My skin felt exactly like this after I almost froze to death in the mountains in Norway in my early twenties. After suffering severe frost bite, the skin didn’t just recover over night. It actually took years for it to recover, and every winter it got worse when the cold weather came in.
My cheeks were the worst part. They were bright red and felt like sand paper. Little pieces of skin were obviously sticking up, and every thing I put on my skin burned! I was desperate, and I tried every piece of advice and spent way too much money to try to solve my problem.
Even though some advice was good, a lot of advice was actually making my skin worse. The good thing was that now I know exactly what to do (and what not to do) for skin that is seriously dry. Here are some things I learned along the way:
Never put your face under a really hot shower!
As good as it feels to splash hot water on your face, it will wash away protective traces of oil and open your pores to make your dry skin even more vulnerable to the elements. Better alternative: Wash your face in the sink and use cool or warm water instead of hot.
Never use a soapy cleanser!
Soap strips oil from your dry skin and leaves it totally unprotected, and squeaky dry. Better alternative: Use a gentle soap free cleanser that you apply to your face with wet hands. It will remove makeup without leaving your skin dry and tight.
Never use a toner full of alcohol!
Alcohol kills off the good bacteria on your skin and also has a drying effect on your skin. I think the reason why most toners contain alcohol is because the alcohol makes the toner evaporate faster. Personally, I don’t see any point in that. It would be better if the toner stays on the skin when you apply moisturizer, because that will actually seal in more moisture.
Apply the right kind of moisturizer!
Dry skin needs two things – oil AND water. Many people seem to think that if you just add enough oil, the skin will recover. On some level that is true. But that is not all. Even though oil can repair the lipid barrier, it still doesn’t increase the water levels in your skin cells.
To increase the water levels in dry skin, there is one ingredient that is absolutely essential, and that is hyaluronic acid! Hyaluronic acid has the ability to hold up to 1000 times its own weight in water. So, not only does it increase the water levels, but it also prevents evaporation of moisture from the skin.
Green Beauty’s Hyaluronic Acid Serum contains enough hyaluronic acid that it can really make a difference in your dry skin. Combine this serum with the face oil, or one of the heavier face creams, and you are talking true antiaging skincare! This combo makes your skin super happy, no matter how dry it is.
So, there is no need to let your skin look like the picture of the desert above… Try some Samples and see for yourself!
