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SKINCARE ROUTINE FOR DRY SKIN

Woman Uses Shower Gel In The Bathroom

Living with dry skin can be challenging and downright uncomfortable. Dry skin can flake, look dull, and feel rough, tight, and itchy. If you’ve experienced those symptoms and are now seeking help for your moisture-challenged skin, then this article is for you. Keep reading as we explain the root causes and signs of dry skin, share the best ingredients and products to treat it, and provide a skincare routine for dry skin that’s simple yet effective.  

What Is Dry Skin & How to Know If You Have It

Dry skin is skin that lacks sebum (natural oils) and struggles to retain moisture. To determine if you have dry skin, look for signs such as persistent tightness, flakes, rough patches, and dullness. Additionally, dry skin can itch, peel, or scale. 

You can also assess whether or not you have dry skin with the blot test. Cleanse your skin, then let it dry for 30 minutes. When time is up, blot your skin with a tissue. If the tissue doesn’t absorb any oil, then you likely have dry skin. 

What Causes Dry Skin?

Dry skin can be caused by genetics, environmental factors (such as cold, dry air), hot showers, indoor heating, and aging. Knowing what causes your dry skin will help you select the right products and adopt the correct habits to treat your skin type. 

Signs of Dehydrated or Dry Skin on Face

Before we jump into our dry skincare routine, it’s important to determine whether or not you truly have dry skin. 

Dry skin is a skin type that lacks oil. It is sometimes mistaken for dehydrated skin, a temporary condition caused by water loss. Both dry skin and dehydrated skin can look dull, have a rough texture, and feel tight. However, unlike dehydrated skin, dry skin typically has flakes. A tired-looking appearance, dark under-eyes, and visible lines are more common in dehydrated skin than in dry skin. 

Why a Dry Skincare Routine Matters

A dry skincare routine matters because habits such as layering hydration and treating the skin barrier will make your skin feel more comfortable and improve your skin’s texture and resilience. So, make it your goal to adopt a consistent, simplified skincare routine for dry skin. 

Best Skincare Ingredients for Dry Skin

Using products with the right ingredients is vital in any dry skincare routine. An ingredient that works well on combination or oily skin can be downright drying on an already parched complexion. To help, we’ve created this list of the best ingredients for dry skin.

  • Hyaluronic acid: deep hydration, moisture retention, barrier repair

  • Snow mushroom: intense hydration, powerful moisture retention, barrier repair

  • Cucumber: moisture retention, hydration, soothing

  • Aloe vera: hydration, moisturization, soothing

    •
  • Rose petal: deep hydration, soothing

  • Niacinamide: barrier repair, hydration, soothing, skin-texture improvement
    •

    Easy Skincare Routine for Dry Skin

    If you have dry skin, a skincare routine tailored to it is essential. Such a routine should be gentle, maximize moisture and hydration at every layer, and improve skin barrier health. Our dry skincare routine checks all the boxes, which is why we think it’s the best face routine for dry skin. Read the steps below, featuring the best skin products for dry skin.

     

    Young Guy Cleansing Face With Water At The Sink

    1. Cleanser

    Cleanser washes away oil, dirt, and impurities, giving dry skin a clean canvas for hydrating products. To ensure your skin doesn’t feel stripped after cleansing, opt for a creamy, non-foaming formula. Typically, cleansers are recommended for use twice a day, but if you’ve got super dry skin, you may be able to cleanse just nightly and rinse your face with water in the morning. 
    Skincare Routine Woman Cleansing Face With Cotton Pad and Toner

    2. Toner

    Sometimes cleansers don’t wash away everything they’re supposed to. Fortunately, toners can finish the job, removing residue, balancing skin pH, and, like cleansers, prepping the skin for other products. In a skincare routine for dry skin, alcohol-free toners with humectants such as hyaluronic acid or aloe are ideal, as such ingredients help ready the skin for hydration. 
    Happy Young Freckled Woman Applying Face Serum

    3. Serum

    In a dry skincare routine, serum can provide multiple benefits in a single step. For example, it can deliver concentrated hydration and active ingredients (like hyaluronic acid) deep into the skin to target dryness and improve texture. To use a serum for dry skin, follow package instructions. Thayers Double Action Acne Serum, containing hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and 2% salicylic acid, should initially be used just once daily. Usage can later be increased as skin develops a tolerance to the formula. 
    Young man protecting His Sensitive Skin with moisturizer

    4. Moisturizer

    Having a moisturizer in a skincare routine for dry skin is no surprise. Moisturizer, which should be applied daily, helps treat dryness by locking in hydration and strengthening the skin barrier. In searching for the best moisturizer for dry skin, look for ingredients like snow mushroom, hyaluronic acid, and shea butter, which are all found in Thayers 80 Hour Milky Moisturizer. 
    Smiling Happy Woman Applying Sunscreen To Her Face On The Beach

    5. Sunscreen

    UV damage can worsen dryness, accelerate aging, and damage the skin barrier. Prevent this from happening to your skin by using sunscreen in your dry skincare routine. Look for a formula that’s lightweight, hydrating, and broad spectrum (protects against UVA and UVB rays). If you spend most of your day indoors and away from windows, you can get away with a single application daily. However, you should reapply every two hours if you’re sweating, swimming, or spending a lot of time outdoors. 

    Optional Extra: Acne Spot Care

    If you’ve got acne and dry skin, you might be wondering how an acne treatment can fit into your regimen. Breakouts can be addressed with an acne spot treatment, but be sure that it’s a low-concentration formula, and only apply it to affected areas. Acne spot treatments go after toner but before moisturizer. 
     

    Dry Skincare Routine FAQs

    • To moisturize dry skin on face effectively, layer your hydrating products. After cleansing, the order of products in your skincare routine for dry skin should look like this: hydrating toner > hydrating serum > moisturizer. For optimal absorption, apply each layer while the skin is damp; damp skin is more permeable to skincare. 
    • Hyaluronic acid is good for dry skin. A humectant, hyaluronic acid attracts moisture — from the air and from deep within the skin’s layers — to the surface of the skin. Remember to always layer a moisturizer over hyaluronic acid to lock in moisture. Otherwise, all the moisture it attracts can evaporate. 
    • Niacinamide is good for dry skin because it strengthens the skin barrier and gently hydrates without irritation. This ingredient promotes the production of ceramides, which are lipids that help maintain the skin barrier and hydrate and moisturize the skin. Ceramides account for 50% of the lipids in the skin’s outer layer. 
    • Aloe vera is good for dry skin because it’s a natural humectant, i.e., a substance that attracts moisture to the skin’s surface and helps retain skin moisture. Additionally, aloe vera can soothe and calm the skin, reducing irritation from dry skin. It’s one of the best ingredients for dry skin, so try to include it in your dry skincare routine. 
    • If you have dry skin, you should wash your face once a day, ideally at night and with a gentle cleanser. If needed, you can also wash your face in the morning, but with just water. In a skincare routine for dry skin, cleansing just once a day is recommended to avoid stripping the skin of moisture.

    • Dry skin can cause acne if it triggers oil overproduction. When this happens, clogged pores can form, leading to breakouts. For this reason, moisturizer should always be a part of any skincare routine. Just be sure to choose a moisturizer that suits your skin type, such as richer formulas for dry skin and lightweight formulas for oily/combo skin. 
    • You should adjust your skincare routine for dry skin in winter. When temperatures drop, your dry skin can become drier and more sensitive, so make sure you use more hydrating products and protective steps. You can also spritz Thayers facial mists throughout the day for on-the-go hydration and barrier support. 

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