How to tackle dry skin in 3 steps

Every now and then the story of my skin changes drastically. Usually because of the ever-changing climate. Suddenly I steer clear of most of my purifying products and I even reduce the use of my favorite serum. I get this new problem that I promise to tackle every single year: dryness.

Unfortunately some things you just have to let be. Such as, dryness when the climate changes. It’s inevitable and not always your fault. The dry cold weather is no joke. That said – I have found some great products that do help. Right now my skin is doing really good and I have this routine to thank.

These three steps have become crucial in tackling dry skin:

1.Changing your cleansers to milder ones.

2. Hydrating and moisturizing like your life depended on it and

3. Protecting your skin with the right products.

Products received in pr

How to tackle dry skin in three steps

patyka foaming cleanser lotus soothing lotion

Step 1: Change your cleansers to mild ones

I’m very strict about removing my makeup and cleansing my skin in two steps. For a skin that has large pores and sebaceous filaments, keeping those pores clean is important.

I recently found the makeup eraser*, which has changed my makeup removing game. That cloth is so soft yet effective, I’m amazed. I remove my makeup with the makeup eraser.

After that I wash my face with some product. Lately I’ve used Patyka’s Cleansing Perfect Foam*, which is suitable for a mature skin as well as for my skin, which is combination. It contains calming and moisturizing properties as well as some gentle fruit acids.

If your skintype is dry or normal, you might want to try Patyka’s own 3-step-cleansing ritual, which consists of an oil, this foam and finally their toner/hydrating mist. I’ve tried it, and it feels very luxurious, but too nourishing for my skin.

CLEANSING:

The makeup eraser*
Patyka Cleansing Perfecting Foam*

My favorite cleanser is still Lavera’s Cleansing Balm*, but right now I’ve ran out of it and I’m trying to use my other products.

Step 2: Hydrate & moisturize

I’m talking about both hydrating and moisturizing, because those are actually not the exact same thing.
Hydrating means bringing water to your skin – which it needs, to look radiant, soft and healthy.
Moisturizing means locking in that water and keeping it hydrated.

Basically what this means is that you should stack products. First your lighter water-containing products like toners, mists, essences or serums. Then your moisturizer. Korean skincare routine like.

Right now I’ve been loving BYBI’s Mega Mist, which contains hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid is awesome for hydration, because it can hold onto a lot of water (and we just learned that our skin needs water!). I usually apply it on moist skin, just so it has some more water to hold onto (that’s a tip I learned from Nude blog).

I’ve also started to add Loccitane’s essence on top of that mist. I wrote about it here*.

After that, I apply my moisturizer. For day and night use, I have Patyka’s Sacred Lotus Soothing Lotion. I got it before winter and thought it wouldn’t work for me, but now I think the exact opposite. It’s an awesome moisturizer. It smells amazing and it works wonders – for my skin, anyway. It doesn’t leave my skin shiny nor matte. Radiant is possibly the right word. It contains natural oils such as almond oil and jojoba oil.

HYDRATING:

BYBI Beauty Mega Mist
L’Occitane Aqua Reotier Moisture Prep Essence*

MOISTURIZING:

Patyka Lotus Soothing Radiant Lotion
PURA D’OR Organic Moroccan Argan Oil

I also always apply argan oil in the evening. I apply it under the moisturizer, on top of it or mix it with my moisturizer (Patyka). It doesn’t really matter how I apply it – most important thing is to use it. Argan oil is the queen of oils, because it suits both dry, mature and oily skin. It should also help with scarring, so my acne scars are definitely getting their fair share of this. My sister, who has extremely dry skin, also swears by argan oil. Psst! She shared all her dry skin secret here in this post!

Step 3: Protect your skin

This is partially the same as moisturizing – moisturizer locks in the hydration, but it also protects the skin. It’s like a barrier between your skin and the world.

For my skin, I feel like makeup is enough to protect my skin from the harsh winter. Makeup is so much more than just something that makes you pretty – it actually can have skincare benefits and it does take care of your skin (as in, being a protective barrier).

However, on those days that I’m not wearing makeup, I like to wear a thick(ish) cream. If I’m going for a long walk or run outside, I like to apply a layer of Babe Balm* as my protector. It does leave my face a bit shiny, but I’ll take that instead of a red and dry poor skin. I’ve used that product for quite some time now and I think it’s become a holy grail product for me. It’s cuteness and luxury in one tube. It’s the best hand lotion as well and for dry skin you could possibly try it as a night mask. Oh – and this product has an amazing sweet scent.

Weleda’s Skin Food* or Skin Food Light is a good multi-use product option for the Babe Balm. I recently got to try Weleda’s Skin Food Light, which is a lighter version of their classic Skin Food lotion. Even that Light-version is super moisturizing for me, so it’s perfect for protecting my skin against cold. I also sometimes use it as a night cream, since it doesn’t matter if my skin looks a bit shiny in the evening. That product also works as a hand cream or body cream for dry spots.

MOISTURIZING & PROTECTING:
BYBI Beauty Babe Balm*
Weleda Skin Food Light*

*adlink

Thanks for helping with photos @pinjaelisa

What are your top product picks for winter?

Good reads:
Hyaluronic acid on Paula’s Choice

 

Skincare routine for dry skin & best dry skin products

my sister's skincare routine dry skin

If you have dry skin, you already know that a good skincare routine is crucial for you. That’s why I collected the best dry skin products in this post, with a little help from my sister.

What is dry skintype?

A normal skin produces both sebum and sweat, which together create an acid mantle. That is the skin’s barrier, which protects the skin from dryness, bacteria, air pollutants and other external threats. Dry skin type doesn’t produce enough sebum, which is why the skin appears dry and sensitive. Basically the acid mantle isn’t working properly. On dry skin the pores aren’t really visible or they’re small.

Dry skin demands oil and moisture. It can be more or less sensitive. It can’t take certain ingredients and it can react to things like weather quite dramatically, since the acid mantle isn’t fully there to take the hit.

dry skin skincare
Dry skin. Here is Annika and her beautiful skin. You can see she takes good care of it! Her beauty therapist-sister must be proud.

My sister Annika has a dry skin, which, you wouldn’t necessarily believe, if you didn’t know better. She takes such good care of her skin, it basically looks flawless.

Only fair to share her skincare secrets, right?

Besides sharing her current routine, Annika also shared all of her favorite products for dry skin.

skincare products for dry skin

SKINCARE ROUTINE FOR DRY SKIN

AM MORNING ROUTINE

1. Toner – *Clarins Extra Comfort Toning Lotion
2. Serum – *Novexpert Booster Serum 
3. Oil – *Pura D’Or Organic Argan oil
4. Moisturizer – *Loccitane Aqua Reotier Ultra-Thirst Quenching Cream
5. Eye Cream – *Natura Siberica Siberian Ginseng Eye Cream

 

Cleansing

Toner

On mornings, Annika just wipes her face clean with a toner. Currently she is using Biotherm’s hydrating & softening lotion. Usually she can’t use products that contain alcohol, but this particular product is working fine. Long time favorite toner of hers is *Clarins Extra Comfort Toning Lotion

Moisturizing

Serum & Argan oil

Annika uses a moisturizing serum before applying the oil. Two of her favorite serums are *Novexpert Booster Serum with Hyaluronic acid and Estelle Thild BioHydrate Thirst Relief serum.

Argan oil is the most important thing in Annika’s routine. It’s actually an oil that I love to use on my skin as well. It’s safe to say that it’s an oil, that is suitable for all skin types and problems: dryness, wrinkles, blemishes, acne scars and even acne. My sister also sometimes uses argan oil in her makeup: she just mixes a few drops in her foundation.

Cream

Right now Annika uses *L’occitane AquaReotier Ultra-Thirst Quenching Cream, which I gave her to try. Other great moisturizers Annika likes to use are *Clarins Hydra-Essentiel Rich Cream and *Novexpert The Repulp Cream.

I like to think I taught my sisters the importance of an eye cream. An eye cream is a part of Annika’s routine and I’m proud. Taking care of that thin skin around our eyes is important. *Natura Siberica Siberian Ginseng Eye Cream is very moisturizing, but doesn’t feel heavy.

P.S. Check out my post on L’Occitane Aqua Reotier products!

dry skin skincare routine

PM EVENING ROUTINE

1. Makeup remover – *Makeup eraser
2. Skin Cleanser – *Lumene Valo Balm Cleanser
3. Toner – *Clarins Extra Comfort Toning Lotion
4. Serum – *Novexpert Booster Serum
5. Oil – *Pura D’Or Organic Argan oil
6. Moisturizer – *Loccitane Aqua Reotier Ultra-Thirst Quenching Cream
7. Eye Cream – *Natura Siberica Siberian Ginseng Eye Cream

Cleansing


Makeup eraser

Annika uses makeup eraser to remove all her makeup in the evening. The original makeup eraser is very soft and it’s indeed gentle enough even for a dry skin. She has used this for a few years now.

It’s seriously so effective, but soft as a feather. Or heaven. (I ended up buying it and I love it.)

Cleanser

Annika’s favorite skin cleanser is unfortunately discontinued (Clarins Pure Melt Cleansing Gel). I would recommend Lumene Valo Balm Cleanser, which has that same balmy oily consistency.

Moisturizing

After the double cleansing, it’s the same toner + oil + moisturizer + eye cream combo than it is on the mornings.

 

WEEKLY MASK FOR DRY SKIN

 

Weekly exfoliating and masking is crucial even for dry skin. Getting rid of those dead skin cells helps the toners and moisturizers to do their magic even better.

When you choose the right products, it’s not too drying, I promise. I gave Annika Lumene’s Nordic-C Glow Reveal Peeling Mask as I felt it was very gentle and could work for her. Happy I did, because it’s now dry-skin approved. I wrote a post about Lumene Valo products here.

Other masks that Annika likes to use are moisturizing *sheet masks (from korean brands mostly) and acid-containing exfoliants (like the Lumene one mentioned above).

And sometimes (not weekly, more like once or twice per month) she uses a more effective mud mask. But she never applies the mud mask on the most sensitive areas which are her cheeks and forehead. If she does a mud mask she only applies it on her nose and chin.

my sister's skincare routine

Thank you dear sister for helping me put this post together! Hopefully this helps all the dry-skinned beauties out there. Would you like to see more posts like this? I’m thinking of some makeup recommendations, dry skin approved?

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