Dry skin has a hard time in winter! How to take care of our fragile epidermis? What care, what ingredients to favor? Which beauty trends to adopt (or avoid)? We give you the keys to display a radiant and healthy complexion.
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“Dry skin produces less oil and lacks the lipids needed to retain moisture and maintain a strong skin barrier that helps protect against external aggressors,” says Shannon Hoover, Sales and Education Coordinator at Clinic Canada. How do we know if this is our case? The expert advises washing your face with a gentle cleanser, then observing the appearance of your skin and the feeling left by this treatment after 30 minutes. If we feel tightness or some discomfort, if our epidermis is rough or scaly, these are the typical signs of dry skin. "It can also look dull or lack luster because of the layer of dead cells on its surface that prevents light from reflecting evenly on it," she adds.
Among the main causes of this dry skin – which affects the face as much as the rest of the body –, we can point to heredity (thank you, mom and dad!), hormonal changes, poor lifestyle , too tight clothes that tend to rub, too frequent showers and baths and too abrasive scrubs that attack the natural lipid film of our epidermis. The bad news? The problem tends to get worse in winter, due to the freezing outside temperatures and the dry heat of the heating, which absorbs the moisture present in our skin!
It is important to differentiate between the two, in order to find a routine that suits our needs. “Dry skin and dehydrated epidermis show similar symptoms, such as tightness and flaking. What sets them apart is the root cause of these signs,” says Regine Berthelot, Principal Esthetician and Global Head of Spa Training for Caudalie. In summary, dehydration – which affects all skin types, even oily skin – indicates a lack of water in the epidermis (this is notably a sign that we are not drinking enough), while dry skin is caused by a lack of natural oil and inadequate sebum production. To remedy this skin dryness, we adopt nourishing and moisturizing treatments, such as rich creams and oils specially formulated for this type of epidermis.
A beauty trend that has social media going crazy? Slugging, which comes straight from South Korea and has been widely promoted by TikTok to pamper dry skin in the blink of an eye. Simple to copy, this technique consists of spreading a generous layer of petroleum jelly (also called petrolatum, the only ingredient that makes up Vaseline) on our face before going to bed. During the night, this thickness acts as a barrier to prevent the loss of hydration of the epidermis which, upon waking, regains its softness, suppleness and radiance. Isn't that wonderful? Yes and no, because even if petroleum jelly – commonly used in beauty products – is non-comedogenic, its occlusive action at the same time traps bacteria on the surface of the skin, as well as dead cells and impurities if our face has not been perfectly cleansed beforehand, which can cause the appearance of pimples and blackheads. “It is a petrochemical product that suffocates the epidermis, specifies Regine Berthelot. Instead, we want to feed it with healthy ingredients, such as natural oils.” In short, the fastest solutions to overcome our dry skin are not necessarily the best!
On the celebrity side, the shower seems to have had a bad press lately. By her own admission, Mila Kunis does not wash every day, just like Jake Gyllenhaal, who revealed to the American edition of Vanity Fair magazine that this deprivation was "very useful for the maintenance of the skin, since we cleanse naturally”. So, should we avoid the bathroom on a daily basis to protect our skin? On the one hand, water that is too hard, too frequent exfoliation or unsuitable care actually promote skin dryness. On the other, we want to eliminate dead cells and impurities accumulated during the day, because they damage our already dull complexion.
Rather than banning the shower (which is, after all, a privileged moment of relaxation), Lauren Ireland, co-founder of the Summer Fridays brand, advises avoiding hot water – which tends to irritate the skin and to make it even drier – and to use a gentle face and body cleanser, one that doesn't dry out the skin. “And, above all, we moisturize it directly when you get out of the bath,” emphasizes the expert, who recommends applying our lotions and balms when it is still a little damp, which facilitates their absorption.
Applying our skincare products to damp skin is also the principle behind the so-called moisture sandwich trend. Inspired by a South Korean technique, the method consists of wetting the skin of our face using a lotion, a mist or simply tap water, then applying a light cream or serum directly to the damp epidermis. which will be more easily absorbed. Finally, we put on a richer cream or an oil that will seal in hydration. "Applying products in order, from lightest to thickest texture, has always been a good rule to follow," says Shannon Hoover. That said, the most important thing is to find treatments adapted to our skin type.
This is not the Silicon Valley trend of swallowing small amounts of psychedelics to enjoy their side effects in small doses. In the world of beauty, microdosing consists rather of turning to treatments containing a low percentage of active ingredients – between 0.1 and 0.3% –, in order to be able to use them without risk on a daily basis and, above all , to avoid skin reactions, such as dryness, redness, scaling, itching and the appearance of pimples. By preferring a less concentrated dose of products that tend to be irritating (such as retinol, vitamin C, glycolic acid or salicylic acid), the skin – even sensitive – will be able to tolerate them better. As Shannon Hoover says, “we must avoid overusing a product or abusing a treatment that could potentially worsen our skin problems”.
“Hyaluronic acid is dry skin’s best friend,” says Shannon Hoover. It attracts water from the environment and binds it to the skin, helping it stay hydrated and plump for long periods of time.” If this active ingredient has found a place of choice in our beauty kit. It now shares the limelight with another key component: ceramides, those fatty acids that are now gaining popularity for protecting and repairing dry skin! “Scientists say they make up about 50% of the outer layer of our epidermis and have great potential to help retain moisture,” reveals Lauren Ireland.
Present naturally in the skin, these fatty acids ensure long-term hydration while strengthening the skin barrier against external aggressions, such as pollution. However, dry air, too hot water or even the cold of winter undermine our natural reserves of ceramides, which can be the cause of skin dryness, redness and irritation. Fortunately, it is enough to incorporate into our beauty routine treatments rich in ceramides, which will fill our lack just as we already do with hyaluronic acid. It's easy as anything!
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