It took me a while to realise in the recent few years that my skin wasn’t falling into the “combination” category. It was in fact, “combination-dry-dehydrated” but no one ever gives you that as an option. So I tell people I have dryish skin. Dryish. It’s about as close as I get to the truth 😛
Upon working this out, I have worked out different ways in which I use various types of skincare products to balance the hydration levels in my skin which helps my skin be more “normal”. As normal as it can be anyway LOL!
How did I work out that I had dehydrated or even dry skin then? Well here were some signs I noticed (this isn’t gospel but it’s a starting point) and remember, age plays a part too, as does climate, weather and lifestyle.
- fine lines – dehydrated skin lacks moisture and fine lines on skin, especially if you press on your cheek area to “lift” it, are more prominent
- flaky skin – in drastic circumstances, skin would get dry and flaky
- dull complexion – when your skin cells aren’t lying flat as properly hydrated cells do, it reflects light any which way which leads to your skin looking dull
- tight feeling on skin – If you pay attention to your skin you may notice when it feels tight or uncomfortable
- lack of elasticity – I noticed that when my skin is dry or dehydrated, it seems to “hang” rather than bounce back and that of course, makes you look older too.
Do you have dry or dehydrated skin? How do you treat or deal with it? Here are some ways I addressed mine and although it’s always a work in progress for me as skin conditions do change a lot and you have to listen to your skin, it again, is a starting point 🙂
1. Layer moisture on your skin and use hydrating creams
I start off by a floral water mist (I usually use the ones by Melvita although you can use any mists) and then while my skin is damp, I apply a hydrating lotion (toner) followed by a hydrating serum and then a facial oil and a moisturiser. The layering of products that help add moisture to the skin in thin layers helps my skin far better than piling on a thick layer of cream. Using a lightweight serum and cream targeted at hydration too helps the skin. But use thin layers.
2. Use a hyaluronic acid intensive hydration serum
You can use a serum like Hydraluron which works well or any other similar product that helps boost moisture and retains it in your skin. I personally prefer Dr. Lewinns Line Smoothing Complex S8 Super Hydrator but as it isn’t available here, the alternative available locally will be Hydraluron.
3. Drink sufficient water daily
Our bodies are 70% water and we need water to stay hydrated so be sure to drink sufficient water (not just liquids as tea, coffee and sugar waters dehydrate the body, not hydrate it) throughout the day. Drinking a jug in one go doesn’t do it. It’ll unbalance your electrolytes. Just have a glass of water every hour or so.
4. Lay off the peeling and drying skin care products
It could be your acne treatment products that could be drying out your skin. Products that contain tea tree oil, salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide etc dry out the skin and can make them feel uncomfortable. I personally find that treating my skin with moisturising products and keeping it well hydrated helps my skin heal more quickly than any acne product out there. Of course, Effaclar Duo is the exception to the rule 🙂
5. Is your cleanser too drying?
I had been using cleansing oils for years and thought they were all I ever needed until I realised that my skin was feeling stripped and dried out from using them. No amount of hydration or products would help so I eventually switched away and my skin has felt so much better since! It comes down to paying attention to what you use and how your skin feels. So, pay attention!
6. Gentle regular exfoliation can help
Contrary to point No. 4 above, gentle exfoliation can actually help skin feel and look better and not so dry/dehydrated. From personal experience, when I exfoliate (I use a face flannel daily which performs a gentle exfoliation and a AHA based toner once or twice a week) it helps my skin absorb my hydration products more readily and effectively. It facilitates cell turn over and that can also help your skin look better.
These are just some of the ways I treat my dry/dehydrated skin. I also use facial oils and I use a few lotions at a time that I’m sure people will be quite put off by the length of my routine but then when I see results, I’m happy and it’s all worth it 🙂
Do you have dry or dehydrated skin? How do you deal with it?
It is pertinent to note that even those with oily or acne skin can have dehydrated skin too and sometimes, if skin is too dehydrated then breakouts can happen too. It did with me. So don’t take this as gospel, but if you have a sudden bout of spots and realise that you are exposed to a lot of air-conditioning or are out in the sun a lot, consider going on a hydration regimen for a change, instead of a drying anti-acne one and see if that helps you. It just might! If you already have dry/dehydrated skin, I’d love to hear your tips for treating it because we can all learn from each other 🙂
Paris B
Ting says
I have combination t-zone oily skin. However, lately I start to notice dry flaky bits around my nose. It becomes VERY obvious when foundation is applied on. Sometimes I have to put some moisturise on a piece of tissue / muslin cloth and try to “scrape” them off. But it doesn’t work very well. Any idea why this is so? I don’t exfoliate everyday. Once a week perhaps.
Sarah says
Hi Ting,
I’m going through this! When I look at my reflection in sunlight (especially in the car! *faint*) I can see flakiness on my nose which is so annoying because my t-zone gets oily as well.
Maybe there’s something in your skincare routine that is too drying for your skin? I have also categorized myself as combo-oily, but lately have found my skin to be normalizing (not sure what to call it).
I found it got better when I stopped using my gel cleanser (St. Ives Green Tea cleanser) and added more hydrating serums and moisturizers to my skincare routine. My skin loves the new ANR serum. 🙂
Ting says
Hello Sarah! Yeah I don’t understand how it can be oily and flaky at the same time!! I am suspecting the Bliss cleanser with micro exfoliation which I was using everyday. But it is so small and not really that much exfoliation like some masks so I disregarded it. I have stopped using that and switched to a foam cleanser at the moment. Will have to go back to Bliss again and see if that’s the culprit.
I am getting ANR II next as my current night serum is running low. Yay! 😀
Paris B says
It’s dry skin and scraping it off doesn’t help 🙂 Seems like the dry bits are where you need to pay a little more attention to the hydration levels.
Ting says
Hmm… is there such thing as hydration nose mask?? :p
Paris B says
Yes, just put a sleeping pack on it LOL!
Anis says
Oh yes, this is a great topic and one I’m very interested in! 😀
Used to have combination-oily skin, but 2 years back something triggered my eczema (which I had as a kid) and made my skin so bad and allergy prone that my face was red and flaky and itchy (especially around the eye and mouth area) that I’d cry and obsess about it every day. Thank God my skin’s getting better now, because those were though times for me. :\
I do all these steps now! ( took a lot of trial and error and wasted money hahaha) While I used to use skincare for acne-prone skin, now everything’s hydrating/soothing/towards mature skin (I’m 26 haha). I think that blasting my face with chemical-laden products when I was younger didn’t help, so now I’m far kinder and pickier about the things I use.
How about makeup-wise? Anyone here have great tips for applying makeup on dry skin? I know that it’s better to use a sponge or beautyblender rather than a brush because buffing/stroking motions can cause microexfoliation, and water-based foundations are better at covering flaky skin, but that’s about all haha.
Paris B says
Thanks for sharing your story Anis 🙂 I love hearing about how people take care of their skin 😀 As for makeup, I find that for drier skin a liquid or cream foundation is best. Not powder. I use a brush as I use liquid and it gives me better coverage. I don’t think it really affects the skin very much unless you have very sensitive skin. If you have taken care of your skin with skincare, it should be able to withstand your using a brush to apply foundation 🙂
evergreen_heart says
Hey! I just read a blog post written by this doctor, the link is http://cosmedmd.blogspot.com/2013/11/do-you-have-dry-skin-top-five-causes-of.html
I think it’s true that we have too much air-con on, coz we are always in the office, then car, then go home switch on air-con! But I always put on lots of body cream after showering, you must put on before the skin becomes dry.
Paris B says
Thanks for sharing and there’s a lot of truth in that. Body lotions help on the body and often thicker ones work better but for the face there are different ways of handling it.
Michelley says
Hi there!!I have extreamly dehydrated skin (only realised now after using a cleanser for almost 2 years) and the outcome is dry congested acne skin which is hard to treat and oily around mid day. Especially during winter here in Australia.I\’m currently trying out natural remedies but they seem to take a long while in taking effect! How do I bring my skin back to normal? Bearing in mind the acne, oilyness and congestion? I\’m just afraid that the moisturizing products will trigger my acne even more. Please help!!
Paris B says
Hi there, not an expert but I might venture a suggestion that the acne might be a result of the dryness and dehydration of the skin. Consider trying the suggestions in the post and in winter, I’ve had friends tell me that layering on some facial oils help a lot. I find the Clarins Lotus treatment oil helps rebalance my skin, or I also like using a combination of products from Antipodes, which is an organic range if that’s what you prefer. Without knowing the root cause of your acne, you won’t be able to treat it per se, as different people will have different reactions to products or different triggers for acne. The best way will be to see a dermatologist, but if you’d like to DIY then I hope this post will help, although it may take a while before you see effects.