All About Dry Skin
Did you know that only 10% of the entire world population has truly dry skin? The rest who experience dryness have "dehydrated" skin.
Truly dry skin lacks oil, and therefore has less natural ability to keep water in the skin. The skin uses its oil to lubricate itself and keep water from escaping. Dry skin is typically thin, delicate, often fair, but not necessarily, and can sometimes get a little congested, very slightly, due to a lack of momentum to release any oil by the pores, as not enough is produced to push any of it out and so some oil can get solid with air exposure, and get stuck inside the pores. But with truly dry skin this is actually not common.
Dehydrated skin may produce enough oil for the whole face, or just enough for parts of the face, but because of lack of humidity, lack of proper exfoliation, use of rubbing alcohol, use of cleansers that are harsh and irritating, sun exposure, and consumption of cigarettes and alcohol, the skin can lose the water it needs very easily. Since this can also just as easily happen to an oily skin, especially from use of the wrong products, the skin can very often have oiliness on top of flakiness.
So if you do actually have skin that does not produce enough oil on the entire face, or just parts, this is what you can do:
1) Cleanse with a lotion cleanser that is thorough and rinses well, yet feels comfortable. In other words, you should not feel tight or dry after you rinse, but you shouldn’t feel like it takes forever to rinse completely.
2) Use an alcohol free toner, preferably one that sprays on, and leave wet on the skin.
3) Immediately apply an antioxidant serum or moisture boosting serum right on top of the wet toner.
4) AM – apply a sun screen that hydrates as well as replaces lipids. It is not necessary to use an SPF higher than 30, but do not use any number below 15.
PM – apply a hydrating moisturizer that replaces lipids and helps to add water to the skin.
5) If your skin is especially dry, you may use a lipid replacement serum that will restore the skin’s natural moisture balance and help repair skin that has been compromised by dryness. Apply after moisturizer morning and night, morning before makeup. For flakey or tight skin, this kind of serum can allow for a smoother makeup application.
