Published: January 30, 2024
Dry skin is an extremely common problem. Statistics show that three out of four Americans suffer from dryness during the winter months, with a large portion of those people experiencing it year-round.
When dry skin is left to fester, it can lead to itching, flakiness, roughness, dullness, and sensitivities, making this an issue worth taking control of ASAP.
How can you do that? Read on as CBGärdN shares 10 tips that will help you to overcome your dry complexion so that you can achieve skin that looks soft and dewy, no matter the time of year.
1. Bump Up Moisture Levels With Humectants
Dry skin refers to skin that doesn’t produce enough sebum, and one of the side effects of this is a lack of moisture. Without enough sebum coating the skin’s surface, the skin’s moisture reserves evaporate at a much faster rate, leaving the skin parched.
So, before you work on compensating for that lack of sebum, it’s important to first bump up your skin’s moisture levels. Humectants, which are ingredients that bind moisture to the skin, are great for this. They hydrate quickly and efficiently, immediately plumping up the complexion to leave it looking dewy and luminous.
For maximum benefits, look for skincare products that combine multiple humectants, just like the CB Göld Replenishing Serum does. This silky serum contains some of the best humectants around, including:
- Sodium hyaluronate
- Glycerin
- Peptides
- Allantoin
Once you’ve hydrated your skin with those humectants, move on to the next of our tips…
2. Trap Moisture in With Occlusives
Now that you’ve increased your skin’s moisture levels, it’s time to make sure that all of that moisture remains in your skin, rather than evaporating away. How? This is where occlusives come in.
Occlusives are ingredients that, when applied, form a film over the surface of the skin. This essentially mimics the coating that sebum provides. This layer works to trap moisture in the skin while also lubricating and conditioning the skin’s surface.
Plant oils and butters are fantastic occlusives. You’ll find a good selection of them in the CB Night Renewing Crème. From shea butter to sunflower seed oil, this cream locks in moisture without leaving the skin feeling greasy or sticky. Although designed to be used at night, dry skin would benefit from an application of this formula in the mornings too. It will keep your skin feeling soft and supple for hours!
3. Cleanse Gently
Cleansing is a crucial part of any skincare routine, no matter your skin type. However, if you have dry skin, you need to be very careful about how you cleanse.
As we mentioned earlier, dry skin doesn’t produce enough sebum. Each time you cleanse your skin, you’ll be removing the sebum that’s coating your skin’s surface. Strip away too much of this and you’ll end up exacerbating your dryness.
How do you pick a gentle cleanser?
Take a look at the cleansing agents that it uses. If you spot the word ‘sulfate’ anywhere on the ingredient list, avoid that product. Sulfates are notorious for harshly stripping away too much sebum.
A sulfate-free formula, like the CBGärdN CB Facial Cleanser, is what you need for dry skin. It will thoroughly cleanse away impurities without leaving your skin feeling overly dry and tight.
4. Exfoliate Carefully
Just like cleansing, exfoliation is also an important part of maintaining a healthy complexion. It can be particularly satisfying to exfoliate if your skin is flaky since this will remove all of that dead skin to leave your complexion much smoother and softer.
However, just like when picking a cleanser, you need to ensure that the exfoliant you choose isn’t too harsh. You need a formula that will exfoliate without aggravating your skin, such as the CB Microexfoliant Peel. It’s a gentle exfoliator that will hydrate your skin with humectants at the same time!
In addition to picking the right exfoliator, make sure that you don’t exfoliate dry skin too often. Dry skin is highly prone to over-exfoliation, which will make your dryness worse. While it may be tempting to exfoliate more often, once a week is usually sufficient for dry skin.
5. Seek Out Ingredients That Leave the Skin Barrier Feeling Stronger
As you know, dry skin is skin that lacks sebum, which happens to form a part of your skin’s natural protective barrier. This is why those with dry skin usually suffer from a compromised skin barrier. Not only does this mean that the skin loses moisture at a faster rate, but the fact that your skin barrier isn’t able to work in the way that it should provides a much easier path for pollutants and impurities to enter your skin.
While cleansing twice a day helps to keep these at bay, it would also be wise to seek out products that are capable of leaving your skin barrier feeling stronger and more resilient in the long run.
Some of the best ingredients to keep an eye out for if you want your skin barrier to feel boosted are:
- Peptides
- Amino acids
- Sodium hyaluronate
- Plant stem cells
- Vitamin E
You’ll find all of the above in the CBGärdN CB Göld Velvet Silk Crème from our CB Göld Collection. Use this cream regularly and, over time, your skin barrier will start to feel healthier and better balanced.
6. Protect Against UV Damage
Not only do UV rays dry out the sebum on the skin’s surface, but they also cause deep damage to skin cells. This prevents them from functioning properly, which makes dry skin so much worse.
Of course, let’s not forget how UV rays drastically accelerate the skin aging process. Research shows that they account for up to 80% of the visible signs of aging that develop on the face. Worse still, they’re one of the main contributing factors to skin cancer too.
This is why sun protection should be a priority for everyone, but even more so if you have dry skin.
Sure, applying sunscreen can sometimes feel like a chore but you could also use this as an opportunity to give your dry skin some extra moisture. Go with an SPF moisturizer, such as the CB Multi-Active Moisturizer With SPF 30, and you’ll be treating your skin to a whole host of hydrating and moisturizing ingredients while you protect it from the sun. Between vitamin E, aloe vera, nettle leaf extract, and green tea, this cream will have your skin looking beautifully radiant.
7. Moisturize While Your Skin is Damp
As we discussed earlier, moisturizers containing occlusive ingredients are great for forming a film over the surface of the skin and trapping moisture in. This is why we recommend applying a hydrating serum before you moisturize.
However, one mistake that people make is waiting for their skin to completely dry before moving on to the next stage of their skincare routine. This might not matter so much with other skin types but, if you have dry skin, you would be best off moisturizing while your skin is still damp from the previous product that you’ve applied.
Why? Firstly, the skin is more permeable when it’s damp. This means that it will absorb a greater quantity of the ingredients that you apply. Secondly, if your skin is damp, then this means that there are water molecules sitting on its surface. These are what you want to trap into your skin with your moisturizer. Wait until your skin is dry and you’ll be missing out on boosting your skin with that extra moisture.
What should you do if your skin happens to dry out in between product layers? Give it a quick once-over with a hydrating toner, such as the CB Facial Toner. Then, carry on with the rest of your skincare routine.
8. Quench Dry Skin With Moisturizing Masks
Another way to give your dry skin a moisture boost is with a face mask. Masks are usually formulated with a high concentration of active ingredients, which is why they’re only used weekly instead of daily.
When choosing a face mask, follow the tips that we’ve shared above. Look for a mask that brings together a selection of humectants and occlusives, just like the CB Midnight Melting Mask from CBGärdN. This mask boasts a no-rinse formula, which is perfect for dry skin. It means that the mask has extended contact with the skin, rather than having to be rinsed off after 10 minutes. This gives dry skin more time to soak up all of the many moisturizing ingredients in the mask, meaning better results!
9. Invest in a Humidifier
One reason why many find that their dry skin worsens in the winter is because of the dry air. This quickly sucks moisture away from the skin, especially when the skin barrier is already compromised.
Adding moisture back into the air helps to counter this. This is why many people with dry skin turn to a humidifier for help.
A humidifier increases humidity levels, saving your skin from drying out. Ideally, set your humidifier up in the room in which you spend the most time. This is usually the bedroom, although some humidifiers can easily be moved around the house with you.
10. Stay Away From Hot Water
With dry skin not producing enough sebum, it’s important to try to preserve what little sebum your skin has. This is why we discussed how important it is to find a cleanser and an exfoliator that won’t strip your skin completely dry.
However, there’s something else that’s infamous for stripping away the skin’s sebum too…
Each time hot water touches your skin, it breaks down any sebum that it comes into contact with. If you love languishing under a hot shower each day, then this could be a contributing factor to your dry skin.
Try turning the temperature down so that it’s lukewarm instead of hot. This way, you’ll still be able to enjoy a comfortable shower but you won’t be damaging your skin’s sebum layer.
Summary
If you’ve been hoping to transform your dry skin into skin that looks supple, dewy, and beautifully hydrated, the above tips will most definitely help. Try to follow as many as possible and it won’t be long before that feeling of dryness becomes a problem of the past!
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