Dont:
Use face wipes! They have so many hash ingredients like alcohol, detergents, parabens, and preservatives that will only make dry skin worse! Not to mention how rough the wipes themselves are! Redness and irritation guaranteed! They also spread bacteria around the skin so this will just make the problem worse!
Do:
Use a ph balanced balm makeup remover instead! You’ll actually remove far more this way anyway! My favs are Clinique “take the day off” cleansing balm 28 euro and Lush “Ultrabland”. Their thick melting balm texture is so comforting on dry skin as you smooth it on, none of that dry sawing feeling you get from a facewipe, and then all you do is wash it off with lukewarm water, simples!
Dont:
Drink allot of alcohol (a drag I know) We all know that Sunday morning feeling of skin being dryer than the Sahara. This is because alcohol is a strong diuretic, so your body will leach moisture from anywhere it can, and if your skins moisture is low to begin with, it will be the worst affected.
Do:
Take lots of Omega 3 fish oil tablets! Oily fish capsules particularly cod liver oil have been proven to increase the moisture levels in skin and joints, and thickening the walls of skin cells, improving their water retention. Fish oils have lots of vitamin A and E which are also great for skin!
Dont:
Skip sunscreen just because it’s winter or cloudy! The sun is one of the worst for drying out skin and causes 40% of aging, all year round, not just on your summer holiday! Trust me on this one, using SPF daily will be the best investment you will ever make in your skin.
Do:
Wear a day moisturiser with an SPF of 25 or more and your killing two birds with one stone! My fav is La Roche Posay “Anthelios XL SPF 50+ Velvety lotion” it’s non-comedogenic, paraben free, fragrance free. It absorbs quickly and doesn’t give a greasy residue.
Dont:
Forget to gently exfoliate! Skin absorbs moisture much better when there aren’t tones of dry dead skin cells on the surface sucking up the moisture you give, only to fall off tomorrow because they were dead anyway, and deprive the live cells- vicious circle!
Do:
Exfoliate once a week, while you shower, with a wet cotton bud, smothered in a highly moisturising cleanser. This works best if you start about 10 minutes into your shower so the dead skin cells will be saturated with water and lift off easily.
Dont:
Scratch! Especially not the face because this will just make things so much worse and you risk breaking the skin, meaning you cant use moisturiser til it heals! Again a vicious circle!
Do:
Take an analgesic tablet to stop the itchy feeling! I recommend Claritin allergy relief tablets, especially at night when its hardest not to scratch!
Dont:
Use Vaseline! EVER! It’s not a moisturiser! Eczema and psoriasis sufferers often think Vaseline works because it’s an intensive moisturiser. ITS NOT! It’s the absolute opposite! It feels moisturising on, but this is just a temporary masking of symptoms. Below the surface it’s actually causing the skin to dry out and peel
Do:
Use a wonder balm instead! More expensive initially, but a little goes a long way, and they are so very effective you wont need to use them half as often! I bought my EA8HC a year ago and it’s not even near finished! When I get a dry skin attack or an allergic reaction, I reach for my wonder balms! Trilogy everything balm, Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream and Egyptian magic ! You can use these babies anywhere on the body and they are super thick and long lasting! They are called wonder balms because they are like a miracle in a tube! They moisturise and soothe like beam of light down from heaven, cure almost any skin complaint in record time, from flake attacks to nappy rash, and seriously improve the quality and look of skin. A night slathered in one of these and you might never know you were in the clutches of a dry skin attack the night before- or ever! They are both really really thick though, so I only use them at night.
squeezielou 