There is a lot to love about winter. However, the arrival of colder weather also invariably means an assault on our skin by dry weather. Especially for those of us who are prone to dry skin or redness all year round, a good moisturizer is a necessary tool for surviving colder months without cracked, sore, and even bleeding skin. The good news for shoppers on a budget is there are many inexpensive products that can get great results, especially if you don’t mind skipping the brand-name label.
How to Pick the Correct Moisturizer for Your Dry Skin
You know you’ve got dry skin when the surface of your skin looks dull, textured, flaky, ashy, or rough. It can feel tight, itchy, and uncomfortable. If you wear makeup, then you’re familiar with how some products such as foundation, concealer, and highlighter can sit on top of dryness, exaggerating the rough appearance.
But Why?
There are many reasons why you are experiencing dry skin. It is sometimes genetic, or it is due to circumstances such as your environment or products you are using.
Here’s a list of possible causes:
- Genetics: Dry skin can get passed down from your parents.
- Health Conditions: Thyroid conditions can affect the skin and cause dryness.
- Seasonal: Dry skin is more common during extreme temperatures during colder or hotter months.
- Hormonal: Dry skin is known to get worse during hormonal phases.
- Air Conditioning or Heating: Home control temperatures can strip skin of moisture.
- Products: There are certain creams, body washes, cosmetics, or sprays that rob the skin of moisture or irritate it to the point of dry, scaly texture.
There is a good chance you are naturally prone to dry skin for not one but a variety of factors. If you have dry skin over oily skin, you will always have to deal with the dilemma. However, you can vastly improve dry skin by using a good moisturizer.
Other Tips to Remember Are:
- Try to take warm showers as opposed to hot ones, as very hot showers can dry and irritate the skin.
- Include fatty acids from foods such as olive oil, avocado, oily fish, and nuts into your diet. They’re great for nourishing the skin from the inside out.
- Drink plenty of water. Water is good for everything, including dry skin.
- Use a combination of oils, serums, moisturizers, and hydrating sprays to keep on top of your dryness.
- Always do a patch test before buying and using new skin products. The patch test can avoid a negative reaction and money spent on an unusable product.
Moisturizers: Why Are They So Crucial?
There are obvious reasons why you should use a moisturizer on dry skin. In addition to adding much-needed moisture, the product also helps reduce dryness. You can also help your skin attract moisture and maintain a desirable presence when you add the ingredients that your skin desperately needs. Ingredients such as hyaluronic acid draw moisture to your skin, leaving it feeling fuller and more comfortable.
However, when you leave dry skin without moisturizer, it can become tighter and less elastic, causing an unpleasant “pulling” sensation when you smile and talk. The moisturizer helps to relax and plump the skin so it can move more freely.
A Rundown of What Skin Moisturizer Does for Your Dry Skin:
- Locks in moisture deep into the skin
- Attracts moisture to the skin
- Protects the skin from the elements such as sun and wind
- Hydrates and smoothes out dry patches
- Loosens and plumps tight, uncomfortable skin
- It prevents the skin from creating too much oil to make up for the dryness
Moisturizers feed your skin with hydrating ingredients to keep dryness at bay
How to Assess Your Skin
There are different kinds of dry skin, and which one you have will determine the best moisturizer for your needs:
Dry and Sensitive Skin
Your skin is dry, flaky, textured, dull, tight, and uncomfortable. It is also prone to redness, painful rashes, breakouts, and burning sensations when exposed to certain products.
Tip: Avoid products with added fragrance and look for “For Sensitive Skin” on the label. Cetaphil is a great brand for you.
Dry and Oily Skin:
Your skin is dry, flaky, textured, dull, tight, and uncomfortable. It is also prone to oiliness and shininess around the nose, forehead, and chin. You may actually have dehydrated skin as opposed to dry skin (see below).
Tip: Shop for products labeled “For Combination Skin,” “Non-Comedogenic,” and “Non-greasy.” You could also use a non-greasy moisturizer all over the face, then add a rich serum or oil only to the driest parts of the face. It is important that you avoid oil-prone areas with the serum. Moisturizers will lock all that hydration and moisture into your skin; there it belongs.
Dry or Dehydrated Skin? What’s the Difference?
Dry skin is generally understood as lacking in oils, while dehydrated skin is thirsty for water.
Dehydrated skin is often a symptom of circumstances, such as lack of water consumption, air conditioning or heating, or too much sun exposure. It can also derive from too much alcohol, not enough sleep, and poor diet.
Dry skin comes down to what type of skin you have naturally and how your body works. It occurs when the oil glands don’t produce enough oil. Your body can change with age, seasons, and hormones.
In order to receive help with dehydrated skin, you can up your water intake for starters. Also, make sure to get more sleep, protect yourself from the sun, and wear a hydrating moisturizer to combat drying environments at home or place of employment. A good diet full of fresh fruits and veggies, regular exercise, and limiting alcohol consumption also helps a ton!
For dry skin, it is a bit harder to reverse lifestyle changes. You can add certain foods to your diet, such as fish, nuts, avocado, and flaxseed oils. These foods contain Omega fatty acids, which help to soothe inflamed skin while increasing moisture. Fish oil capsules are also a good addition to your dry skin treatment routine.
A rich cream containing skin-friendly ingredients with oils will penetrate the skin and add much-needed moisture. You can also layer a moisturizer and oil to really help your skin. An oil such as rosehip or avocado layered underneath a rich cream or ointment also works well for some people dealing with dry skin.
For more information on dry skin versus dehydrated skin, check out this video.
Key Ingredients: What to Look for on the Ingredients List
If you are new to buying skin moisturizers, here are the ingredients you should browse that are soothing and rehydrating for dry skin:
Hyaluronic Acid – Hyaluronic acid attracts moisture to the skin and locks it into place for hydration all day long. It can also help your skin create more collagen, which plumps the skin and reduces fine lines.
From Our Top Ten List: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hyaluronic Acid Face Moisturizer.
Oatmeal Extract – Oatmeal is known for calming down red, itchy, irritated skin. If your dry skin is causing you to feel hot, uncomfortable, and itchy, then a moisturizer with oatmeal extracts is a smart choice.
From Our Top Ten List: Curel Ultra Healing Intensive Lotion.
Collagen and Elastin – The two ingredients are large components of the skin. Collagen and elastin help keep the skin strong, flexible, supple, plump, and elastic as opposed to dull, sagging, and loose. If you have dehydrated skin with exaggerated lines, dullness, and wrinkles – a moisturizer with collagen and elastin will help.
From Our Top Ten List: St. Ives Renewing Collagen and Elastin Moisturizer.
Natural Oils – Natural oils are ingredients such as coconut oil, avocado oil, safflower oil, rosehip oil, jojoba oil, and apricot kernel oil. The oils help add moisture to the skin, which struggles to create enough oil on its own. The natural ingredients also nourish and feed the skin with vitamins and healing properties. It assists in brightening dull skin, smoothing out rough texture, as well as relax tight, uncomfortable skin.
From Our Top Ten List: St. Ives Renewing Collagen and Elastin Moisturizer.
It’s important to add skin-safe oils to your dry skin care routine to keep the skin moist, supple, and comfortable. You can also eat oils such as avocado, olive, fish oil, and flaxseed oil to treat dry skin from the inside out.
Day Cream vs. Night Cream
Do you need a day cream and night cream? It depends on personal preference. You could use a moisturizing day cream with SPF so you can skip the extra step of adding more sun protection. Then at night, use a rich cream without SPF. Or you can use the same cream for day and night yet add your own sunscreen during the morning routine.
Meanwhile, for dry and oily skin, you could choose a medium-weight all-hours cream for morning and night. The solution works as long as you introduce a rich oil or serum at night. Additionally, you need SPF protection during daylight hours.
Day Creams:
- Olay Total Effects 7-in-1 moisturizer + Treatment Duo with SPF 15
- Aveeno Ultra-Calming Daily Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin with SPF 15
- Eucerin Daily Protection Face Lotion SPF 30
Night or Day/Night Creams:
- Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hyaluronic Acid Face moisturizer Gel-Cream contains hyaluronic acid
- L’oreal Hydra-Renewal Continuous Moisture Cream for all-purpose protection
- Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream for very dry, sensitive skin
- Curel Ultra Healing Intensive Lotion for all-purpose protection
- Jergens Ultra Healing Extra Dry Skin Moisturizer for dry skin on the body and not just the face
Don’t Forget About Your SPF
The golden rule applies to absolutely everyone, regardless of skin type. Dry skin absolutely must be protected from harmful UV rays because sun damage can exaggerate the look and feel of dryness. Sun damage will only cause more flaky, dull, tight, and sore skin.
You don’t necessarily have to choose a moisturizer with SPF. In fact, many of the skin moisturizers on our top ten list do not contain SPF. However, you must layer your moisturizer with an SPF to ensure your skin is completely protected. There are many gel and spray-based sunscreens on the market which you can layer under or over your hydrating moisturizer. It will not impact the overall performance of your moisturizer.
Moisturizers From Our Top Ten List Which Contain SPF Sun Protection:
- Olay Total Effects 7-in-1 moisturizer + Treatment Duo contains SPF 15
- Aveeno Ultra-Calming Daily Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin with SPF 15 contains SPF 15
- Eucerin Daily Protection Face Lotion SPF 30 contains SPF 30
Let us introduce you to some helpful videos with more information on how to deal with sensitive and dry skin:
Final Words
There are so many affordable moisturizers out there to help soothe and hydrate dry skin. The only problem is knowing which one to choose! There are lots of factors to take into account, so it often takes some trial and error before finding the right skin moisturizer. Furthermore, most people that struggle with dry skin find that it’s not one product but a combination of skincare products that lead to the most desirable results.