1. Rethink Exfoliation
You have dry skin. You see flakes, dark patches, ashiness... Your first
thought is to exfoliate. However, if you are finding that you have to
exfoliate CONSTANTLY to see improvement in your skin, exfoliating might
actually be working against you. I want you to try this routine while limiting
your exfoliation method to once a week and see if you notice an improvement.
Overexfoliation can be making your dry skin even worse. This will lead you to
think you need to exfoliate MORE, when it's actually the opposite.
Personally, I exfoliate once a week or once every two weeks, depending on what
my skin needs. If I do more than that, my skin feels way too dry and sometimes
even irritated. In the winter, I mainly use an exfoliating cloth plus my
favorite cleanser at the moment. In the summer is when I find myself needing
to exfoliate more so, that's when I use a sugar scrub and then use my favorite
cleanser on a regular loofah.
2. What You Cleanse With Matters
Most commerical body washes, although may claim to be gentle, could still be
too strong for very dry skin. Sometimes I like to use face cleansers I didn't
like as body washes instead. From that, I found that my skin felt clean but
wasn't nearly as dry as it usually is. It makes sense, face cleansers tend to
me more mild because your face skin is more sensitive. So, if you have any
face cleansers you aren't crazy about, try opting for those for your next
shower (staying away from intimate areas, of course). You could also go out
and get some face cleansers strictly to try on your body.
If I'm not trying to use up one of my face cleansers, I'm hitting up all of my
shower oils and hydrating body cleansers. I prefer shower oils the most
because they usually smell the most delicious and they feel the most
luxurious. In my opinion, if you have never used a shower oil then you've
never experienced luxury. They effortlessly glide on your skin and feel so
silky. Not to mention, your skin never feels dry after using them.
Just like how you could be overexfoliating, you could be overcleansing as
well. Some people insist on double cleansing, even when you have dry skin. If
you are doing this every time you shower, it could be stripping your skin of
its natural oils and good bacteria (not all bacteria is bad bacteria!). I only
do a full body double cleanse when I'm absolutely drenched in sweat in the
summer. During my usual shower, I only double cleanse the important and odor
causing areas, like the underarms for example.
My favorite cleansers:
3. Opt For Butta!
Most lotions are too lightweight for me so I usually pass on them and go
straight for the body butters. I still keep a few lotions around for those
super hot summer days, though. We don't want to feel like we are frying
ourselves in the sun like fried chicken. Make sure you are getting the most
out of your body butters though and applying them when you are a still a bit
damp after your shower. That really helps the absorbtion of the product!
My favorite moisturizers:
4. Follow Up With Oil
Some of you may find a good body butter to be enough but some of you will not,
like yours truly. After letting my body butter absorb, I like to apply on an
oil on top, mostly focusing on the driest areas of my body like my legs,
forearms, and hands. This will help to retain the moisture from your body
butter. This will also help to reduce the irritation and dryness that you may
get from shaving.
My favorite oils:
5. Seal with Petroleum Jelly
Pertroleum jelly (also known as Vaseline) on its own dries out my skin.
However, using it as the last step in my routine doesn't dry out my skin. So I
use it like an occlusive or 'sealer' after using all of my other products. For
some people, petroleum jelly can make their skin drier regardless of how they
use it so, experiment and see what works for you. I mainly focus this on the
most stubborn dry patches and areas of my body such as my knuckles, cruxes of
my hands, and elbows. These places REFUSE to stay moisturized for me.
Petroleum jelly helps to retain the moisture so it's a non negotiable on the
stubborn areas.
Bonus Tip:
6. Don't Forget Sunscreen
I'm sure you are tired of hearing this over and over again but wearing
sunscreen during the day is a must if you want to beat dry skin. Even in the
colder months, as long as your skin is exposed, the sun is actively drying out
your skin. Even in the car, the sun's UVA rays are able to penetrate through
the window. These rays will not only dry out your skin, but they will age you
faster. Keep a sunscreen in your bag or in your car at all times. Quickly
apply it to your hands and arms and then go about your day.
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