Does your skin lose moisture through out the day? Do you start the day with moisturized plump skin but then your skin becomes dry in the middle of the day? Does your skin feel dry after moisturizing? No matter how much moisturizer you use, your skin feels dry and tight. It sounds like you are not retaining your skin moisture. All of the moisturize you have just added to your skin by using your expensive serums and moisturizers are being evaporated into the environment leaving your skin feeling dry and flaky.
Transepidermal water loss (TEWL) — is the amount of water that evaporates from the skin and into the environment.
If you want to have moisturized skin, then you have to reduce the amount of water being lost from your skin. Your skin is literally losing water with every passing second.
Your skin barrier is your skin’s protective layer. The skin barrier is the protective layer between your skin and the environment. The skin barrier protects that water from leaving your skin. But if you have a broken or weak skin barrier then no matter how much you moisturize, you will always end up with dry skin quickly.
Here are 8 reasons why your skin is so dry even after moisturizing:
Your skin barrier is broken
Your skin barrier protects the water from leaving your skin. But if you have a broken or weak skin barrier then no matter how much you moisturize, you will always end up with dry skin quickly. Like I talked about with TEWL, if your skin barrier is broken, then no matter how much you moisturize or use other fancy products, your skin will still be dry. All the moisture you just aded in will get evaporated into the environment because of the lack of a strong barrier between the harsh world and your skin.
Before you try the next step (exfoliation) it is important to make sure your skin barrier is intact. Please bear in mind that if your skin barrier is broken then exfoliation will make your skin problems worse. So, please make sure your skin barrier is not broken before moving on. If your skin barrier is broken, use products targeted towards that like CocoKind skin barrier relief serum.
You are using the wrong skincare products for your environment
If you live in a cold dry place, it is important to use a heavy moisturizer that will stop the water in your skin from being evaporated. If you live in a humid place, it’s important to use moisturizers that contain a lot of humectants.
Humectants are ingredients that will let your skin absorb the moisturize from the air. It is a great ingredient to look for if you live in an area where it tends to get humid a lot because humid environments contain a lot of water and moisture in air. However, if you use a moisturizer that is rich in humectants in a cold and dry environment, it’ll have an adverse effect. In fact, it will dry out your skin even more because the humectants have no moisture in the environment to pull from.
This is why is very important to figure out what type of environment you are living in and then buying products that suit that environment. And it is also why it is also important to switch out your products in the summer and the winter. Products that worked in the summer may not work in the winter due the change in the air. This is why many people complain saying that their skin is so dry in the winter. Using, skincare products that are made for your living environment is crucial to keep your skin moisturized.
Not Slugging or using a oil
If your skin barrier is weak or even broken, then all the moisture you just added in with your expensive serums and moisturizers are being evaporate instantly. Your skin just can’t retain moisture. In order to stop your skin’s moisturize to escape, you can try slugging or using a face oil. Both of these methods make a seal between your skin and the harsh world. Both of these methods can’t actually be absorbed into your skin. Instead, they are a protective layer that stop your moisture from leaving.
You’re in need of a Skincare reset
Now if you are already exfoliating and using all the ingredients above. Then, maybe it’s time to cut back to the basics. It could be a new product or a new diet that is causing the issue. In order to figure out that root cause, its best to cut back on all skincare then slowly add in one new product at a time to figure out which one is causing the issue. I would stick to only cleansing and moisturizing with a gentle moisturizer for a week. Then, slowly add in one product at a time into your routine per week. Use one new product per week and see if that product caused any issues. If the new product didn’t cause any issues then you are good to start adding in the next skincare product.
Not Exfoliating
It sounds counterproductive but this could be a cause. Your skin can’t absorb hydrating ingredients if there is a layer of dead skin and dirt on top. If your skin is always dull and no matter how much you moisture and you still aren’t achieving that glass skin look. Then, its probably because you need to exfoliate. Lactic Acid and Glycolic Acid are prefect for dry skin. They are both AHAs and will exfoliate your skin but they also contain humectants which draw moisture back into your skin
Exfoliating too much
Sadly the opposite will cause dry skin. Exfoliating too often will strip the skin of its natural oils and irritate the skin. It will even damage the skin barrier which we now know that the skin barrier is the key to having moisturized and plump skin. Always start with a gentle exfoliating acid like lactic acid and start slowly. Incorporate exfoliation once a week at night and don’t use other potentially irritating ingredients like retinol. Then, you can increase the exfoliating as needed. I prefer to only exfoliate once a week though mostly because my skin simply doesn’t need it. If you can get away with only exfoliating once a week, I would suggest it!
Your skincare products have bad ingredients
Sometimes our skincare products are filled with bad ingredients like fragrance or specific ingredients that our skin just doesn’t like. All of these dry skin issues could be caused by a new product our skin doesn’t like. This is why I always like to add in only one new skin care product at a time. Then, I monitor my skin for at least a week to make sure my skin is still in good condition. If your skin is so dry even after trying everything, then maybe it’s time to take a look at your current products and make sure none of them hold any drying ingredients like fragrance or alcohol.
Not drinking enough water
Sadly at the end of the day, most skincare problems start from the inside. As we age, our skin needs more moisture and help from us. It is important to drink enough water and eat a healthy diet that is filled with collagen. A real glow up starts from within.
