DRY SKIN CARE

If the tissue shows no trace of oil, then you have dry skin. It looks rough and is prone to wrinkles. The skin lacks both sebum and moisture and looks fragile and it chaps easily. This is especially true during the winter months, as the skin feels drier. People with dry skin should not use soap for washing as it removes the natural oil that protects the skin. One should resolve to the use of products that supply moisturizer and emollients. Emollients provides oil that keeps the skin lubricated and traps the moisture and moisturizer increases the water content in the outer layers of the skin thus imparting a soft and a moist look.

DAILY CARE FOR DRY SKIN
In the winter season, the dry skin feels all the more drier. The dry winds absorb all the moisture making the skin taut and dry.

SIGNS OF DRY SKIN

• Flaky patches on the skin that disappear with the application of a rich moisturizing cream.
• The pores are not visible and the skin looks fragile, transparent and fine textured.
• Presence of tiny expression lines around the eyes, which tend to stay and these do not disappear. There may even be crepeyness around the neck and cheeks that tends to flake and chaps easily.

The skin should remain absolutely clean as it breathes in the oxygen. The high moisture content present in the skin decreases as the time passes and also due to the hormonal deficiencies. This results in the ineffectiveness of the moisture gland owing to dry skin.

CLEANSING
The first important step for keeping you skin from drying up is cleansing. It is especially important for those women who use makeup. A cleanser helps in removing the pore-clogging debris without making the skin feel dry and taut. This routine should be followed 2 times daily, in the morning and at bedtime.

LEMON CLEANSER: It acts not only as a natural cleanser but also an a bleach. Its regular use makes the skin look fairer.

CACTUS CLEANSER: It is ideal for rehydrating the skin and has the highest moisture retention capacity.

HOW TO APPLY A CLEANSER: A cleanser should be massaged gently into the skin with a light upward and outward stroke. BE particular about the creases of the nose, under the chin, neck and ear lobes. Make sure that you use moist cotton for applying the cleanser since it does not absorb the moisture from the skin.

TONING
The process of toning follows cleansing. It stimulates the surface circulation and dissolves the dirt. Skin tonic tightens the pores and braces the skin especially under the eyes and on the jaw line.

TONER WITH HONEY AND MINT BASE: This skin tonic solution is ideal for delicate and parched skin.

HOW TO APPLY A TONER: It is always advisable to use a skin tonic solution. Soak some cotton balls in this solution and refrigerate. Now these soaked cotton balls will always be ready to use any time. Before throwing away the soaked cotton ball, roll it onto the neck and face in an upward direction.

NOURISHING THE SKIN
To prevent the dryness of the skin, it is very important to nourish it. Adequate sleep is a must. During the time you are asleep, skin is free from any external disturbances such as sun, wind and dust, as such, skin replaces the dead cells with the new cells. The dermal tissues relax and hence can nourish themselves without any external disturbances.

HOW TO APPLY A NOURISHING CREAM: Nourishing cream should be applied daily at bedtime. It should be applied upwards over the face and from the chin downwards, as it relaxes the taut muscles and accelerate circulation.

Use a nourishing cream with an orange base if you have dry skin.

Use a nourishing cream with Vitamin E if you have a very dry skin.

Areas around the eye need special care as this area lacks the sebaceous glands, which supply oil to the skin. Hence it is a very sensitive area and it can suffer most from dryness and is prone to formation of wrinkles and would line and darken first.

For the special care of the area around the eye, use and almond-lanolin cream from the inner corners of the eyes outwards very gently. The sensitive area around the eyes should not be subjected to cream for 8 hours, so make sure to remove it before going to bed with the help of moist cotton pad since it can led to swollen and puffy eyes.

Lanolin supplies the sensitive area with the much-needed oils while almond helps in lightening the dark circles since it acts as natural bleach.

STAY AWAY FROM SOAP
Use a mild face wash instead of using a soap to wash your face since soap helps in removing the natural oil from the face and a mild face wash helps in retaining the natural oil present in the skin over the face. Even the purifying elements present in the water like chlorine, have a drying effect on the skin. To prevent the harmful effects, one can resort to the use of a pre-bath cream containing some special moisturizers and turmeric; it should be applied on the face before taking a bath.