Struggling with your dry and dull skin care routine? Take a look at my skin care routine for dry skin that you can take some pointers from.
My skin is temperamental. It’s also very dry. Sahara Desert type dry. It responds well to a lot of water but could care less for alcohol.
And as someone closing in on my 30s quickly, I have also noticed that my skin has changed dramatically. I don’t have teenaged skin anymore, or even ever-20s skin. I have beautiful, confident, old-enough-to-rent-a-car-independently skin. And it needs more care than ever before.
From larger pores to more acne-prone skin, I have to keep my skin moisturized and plump in order to keep my skin looking young and vibrant, rather than creepy and half-dead. I already have pretty good genetics when it comes to my skin, and all the women in my family stay looking young for their ages, relatively, but that doesn’t mean I can sit around and do nothing to help.
At this point in time, I have my skincare down to a science. My only problem is that, when I get acne, I tend to scratch at the irritation before I realize what it is, and that can create marks and scarring.
So I wanted to share my skincare routine, since I’ve had to carefully grow and change it to keep pace with my aging, changing skin. If you have a routine that works for you, I’m not telling you that you need to change it, but do think about the fact that, over time, it will need to change too. As you get older, your skin is going to crave different things, so this is your reminder to take a look at your own routine and ask yourself if you could be nourishing your skin even better. 🙂
The list is divided into morning and nighttime routines with another heading for special treatments. Also, all of the products I use are considered clean. I try not to use products that they test on animals, and if I find out that product A is better for the environment than product B, I try to use product A wherever I can.
If you’re super knowledgeable about skincare, you might notice that my routine is based on a typical Korean skincare routine. If I could, I would completely change my products to Korean products and call it a day, because the Korean beauty market is spot on when it comes to skincare… or, at least, those methods also work really well on my decidedly not-Korean skin. That said, it’s sometimes hard to find those products and I usually have to settle for what’s readily accessible. (ಥ﹏ಥ)
Table of Adventures
Morning Skincare Routine for Dry Skin
With warmer weather comes more moisture in the air. From humidity to me consciously drinking more water to stay hydrated, my skin doesn’t need as much moisture from outside sources as it does during the winter. You have more moisture in your body… and yet, skin can still become dry and even irritated in warmer weather, because the water we’re drinking also gets used in other areas of the body, and we also release a lot of water when we sweat.
There are products called humectants that hydrate the skin by attracting water molecules. These help with skin turnover and are really important to someone like me, as I have some areas of hyperpigmentation.
During colder months, you will often find there is an outright lack of moisture in the skin. Since the air tends to be drier, it dries out any exposed skin. This is why many people get chapped lips in the winter if they don’t wear lip balm. So during colder weather, moisturizer is especially important.
My skincare varies slightly from season to season, but not drastically enough for me to write three or four separate versions. Just recognize that your skincare needs to be responsive to the weather. After all, your skin is there to protect you from the elements – when those elements change, your skin is going to have to react. So if you woke up and it was super humid, then you got on a plane and went to the desert, where it’s super dry, you would want to react to that.
Enough of all that though, here’s the order:
- Cream Face Wash. Because I have generally dry skin, I don’t want it to completely strip my skin of whatever oils it was able to accumulate during the day. This is a balancing act, because I also don’t want dirt clogging up my pores and setting the stage for acne. My go-to product is Alba Botanica’s Good and Clean Daily Detox Foaming Cleanser. I use this particularly because it is great for sensitive skin, is 100% vegetarian, and gives my skin the cleaning it needs. It’s not abrasive, has a lovely silky texture, and has a light grapefruit-y scent that I love. However, it’s been discontinued and I’m on my last bottle of it, so, I’ll be looking to use a different Alba product in the near future.
- Applying Aloe Vera. I use the juice form (by Lily of the Desert) to immediately add moisture into my skin, but also to help combat any inflammation my skin was seeing during the day. I recently got an Aloe Vera plant so I may actually end up using fresh Aloe Vera gel instead of the juice as the nutrients will be more potent. I’ll let you all know how that goes.
- Toner. I do not use Witch Hazel. I know a lot of people use that, but it’s alcohol-based and too astringent for me. It dries out my skin like an octopus suckering itself to my face. For quite a while I was using Botanics All Bright Cleansing Toner which is hydrating and clears out all of the junk in my pores that gets left behind by my cleanser. I have nothing bad to say about it, it worked great, but I do occasionally like to experiment.
Recently I switched over to Peach Slices Snail Rescue Toner which is 95% snail mucin concentrate. Which sounds gross. Why, pray tell, would I rub snail mucin on my face? It actually helps to fight blemishes while also toning, and it’s a hydrating gel instead of a watery toner. Probably because of the snail mucus. It glides on well with a cotton pad and while it’s not as effective as Botanics with clearing out any leftover gunk, it works for what I need, which is to cleanse without stripping away hydration.
- Serums are my best friend. No matter the weather, I put on two serums from The Ordinary. They both help with hydration and thus increase skin turnover so that my acne scarring can be minimized. I use their Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 alongside their Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%. It has been one of the most integral pieces to my skincare and honestly if The Ordinary discontinued these products I might riot.
- Eye Cream. While I let the serums dry into my skin (to avoid pilling), I use eye cream. Sometimes I skip this step, because I hate getting the cream in my eyes since, no matter what they use, that’s going to burn. So, during the summer, I skip this step quite a bit. Summer sweat makes it even more likely that I’m going to end up with burning eyes. That said, the cream I use, Sweet Chef Turmeric + Vitamin C Booster Eye Cream, is great at brightening dull eyes, so I try to apply it whenever I don’t think the heat is going to make it a problem.
- Moisturizer. Moisturizer is something I do use year-round, but I switch the type I’m using depending on the season. During the summer, I use a lighter moisturizer, and I switch to a thicker version for the winter. Right now (July), I’m using Amie’s Soft + Smooth Nourishing Face Moisturizer. I initially thought it wasn’t as nourishing as it claimed on the bottle, but by simply using two pumps instead of one, I was able to feel the richness. I do experiment a lot with different moisturizers, because they’re such an important part of my routine.
- Slather on some oil. Even if I weren’t to use anything else on this list, I would use an oil. So long as there was water on my face (which is considered a moisturizer, but, ironically, not a very good one), I put oil on top if I’m rushing out for the day. It’s half as effective done that way, but it gets the job done. During the day I use jojoba oil. It’s lightweight, contains vitamin E and is antibacterial, two things my face loves.
- Sunscreen. In the last year, I learned about the power of sunscreen. I try my best not to leave my house without it now. Even if I’m sitting in my house and have no reason to go outside, I put it on. Why? Because the sun is still streaming into my home! The sun doesn’t take a vacation just because I do, and all my windows let those harmful UV rays in. I have taken a shine to Alba Botanica’s Hawaiian Sunscreen Coconut Clear Spray. Not only does it smell pretty well (which dissipates quickly if you’re smell-averse), but it’s also Reef-Friendly.
Night Care for Dry Skin
The changes that come with my nighttime routine are mainly due to the repairing nature that our skin undergoes when we’re asleep. I try to aim for products that help with skin turnover and are going to help my skin recuperate since that’s what my body is going to be trying to do.
- Foaming Cleanser. Since I know I’ll be loading my skin up with moisture overnight, I don’t feel too worried about what cleanser I use. So, a foaming cleanser is what I’ll gravitate towards as it cleanses my skin of dirt and grime accumulated throughout the day. Cetaphil’s Gentle Foaming Cleanser is the only foaming product I’ve ever used, and the only non-clean product on this list. The only reason I haven’t gotten rid of it is mainly due to laziness. ⚆ _ ⚆
- Aloe Vera + Toner. Same as my daytime routine, so, I won’t bore you with repeating the details.
- Serum. I use one serum at night and that’s The Ordinary’s Lactic Acid 10% + HA. I only use it at night as it’s basically a low-grade chemical peel and it instructs you not to use it during the day. The formula stings a little bit, but it goes away quickly. This serum has been integral to my facial scars disappearing, so take that as you will.
- Eye Cream. I tend to use eye cream more at night since I have less of a chance of it getting into my eyes. Plus, it’s great for repairing fine lines and wrinkles that may be trying to set in. Versed’s Zero-G Smoothing Eye Cream is my go-to. It’s rich, creamy, and melts into the skin effortlessly.
- Moisturizer. Because I used a foaming cleanser, which strips more than my cream face wash, I lay it on thick with the moisturizer at night. I’ve used all manner of products from shea butter to vaseline, but as you can imagine, they’re very greasy. I didn’t like waking up to them all over my pillow in the morning. So, after a little research, I found Mario Badescu’s Seaweed Night Cream. This little product is considered lightweight and works for combination, oily, and sensitive skin, but let me tell you something! It works as a rich, thick moisturizer for dry skin. I’m not looking back on this and I highly recommend it.
- Oil. And of course, I layer with some oil to seal everything in. Rosehip Seed Oil is my favorite and has countless benefits that as someone with aging skin needs to keep in mind. My favorite benefit is that it helps brighten dull skin and my skin can sometimes be really lackluster. To wake up with refreshed skin is so nice.
Special Routine
Depending on my mood, I add a few things into my routine. I have outlined them below in no particular order, but I promise to tell you their frequency.
- Face Masks. I use face masks roughly 2-3 times a week. These are clay or jelly masks that are in the pots or squeezed out of pouches. I tend to be pretty bad at using these (forgetful, really) so when I do remember I jump on it. Mostly I use them when I notice my skin is going under duress and it needs help. This gets used after a face wash.
- Sheet Masks. On the other hand, I use sheet masks 1-2 times a week. They’re easy to use and I put it on and forget it. I put these on after I put my serums on and before my eye cream or moisturizer.
- The Ordinary’s AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution. I bought this product recently and have only used it a handful of times. I had been dying to try this product for awhile. It says to use up to twice a week, so, that’s what I’ve been doing. So far, I haven’t noticed anything different (although in the first week of using my skin purged violently and that scared me a little bit). This is used after a fash wash.
- The Ordinary’s Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution. At night when not using the peeling solution or the lactic acid, I used to use the toning solution. I use the lactic acid until it’s done, or on vacation because of it’s small size, and then use the glycolic acid in the interim.
Any of the night products I use has to be washed off the next morning so if I know I’m going to have a difficult time in the morning I don’t use it. Because yes, there are some days where I just don’t wash my face, because I’m late and rushing out the door. I’m only human. When in use, this product is used in replacement of the lactic acid. - Moisturizing eye patches. I mentioned this earlier, but I’m almost 30. Therefore, crow’s feet and things like that will soon try to appear. Yeah, that’s not happening, lol. I use moisturizing under eye patches 3 times a week as a way to karate chop aging skin. These get used during face mask time.
- Exfoliation. I’ll be honest here, I exfoliate whenever I remember. Which ends up being several times a week cause I do it in the shower before washing my face thoroughly.
Conclusion to My Skincare Routine for Dry Skin
Alrighty, so there ya have it. An entire routine for my dry skin listed out for you from start to finish. Of course, there will be different things you’ll have to do for your skin to flourish, but, if you don’t know where to start, knowing what others do can be really helpful.