Very dry skin - what moisturizers or special skin care routine could help ?

[sgr2008]

Hi girls and boys !

I have always had very dry skin, so dry that foundation was an item I could only dream about.
I could never use foundation and I had to apply face cream every two hours, otherwise I had dry patches.
I found a new face moisturizer (Laura Mercier Repair cream) that finally allows me to wear foundation. That is good news, very good news !
But after more than one year (and lots of expensive pots as it goes down fast) I was wondering if I was alone ... or if anyone else has the same problem and could share some tips with me that would be fantastic !!!

When I go to the shops, if I ask for a moisturizer for very dry skin, they reply "But is it dry or dehydrated ?"

isn't it the same ? well apparently it is not if they ask.... But how could I know ?

I drink a lot of water and exfoliate but it is not enough... if you have any recommendations, I would love to read you !!! thank you !!!

 

[Mabelle]

I woudl look into a cream like Philosophy's when hope is not enough, which is a thick butter like replenishing cream, and if you like, you can layer that with their replenishing serum by the same name. Also, look for products with hyluronic acid in them. It acts as a sponge for moisture to really lock it in.

I would also suggest to look at your cleanser and other products, are their lots of sulfates in them? Does your skin feel tight and pulled right after you cleanse? do you tone aswell? I would suggest maybe looking into a sulfate free cleanser. Either a milky cleanser, or even an oil cleanser (which are great for all skintypes). And maybe trying some home made moisture masks.

There is a test for dehydration that the girls are your local sephora should know how to do. Ask them to check.

Lastly, has your skin always felt this way, or is it a new thing? You say your skin flakes, is it also red and prickley? Consider also the possibility that you are allergic to something. Often times allergic reactions can disguse themselves as what looks like very dry skin. I once had a client that thought she had red dry patches on her face. Upon asking her more questions we determined that she had been using a product that was too harsh for her, and she had hives (which i am no stranger to, infact i have them right now!!)

I would go see a skin specialist at your sephora and ask for some samples. see what you feel best with

 

[Modmom]

If your skin is dry it will feel tight, your pores will be nearly invisible and you may experience redness. You can have normal or even oily skin and also be dehydrated. Dehydrated results in flakes on the skin (dead skin cells). For dry skin you need to increase your oil secretion, either through products or treatments like facials (the massage will stimulate your oil glands). For dehydrated skin, you need to hydrate (your skin is lacking moisture, not oil). Look for 'hydra-' products. Be careful if you have dry skin of jumping to really heavy creams right away. You can cause breakouts. Have you ever tried serums?

 

[banana1234]

i find when i changed how i cleansed my face it really helped, to moisturise i use mac's comfort cream religiously, it isnt the best product ive found but it works for the whole of my face and isnt crazy expensive and for the super dry patches i apply elizabeth arden 8 hour cream at night, like to the forehead, nose etc, the driest bits. and i switched to an oily cleanser, bi facil for my eyes (lancome) and a baume eclat (oil to cream cleanser) for my face. again, not cheap but the baume eclat changed my whole face. and the good thing about the elizabeth arden cream is it has a consistancy like vaseline, really thick, so a little goes a long way i've had one tube for about 3 years. when i tried a super rich moisturiser all over, like the elizabeth arden, i found i would get horrible greasy spots on my chin with big horrible spots, so now i only use it on the problem areas.

years ago when i was broke i used to use johnson's night cream for dry skin and that wasnt too bad in combination with the elizabeth arden, and it only cost £2.99.

lastly i exfoliate once a week only i find anymore and my skin goes into exfoliation overdrive and fakes more and becomes red and moisturiser doesnt sink in properly

 

[sgr2008]

I woudl look into a cream like Philosophy's when hope is not enough, which is a thick butter like replenishing cream, and if you like, you can layer that with their replenishing serum by the same name. Also, look for products with hyluronic acid in them. It acts as a sponge for moisture to really lock it in.

I would also suggest to look at your cleanser and other products, are their lots of sulfates in them? Does your skin feel tight and pulled right after you cleanse? do you tone aswell? I would suggest maybe looking into a sulfate free cleanser. Either a milky cleanser, or even an oil cleanser (which are great for all skintypes). And maybe trying some home made moisture masks.

There is a test for dehydration that the girls are your local sephora should know how to do. Ask them to check.

Lastly, has your skin always felt this way, or is it a new thing? You say your skin flakes, is it also red and prickley? Consider also the possibility that you are allergic to something. Often times allergic reactions can disguse themselves as what looks like very dry skin. I once had a client that thought she had red dry patches on her face. Upon asking her more questions we determined that she had been using a product that was too harsh for her, and she had hives (which i am no stranger to, infact i have them right now!!)

I would go see a skin specialist at your sephora and ask for some samples. see what you feel best with

Hi Mabelle,
Thanks a lot for all these recommendations, I will definitely try them out
About the toner, no I don't do it, I have just tried once a long time ago but had the feeling that it was worst afterwards so I never tried again ! Maybe I should give it another go, probably cleanser and tone products have improved today ... I just remove my makeup in the evening and gently wash my face then immediately put on some moisturizer otherwise it feels totally awful.
It has always been that bad, well even worst, it got better recently with the new face cream I am using, but some help and advice is really highly appreciated !
Next time I have the chance to go to a Sephora I will ask to do this test I did not know it was possible... again, thanks a lot, I will be checking all these options for sure !

 

[sgr2008]

If your skin is dry it will feel tight, your pores will be nearly invisible and you may experience redness. You can have normal or even oily skin and also be dehydrated. Dehydrated results in flakes on the skin (dead skin cells). For dry skin you need to increase your oil secretion, either through products or treatments like facials (the massage will stimulate your oil glands). For dehydrated skin, you need to hydrate (your skin is lacking moisture, not oil). Look for 'hydra-' products. Be careful if you have dry skin of jumping to really heavy creams right away. You can cause breakouts. Have you ever tried serums?

Thanks Modmom, I think I am going to try a facial very very soon for sure ! I will have a chat with them and I will try to understand what happens exactly to my skin.
The only facial I did in the past was because it was a gift from my best friend, it was nice but I just hated when they were trying to "close my pores with electricity" I have absolutely no idea how to say this correctly in english ) but maybe you see what I mean ? it was awful ! so much pain !!!

 

[sgr2008]

years ago when i was broke i used to use johnson's night cream for dry skin and that wasnt too bad in combination with the elizabeth arden, and it only cost £2.99.
lastly i exfoliate once a week only i find anymore and my skin goes into exfoliation overdrive and fakes more and becomes red and moisturiser doesnt sink in properly

Thanks banana 1234 ! I will try this as well, I will have the opportunity to get this 8 hour cream soon (a friend works at EA) and will see how it goes...
thanks a lot to all for your time and your advice ! I cannot express how much I appreciate it !

 

[banana1234]

Thanks banana 1234 ! I will try this as well, I will have the opportunity to get this 8 hour cream soon (a friend works at EA) and will see how it goes... thanks a lot to all for your time and your advice ! I cannot express how much I appreciate it !

you're welcome, use it as a night treatment!

 

[LMD84]

maybe try clinique moisture surge face spray too. that way you can spritz it while on the go and it will help keep moisture in your skin. i also really like using a serum at night when my skin is super dry. clarins have a great serum in their hydraquench range.

 

[antigone21]

Try the Eucerin 5% urea replenishing face cream! My skin is more on the combo side (oily t-zone) but since I am using a retinoid cream for acne it is mostly dry and flaky and this cream does the trick, day and night and is a great base for make up. I also like Laroche-Posay Hydréane riche, but I find it a little bit sticky and this is why I only use it at nightime or after an at-home microdermabraison scrub. The Eucerin is about $15 in drugstores fo 50ml (probably cheaper in the US) and the LP is $25 for 40ml.