Skin Condition: Dry Skin

Thirsty. Parched. Dehydrated. There are a lot of different words for dry skin—and just as many undesirable symptoms that come with it. No matter what you call this common skin condition, it all means the same thing: your skin needs more moisture. 

What causes dryness?
Like most skin conditions, we often inherit dry skin from our family tree. (Thanks, Mom!) But rough, flaky and tight skin can also be caused by outside factors—one of which is weather. (Thanks, Mother Nature!) Cold, windy conditions can suck moisture out of your skin and leave it feeling chapped. Another dryness culprit is diet. If you don’t eat foods rich enough fatty acids, it unfortunately shows on your skin.

All of these causes affect your lipid barrier, resulting in trans epidermal water loss. That’s when the natural water inside our skin creeps out through cracks and crevices, causing skin dryness.

How to treat dryness:
Just add water! (AKA moisturize.) Products rich with moisturizing ingredients add a layer of moisture on top of skin, therefore reinforcing the skin’s lipid barrier and keeping water from evaporating. These ingredients include petroleum, natural oils, mineral oil, natural butters and Vitamin E—and offer instant relief.

In addition to moisturizing, you can also hydrate, which is more from the inside out. “Hydration is the act of bringing water to the skin either by stimulating components within the skin that hold onto water—or adding humectants on the surface of the skin to draw in water,” explains cosmetic chemist Ni’Kita Wilson. The most popular hydrating ingredient is hyaluronic acid, which is also the moisturizing substance found in our skin.

When picking out products to quench your skin, think thick and creamy. “Thicker creams are best, because they tend to contain more waxy or emollient ingredients that coat the skin and prevent moisture from escaping,” says Wilson. “Creamy face washes add emollients back to the skin, too, reducing the level of dryness typically associated with cleansers.”

Choose the right products packed with the right ingredients, and you’ll hang your dry-skin woes out to dry. 

Proven Products for Dryness
Our team of chemists check the claims of every product we sell, making sure its ingredients do what they say. The below products contain ingredients that are proven to treat and prevent dryness.

Cleansers:

VMV Hypoallergenics Moisture Rich Mild-Mannered Cleansing Scrub for Dry Skin What: This moisture-rich cream formula is filled with smooth pumice grains that buff away dry, flaky skin—revealing a healthy glow.

First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser What: This luxuriously whipped, gentle face cleanser calms and purifies without leaving the skin dry.

Om Aroma & Co. Elixir de Perle Organic Cleansing Cream What: This non-drying cleanser stimulates circulation and revitalizes skin with pearl micro-particles, which delicately remove dead skin cells without being abrasive.

 

Moisturizers:

VMV Hypoallergenics Creammmy-Rich Intense Moisture Milk SPF 15 for Dry Skin                                  What: An unbelievably buttery moisturizer that soothes and intensely hydrates dry skin.

CV Skinlabs Restorative Skin Balm What: This rich balm is designed to coat the skin and trap in hydration.

Bayberry Naturals Mega Moisture Face & Eye Crème What: This super-moisturizing cream hydrates delicate and dry skin—the eyes, neck, face, wherever you need it.

Snowberry Nourishing Rich Day Cream What: This deeply hydrating moisturizer plumps up skin with shea butter and combats everyday free-radical damage.

 

Masks:

Clark's Botanicals Deep Moisture Mask What: This two-in-one mask and moisturizer bathes skin in amazing moisture thanks to extremely nourishing natural ingredients.

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Instant Oatmeal Mask What: In just 10 minutes, this soothing mask revives dry skin with a duo of protective oats (colloidal oatmeal and Avena Sativa oat bran), botanical antioxidants and nourishing shea butter.

Kelly Teegarden Organics Rejuvenate Hydration Masque & Night Cream What: This natural mask is a life-saver for thirsty skin, thanks to organic shea butter and essential oils like avocado and evening primrose.

 

Body Care: 

CV Skinlabs Body Repair Lotion What: An ultra-soothing body lotion that absorbs quickly and provides deep hydration to fragile skin.

Bayberry Naturals Shea Buttercream What: Enhanced with rich organic shea butter, organic aloe, sweet almond oil and vitamin E, it’s an extraordinary natural remedy for soothing dry skin.

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Concentrate What: This formula blends waxes, oils, botanical antioxidants and reparative ingredients to relieve the most stubborn dry spots.