TAILORED SKINCARE: How to Look After Dry Skin

Your Dry Skin Routine

Dry, dull, dehydrated skin can not only affect the way your skin looks, but how it feels. Dry skin is often associated with tightness, itchiness and irritation, so soothing, deeply moisturising products are a dry skin essential when it comes to keeping sensitivities and physical flaking at bay.

Not familiar with your skin type? Here’s a quick look at what it really means to have dry skin, what causes that dryness, and how you can work to restore your skin to full health.

Do you have dry skin?

A simple way to identify your skin type is to examine it after a thorough cleanse without moisturising. If your skin feels tight, chances are the natural condition of your skin errs towards dry. If you find yourself prone to flakiness and almost never feel the need to blot oil away throughout the day, your skin is most likely dry.

Dryness and dehydration, although linked and with similar symptoms, should not be confused for one another. Dry skin lacks oil, something our body produces naturally. Dehydrated skin lacks water, thus dry skin is a skin type, while anyone can experience dehydrated skin- even those with a naturally oily skin type. A dull, visibly aged complexion is often a sign of dehydrated skin, so ensure you drink plenty of water to hydrate your skin from the inside out, regardless of your skin type.

How to care for dry skin

When it comes to curating a daily routine for dry skin, opt for products that restore moisture to the complexion rather than products that have the potential to strip it even further of its precious natural oils. Here’s a simple, natural routine, formulated specifically with dry skin in mind.

Cleanse

A cleanser with a rich, creamy consistency, like Sukin’s Cream Cleanser, will ensure the skin’s natural moisture barrier remains intact even as makeup, dirt and grime are removed. This cleanser is rich in rosehip, avocado and wheat germ oils to keep the skin hydrated, ensuring you aren’t left with a dry, tight feeling post-cleanse. The Rosehip Nourishing Cream Cleanser is also a great option, rich in rosehip, evening primrose, camelia and borage oils for serious hydration.
Dry skin and sensitive skin are often inextricably linked, so if you find that your skin is prone to irritation then choose a gentle cleansing lotion, like Sukin’s Sensitive Cleansing Lotion. This cleanser also contains hydrating rosehip, with the added natural anti-inflammatory benefits of cucumber, chamomile and aloe vera.

Exfoliate

If your skin looks and feels flakey, exfoliate a couple of times a week with the Sukin Revitalising Face Scrub to buff away dead and dry skin cells. Be careful not to over-exfoliate, as this can cause flare ups in sensitive skin types- three to four times a week is enough to promote cell turnover without removing the skin’s natural oils.

Treat

Use the treatment step in your routine to target any additional, specific skincare concerns you might have beyond surface dryness. Serums and oils are designed to be applied to clean skin prior to moisturising, delivering potent, concentrated skincare benefits as well as hydration. If the visible signs of ageing are of concern to you, try the Sukin Certified Organic Rosehip Oil. The blend includes upwards of 70% essential fatty acids, which work to fight against free radical damage as well as reducing signs of ageing, pigmentation and scarring. To restore brightness to the complexion, opt for the Restoring Argan Oil +. Rich in argan, maracuja, jojoba, sunflower and wheat germ oils, this oil has been clinically proven to reveal brighter, softer skin in as little four weeks*. Like a green juice for the skin, the Super Greens Nourishing Chia Seed Oil + works to hydrate the skin, improve texture and brighten the complexion thanks to a potent blend of chia seed, hemp seed, olive fruit and baobab oils plus kale, spirulina and parsley.

Hydrate

This entire routine has been compiled with hydration in mind, so a rich daily moisturiser is the natural final step to lock that moisture in.
For daytime, choose a lightweight formula like the Sukin Rosehip Hydrating Day Cream. Rosehip and pomegranate work to relieve dehydration and protect the skin from environmental stressors throughout the day as kakadu plum brightens and improves the texture of the skin, while the texture is light enough to be worn comfortable beneath makeup. Choose a moisturiser richer in consistency for evening, like the Rosehip Enriching Night Cream or Moisture Restoring Night Cream, to ensure you wake up with glowing, well hydrated skin.

Masque

For a weekly spa experience at home, reach for the Sukin Hydrating Face Masque after cleansing. Mango Seed Butter and a blend of Avocado, Olive Fruit and Jojoba Oils work to deliver intense moisture to the skin while enzymes of Papaya and Pineapple give dull, dry and dehydrated skin a glow.

**results of a survey of 10 bloggers, conducted by beautydirectory.com.au, August 2014.