There’s a common misconception that dry skin is easy to treat – slap on a bit of moisturiser and your skin will be fine, right? Well, actually, dry skin can be a lot more complicated than that, with sensitivity and even conditions such as rosacea going hand in hand. Sufferers of dry skin will know that finding the right products and maintaining the status quo can take a lot of care and consideration, so we thought we’d compile a few tips to help you to keep your dry, sensitive skin happy:
Use Your Intuition
When you’ve dealt with dry and sensitive skin for some time, you get to a point where you can generally tell what will work for your skin and what won’t. You might be tempted by products which contain potent ingredients or have a super strong fragrance, but these are often way too reactive on sensitive skin types. You’ll usually find that products from dry skin or rosacea contain ingredients like aloe vera, rose oil, camomile or licorice root, so if you want to try a new product you’re probably okay if they contain one of these, like Dermalogica Redness Relief Essence.
Test Everything First
Before you invest in a new product, it’s wise to get yourself a sample size version and do a patch test first. We know how demoralising it can be if you invest a lot of money in a product and finding that your skin reacts badly to it, so samples are he best way around this. Use a small amount of the product on a patch of skin (just below your ear is usually a good place) and leave it for 24 hours to see if you have a reaction, before using it on your whole face.
Don’t be Stubborn
When you’ve spent a lot of money on a product you want to use, finding out that it doesn’t react well with your skin can feel like a real kick in the teeth. However, don’t submit to the urge to be stubborn and keep using it regardless. With MOST skincare products, a couple of uses is enough to see if it’s going to react badly with your skin and it’s almost unheard of for your skin to ‘get used to’ something. Admit defeat and move on, rather than making your skin suffer.
Use Complimentary Products
We know that there are thousands, if not millions, of different products out there for sensitive and dry skin condition and while each of them may be good in their own way, they might not always play nicely together. If you opt for a product from a particular skincare system, such as Dermalogica’s UltraCalming range, you’ll usually find that other products from the same range will also work for your skin, as the range is designed to compliment each other.