated skin produces a normal or even excessive amount of oil, yet feels tight or dry, and can even be flaky. If you can describe your skin as dry underneath, oily on top, it can be a sign of dehydrated skin. It also tends to come and go depending on the climate, season, and your activity, such as swimming or using a sauna frequently.
Dry skin, on the other hand, has almost no oil present, and this situation rarely fluctuates. Dry skin may get worse depending on the climate, season, or activity, but regardless of those things, having dry skin along with minimal to no oil production is consistent. [16,17,137]
While dehydrated skin can be caused by different factors, quite often it’s the result of using harsh or irritating products. It can also occur when you’re using too many active products at once or applying them too often. For example, your skin may not be able to tolerate the combination of an AHA or BHA exfoliant, prescription retinoid, and vitamin C treatment every day, resulting in a dehydrated look and feel with the excess oil your skin produces sitting on top of it.
All that can be true for dry skin, too, but it will be worse for dry skin because of the lack of production of protective oil. For those with oily skin, it may seem impossible to believe there can be healthy, normal oil production, but for those with dry skin, that’s one of the major problems that causes the dry skin type.
Irritating ingredients like SD or denatured alcohol can dry out the surface of skin and leave it feeling “dehydrated,” yet also stimulate excess oil production at the base of the pore, so skin still ends up being oilier. [3,4,53] This is especially common with people who struggle with acne because they often use products that strip skin, leaving it tight, red, and flaky. It’s not your fault—there are a lot of harsh anti-acne products out there that leave skin the worse for the wear!
The key to treating dehydrated and dry skin is to first stop using harsh, irritating products. [16,17,138] That means using gentle, yet effective, cleansers that don’t leave skin feeling tight, avoiding harsh scrubs and/or rough cleansing brushes, using replenishing toners instead of skin-stripping astringents, and the judicious use of treatment products such as retinol. Once you cut out the irritation, you can better assess what your true skin type is, and begin to benefit from the recommendations outlined in this book.
For dehydrated skin, this change may be all you need to eliminate the problem, assuming you follow our other skincare routine recommendations. If you have dry skin, this all helps as well, but you’ll probably still need to adjust the kinds of moisturizers you use and perhaps consider adding other supplemental products to your routine, such as a great facial oil or a booster that includes a high concentration of hyaluronic acid plus other skin-repairing ingredients.
What about dry, dehydrated skin and acne? That’s up next, and the two definitely have elements that overlap...
Dealing with Dry, Oily, and Acne-Prone Skin
Although having dry skin, oily skin, and acne at the same time isn’t typical, there are definitely those who struggle with this hard-to-treat problem. It’s frustrating enough to have acne and oily skin, but dealing with all three is even worse!
We’re not going to say there are easy solutions to these dilemmas; however, with some facts and by fine-tuning your skincare routine you can get beautiful results.
When all three conditions—acne, dry skin, and oily skin—are present, then in all likelihood your skincare routine could be the major cause of the problem, or at least the reason why your skin is dry. Using drying soaps or harsh scrubs, overdoing cleansing brushes like the Clarisonic, applying toners with alcohol or other irritating ingredients (think witch hazel or menthol), not using lightweight moisturizers (think gels) that contain healing ingredients, and not using sunscreen daily all add up to a disaster for your skin. [3,4,53]
Your skin simply cannot survive the onslaught of such an assault or neglect. As we’ve explained, research shows that the results can be increased oil production, dryness, and breakouts! In short, the wrong skincare routine or overdoing things can cause skin to be both oily and dry, often in the same areas. [3,4,53] The products you use matter a lot—and even one poor formulation can throw off the results of a routine that otherwise contains great products!
Another possible cause of dry skin in combination with oily, acne-prone skin is that anti-acne treatments, both over-the-counter and prescription, can be drying if used too often or if you apply too much at once—perhaps because you think if a little bit is good, then more must be better (or will work faster). Numerous studies have shown—with valid scientific research-based certainty—that salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide are essential anti-acne ingredients, but you need to be the judge of how often you use these products or if you should use both for your particular skincare needs (some people do great just using one or the other). [33]
There’s also the serious concern that many of the salicylic acid– and benzoyl peroxide–based products being sold also contain detrimental, skin-damaging ingredients like alcohol, menthol, witch hazel, peppermint, eucalyptus, or sulfur. These are always terrible for your skin because of the irritation they cause. Your skin will suffer if you apply these ingredients on a regular basis, even if the salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide ingredients seem to be helping your skin. They will help even more if you cut out the problematic irritants!
Benzoyl peroxide is the gold-standard topical disinfectant for acne, but it can be drying for some people, especially if they start off using a 5% to 10% concentration rather than a lower 2.5% concentration to see how their skin responds to it. Those are some of the major issues for those with all three skin problems, but there are still a couple more to think about.…
Are You Overdoing It?
Even the best anti-acne skincare routines can go awry if you get overzealous, using too many anti-acne treatments or using them too often. Not everyone’s skin can handle more than one anti-acne product at a time, some not even one product every day. So, think about it: Are you applying too many anti-acne products at the same time? If you’re using a prescription retinoid, such as Retin-A or Differin®, and an antibacterial product containing benzoyl peroxide, and a BHA exfoliant containing salicylic acid—one right after the other—your skin most likely will not be happy, and will react negatively. Then, if you add “active” anti-aging products to the mix, such as a vitamin C or retinol serum, your skin may end up rebelling against too much of everything all at once. All of this is confusing—almost enough to make you want to stop using any products at all—but that won’t help either, at least not in the long run.
You must experiment to see how your skin responds to different combinations of treatments. For example, for some people, it’s best to apply retinoid products only once every other day. Others might get the best results by alternating the use of benzoyl peroxide and a retinoid, using one on one day and the other the next, applying either in the morning or at night after cleansing and toning. A BHA exfoliant then can be used during the day, perhaps every other day, applied morning and/or evening after cleansing and toning and before applying any prescription products.
What Kind of Moisturizer Do You Need?
The truth is not everyone needs a moisturizer—at least not a traditional cream or thick lotion moisturizer, especially if struggling with acne. The ingredients that give a product a cream or thick lotion texture can worsen clogged pores or make skin oilier. Clearly, that’s not the best for acne-prone, oily skin, even if dryness is also a concern.
What to do about the dryness? Use lightweight, liquid or fluid products! Lightweight gel moisturizers, toners and essences, serums, or thin lotions, all filled with antioxidants, skin-repairing ingredients, and anti-redness ingredients are perfect! Such products are just what the doctor should be ordering for your troubled acne-prone skin that’s also dry. You can also consider layering some of these products to get the best results, without suffering from the problems that heavy, emollient moisturizers can cause.
What to Do When You Only Have Acne and Dry—Not Oily—Skin
Despite the fact that excess oil is a chief contributing factor for acne breakouts, a small percentage of people find themselves with truly dry skin and acne. In fact, they have almost no surface oil, blackheads, or visible pores at all. They struggle to find a moisturizer that addresses the needs of their dry skin without aggravating breakouts, and continually worry that anything they try to get the breakouts under control will make their dry skin even drier. This scenario can be a paralyzing dilemma when shopping for skincare products!
Here’s what you need to know: All the recommendations we make above still apply, but you may need a moisturizer that is more appropriate for dry skin and not oily or combination skin. This means you’ll have to experiment to find an appropriately emollient moisturizer that doesn’t trigger more breakouts. Another option is to layer a lightweight cream that you know won’t make your breakouts worse (yet it doesn’t supply quite enough moisture) with a lotion-textured moisturizer that kicks in the missing hydration without adding heavy, potentially pore-clogging ingredients.
RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS FOR CLASSIC DRY SKIN:
The following products are highly recommended for dry to very dry skin, but aren’t necessarily ideal for dry skin that’s also struggling with acne. If you have dry skin and acne, consider the lighter-weight moisturizers (both daytime and nighttime) we recommend in the chapters on oily skin and combination skin, and know that you may need to layer lighter-weight products for extra hydration rather than apply one richer, more emollient moisturizer to dry areas.
Cleansers
Toners
AHA Exfoliants
Daytime Moisturizers with SPF
Nighttime Moisturizers