Dry skincare routine

[richalalit]

I am 21 years old new to skincare. I need suggestions for my dry skin and also it gets flakey. Would need recommendations for toner, serum and any other skincare products.

[livy333w]

Hi, glad to hear you're getting into skincare! There's alot of options for treating dry skin, so I'll try my best to break it down part by part!

Cleansers:

The general rule of thumb is to chose cleansers that are gentle on the skin and not overly stripping, so you don't dry your skin out further. Some good drugstore options are the Simple Micellar Gel Wash or the daily CeraVe cleanser. If you're looking for something a little higher-end, Youth to the People apparently has a really good cleanser as well.

Treatments:

The most commonly used ingredient for dry skin treatments/serums is hyaluronic acid. It's really good for retaining moisture. While my skin is on the drier side, I've never really needed an extra treatment, but  CeraVe, Paula's Choice, the Inkey List, and the Ordinary all have products with hyaluronic acid. These companies are very transparent about their ingredients, and rarely use irritants. I'd recommend scouring the reviews of all their products with hyaluronic acid and choosing one that you think is the best fit.

Keep in mind, hyaluronic acid does increase sensitivity to the sun, so if you don't have a sunscreen as part of your morning skin routine, you definitely need to incorporate one. Also, as when trying any new product, patch-test it on your arm 24 hours before you intend to use the product. If the skin becomes irritated, it's probably best you don't use the product on your face. Lastly, I recommend incorporating this into your skin care routine slowly; depending on your skin, you may want to use it once or twice a day. Just be willing to try different frequencies of how often you apply the product to see what works best for your skin.

If you want another option, a common ingredient found mostly in Korean skin care products for dry skin is snail mucin. I've heard good things about CosRX's Snail Mucin Serum, but I haven't personally used it. Also, it is a little pricier than the products from the brands listed above.

Moisturizers:

Again, I recommend CeraVe moisturizer if you are looking for a drug store option- they are a top-tier skincare brand when compared to most of the other drugstore brands. Personally, I think the Inkey List has some amazing moisturizers, and you can't really go wrong with any of them.

Ingredients to Avoid:

I've only recommended a handful of products that are supposed to help with dry skin. Truly, there are alot of products I didn't mention which are great for treating dry skin. At the end of the day, it is very important to be conscious of and understand the ingredients in your products; some companies include irritating/stripping ingredients which could be irritating or damaging to your skin. I highly recommend you do not use any products with denatured (SD) alcohol or sodium lauryl sulfate, as both of these ingredients can overly-strip any skin type and damage your skin's moisture barrier.

If you want to learn more about the ingredients in skincare products, I highly recommend looking on the company websites of Paula's Choice, the Inkey List, and the Ordinary. These companies pride themselves on educating consumers about skincare, and provide a vast amount of information regarding ingredients, formulation, creating a skincare regimen, and so on. I would start on either Paula's Choice or the Inkey List, they are better for explaining ingredients to beginners. The Ordinary is highly technical, which can be very overwhelming/confusing at times if you are not familiar with skincare ingredients.

I hope this wasn't too long-winded, and I wish you the best on your skincare journey!

Products listed that are available on Sephora:

Youth To The People Superfood Gentle Antioxidant Refillable Cleanser 8 oz / 237 ml

THE ORDINARY - Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5

The INKEY List Hyaluronic Acid (HA) Hydrating Face Serum 1 oz/ 30 mL

The INKEY List Snow Mushroom Hydrating Gel Moisturizer 1 oz/ 30 mL

The INKEY List Bakuchiol Retinol Alternative Moisturizer 1 oz/ 30 mL

The INKEY List Hemp Oil Moisturizer 1 oz/ 30 mL

The INKEY List Vitamin B, C, and E Moisturizer 1.7 oz/ 50 mL