Has your dry skin been getting you down?

Dryness can be difficult to deal with, especially in the winter months. However, if your dry skin just doesn’t seem to be improving, then this could be a sign that you’re going wrong somewhere when it comes to your daily skincare routine.

To give your skin the hydration and protection it needs, here is a complete and easy-to-follow daily skincare routine for dry skin.

Start with a Gentle Cleanser

You probably already know that cleansing should always be the very first step to any skincare routine, but you need to be careful when cleansing dry skin.

Why?

Because, if your skin is dry, then this means that your skin’s natural protective barrier, which sits on the outermost layer of your skin, has been damaged in some way. One of the main functions of this barrier is to prevent moisture from evaporating out of the skin, therefore keeping your skin hydrated. So, if your skin is quite dry, then this means that your skin’s barrier isn’t working in the way that it should.

What does this have to do with cleansers?

Well, many cleansers are formulated with harsh ingredients. While these are effective at clearing away dirt and other impurities, they also end up removing even more of your skin’s protective barrier, leaving your skin drier than ever.

How do you know which cleansers would have a drying effect on your skin?

Some ingredients to avoid include:

• Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate
• Parabens
• Synthetic fragrances
• Isopropyl alcohol, alcohol denat and ethanol

The type of cleanser you opt for makes a difference too…

Foaming cleansers that form a rich lather tend to be quite drying, since the ingredients used to make the cleanser create that foam strip away the skin’s natural oils. Look for a milky or creamy cleanser instead, as this is far more likely to be gentler on your skin.

Rebalance with a Toner

Toners can be another problem product for those with dry skin because, again, these are often formulated with harsh, oil-stripping ingredients. As a way to avoid this extra irritation, many people with dry skin end up skipping the toner stage altogether, meaning that they also lose out on all of the many benefits that a toner provides.

So long as you’re using the right toner for your skin type, a toner can truly be a huge game-changer.

How?

Well, no matter how gentle the cleanser is that you use, pretty much all cleansing agents out there will end up disrupting your skin’s natural pH level. This can then exacerbate the dryness you are experiencing, while also causing inflammation and irritation.

Toners are designed to re-balance the skin’s pH level, taking it back to its optimum state. However, in order to save your skin from the drying effects that many toners have, you need to look for one that contains soothing and hydrating ingredients.

The OROGOLD 24K Purifying Toner is a good example – it is formulated with cucumber extract, aloe vera leaf juice, organic chamomile extract and other nourishing ingredients, preventing any dryness from setting in after use.

Nourish with a Serum

Serums are quite a revolutionary product – their unique, lightweight consistency enables them to be formulated with potent active ingredients that can then be delivered deep into the skin’s layers, sending them directly to the cells that need them the most.

This means that, if you have dry skin, you should be using a serum that contains ingredients capable of repairing your skin’s protective outer layer, while also providing a boost of moisture. This way, not only will your skin feel immediately hydrated, but an improved skin barrier will enable your skin to retain all of that extra moisture for longer.

Of course, with so many different serums available, knowing which one to pick can be tough.

For dry skin, a serum that contains a wide range of antioxidant-rich botanical oils is ideal. These oils will form their own protective barrier on your skin, giving your natural one some time to heal and regenerate.

Take a look at the OROGOLD 24K Nano Ultra Silk Serum, for example. The oils that you will find in this formula include:

• Sesame seed oil
• Wheat germ oil
• Sunflower seed oil
• Sweet almond oil

In addition to protective oils, this serum also contains several ingredients that provide instant hydration, including seaweed extract and kelp extract, giving you the best of both worlds.

Don’t forget, it’s more than okay to use multiple serums on your skin, so long as your skin is able to tolerate this. Using a couple of different serums is a good way to nourish your skin with a few extra beneficial ingredients – just make sure to apply the serum with the lightest and thinnest texture first.

Protect with an Eye Cream

The skin on your face is already pretty delicate, but the skin on your eyes is even more so, mostly due to the fact that the skin in this area is ten times thinner than the skin on the rest of your face. Your eye area is also pretty much constantly moving – just the act of blinking results in at least 10,000 movements each day!

In your early years, this isn’t too much of a problem. The proteins in your skin, namely collagen and elastin, help your skin to bounce back into perfect shape after each movement, leaving no trace behind.

However, as you age, collagen and elastin levels decline, meaning that all of those repeated movements, plus the thinner skin in the area, result in fine lines and wrinkles forming around the eyes.

This is a problem for just about everyone, no matter their skin type. However, those with dry skin are likely to notice that their fine lines and wrinkles tend to be more pronounced than those with other skin types.

This means that you will need to take extra precautions when it comes to nourishing and protecting the delicate skin around your eyes.

A quality eye cream is a must, but this shouldn’t only hydrate – it should also be providing your skin with the ingredients it needs to build more collagen and elastin, as this is the only way to prevent wrinkles in the long run.

Again, just like with all of the other products you use on dry skin, you need to make sure that the eye cream you pick is gentle and soothing. If you need to invest in a new eye cream, the OROGOLD 24K Intensive Eye Formula Cream is a great one to consider. Some of its standout ingredients include:

• Peptides – these are protein fragments that your skin can then use to build more collagen and elastin fibers
• Retinyl Palmitate – a gentle form of vitamin A that is fantastic at increasing collagen and elastin production in the skin, while having an overall brightening effect too
• Green Tea Extract – packed with antioxidants that protect the skin from damage, along with numerous anti-aging compounds
• Caffeine – great for dealing with inflammation and puffiness

There are many other botanical extracts formulated into that eye cream, making it a very powerful anti-ager.

Soften with a Moisturizer

A moisturizer is a must for those with dry skin. This isn’t a product that you should be saving for once-a-day use either – feel free to slather on some moisturizer whenever your skin is feeling parched.

A moisturizer plays a few different roles when it comes to skincare:

• They contain humectant ingredients that draw moisture to skin cells to keep them hydrated
• They contain emollient ingredients that basically fill in all of those cracks and gaps in the surface of your skin, giving you a smoother and more even finish
• They contain occlusive ingredients that form a protective layer over the skin’s surface, to prevent moisture from evaporating

Not all moisturizers contain all three ingredient groups, but, if you are dealing with dry skin, then all of those three groups are exactly what you should be looking for in a moisturizer. Since some ingredients, such as plant oils, work as both emollients and occlusives, this isn’t as hard as it may initially seem.

Still, if you need a little help finding the perfect moisturizer for dry skin, the OROGOLD Ultra Day Moisturizer is a great place to start. It contains all three of the ingredient groups mentioned above, as well as peptides for an extra boost. It has also been formulated with some extremely hydrating oils, such as hemp seed oil and avocado oil, both of which are transformational when used on dry skin.

For night use, check out the OROGOLD 24K Overnight Cream. In addition to a huge selection of botanical extracts, this formula also contains several ingredients that will help your skin to regenerate and heal while you sleep.

Seal with a Facial Oil

Many people tend to be wary of facial oils. After all, nobody wants their skin to look or feel greasy!

However, for those with dry skin, a facial oil can make such a huge difference to your complexion.

How?

Well, oils are lipophilic, which means that they are able to penetrate deep into the skin’s layers, trapping in moisture as it goes. They work in the same way as the occlusive ingredients in your moisturizer do, but with much more intensity.

Try to look for an oil that also contains plenty of antioxidants, as your skin can never really have too many of these!

If you would prefer to go with something completely natural, rosehip oil is always a good choice for those with dry skin. The oil comes from the seeds that roses produce, and is packed with nourishing fatty acids that will help to rebuild your skin’s protective layer. It also contains numerous anti-aging vitamins, brightening compounds and anti-inflammatory properties – what’s not to love?

Don’t Forget to Change Things Up Once a Week

The above skincare routine is perfect for providing your skin with all it needs on a daily basis. However, each week, your skin could do with some extra TLC…

Exfoliation is essential for keeping your skin looking and feeling healthy. Many exfoliate multiple times a week, but, when it comes to dry skin, once or twice is usually enough. Look for a gentle exfoliator, ideally a chemical formula, rather than a physical.

Why?

Because, while you may think that physical exfoliants are gentler, the abrasive substances that they contain can sometimes cause micro-tears in dry skin, further damaging your skin’s protective barrier. On the other hand, chemical exfoliants tend to be much gentler, especially if you opt for something like lactic acid.

A weekly face mask is also a great way to provide your skin with an extra hit of nutrients. For some blissful indulgence, give the OROGOLD 24K Nano Hydra Silk Mask a try. This mask begins as a cream, but then, as you massage it into your skin, it transforms into antioxidant-rich water droplets, that your skin can then absorb, meaning that you don’t need to wash the mask off.

You should always use your face mask after cleansing and exfoliating for best results, as this means that your pores are clear for the active ingredients in the mask to work their way deep into your skin.

Skincare routines can sometimes seem a little confusing, especially if you are not quite sure about exactly what your skin does and does not need. Dry skin in particular can be challenging to deal with, even more so for those who also have some sensitivities thrown into the mix too. Well, worry no more, because this skincare routine will ensure that your dry skin is beautifully taken care of, leaving you with a complexion that you can be genuinely proud of.