Does Your Skin Feel Dry?

There was a time when summer meant oily skin. You stocked up on blotting paper, wished there was a mattifying sunscreen, and always had a spot treatment handy. These days it’s the opposite. I felt the dryness as soon as the season changed. My skin was parched, rough, and sensitive. And I’m not the only one. A friend told me that she had to visit the dermatologist because her skin was dry and peeling. Another told me that she had taken to smearing malai on her face. But I knew it was a real epidemic when Suchita from Little Black Book asked me to do a post on how to treat a dry complexion, something that she could share on her blog. So here goes:

• Check your products: Do they contain fragrance, parabens, SLS etc? My dryness really began when I was sent a luxurious face cream. I was over to moon to get it – after all it came from an extremely reputed name. And the worst part was that it was meant for extremely dry skin. To make a long story short, my skin was dry, sensitive and red within a couple of days. So dry that when I would lift my brow, my forehead would pucker up. I am lucky to have friends like Dr Kiran Lohia who suggested Exomega cream that calmed and hydrated my complexion immediately.
• Go organic if you can:Try to use skincare without synthetic additives. These days there are many, many organic brands that are absolutely wonderful to use. My favourites are Purearth, Norwegian Beauty, and Emminence Organics.
• Eliminate soap: And foaming face washes. Use a cleansing milk or even vIrvin coconut oil to clean your face. Don’t wash with water, wipe off with a damp towel.
• Reduce chemical exfoliants: If you use retinol and glycolic acid then keep them for a couple of times a week only.
• Moisturise: I mean…duh. Use Exomega or La Roche Posay Cicaplast Baume if organic is not an option. And drink four litres of water everyday.
• Add an oil: I love sea buckthorn and rose oils, which work very well to calm the skin. Try Purearth Illumine Face Elixir or order Decléor Rose D’Orient online. Use a face oil liberally at night, and a drop or two during the day under your sunscreen.
• Wear sunscreen: Sun damage also increases dryness. There’s no point in doing all of the above if you won’t do something this basic.
• If all this fails then you need to visit a dermatologist. You may have dermatitis or eczema.

Lead image: Flickr.