True-Dry Skin explained—again + Q & A

Dry skin, or what I call true-dry (oil-dry) skin, is a condition where your sebaceous (oil) glands are not producing enough oil to lubricate your outer skin. The outer skin is kept moisturized by both water at the surface (and from the air) as well as sebum being excreted from your oil glands. Simply put, true-dry skin does not produce enough oil to keep the outer skin moist.

True-dry skin needs to be artificially lubricated with moisturizing creams, so you want to keep high-quality moisturizers on at all times. True-dry skin needs exfoliation as well since any dead cell buildup will make the skin feel even drier.

True-dry skin can be a frustrating condition, especially if you are not using products that are moisturizing enough. Once your skin stops producing enough oil to keep the surface of your face moisturized, tightness and perhaps even flakiness can be a part of your everyday life.

I’m not a soap lover, but someone with true-dry skin really should avoid soap at all costs. This alkaline product will just make your already dry skin feel drier. Many gel cleansers have a foaming action, and these can also be too drying if you have dry skin. The best cleansers to use are cream washes or milk cleansers. These generally will not strip your skin and shouldn’t leave your face feeling dry after cleansing.

Always use a toner—without alcohol, of course! I recommend finding one with moisturizing ingredients in it, like glycerin. And your moisturizers (day and night creams) should have quality vegetal oils in them that will ensure a good all-day or all-night hydration for your oil-deficient skin.

Note: If you don’t have true-dry skin, none of the above recommendation are for you! Even if your skin feels dry. Dry skin—true-dry—simply doesn’t produce enough oil to lubricate the skin’s surface and therefore needs special products to super-hydrate and moisturize.

I recently purchased some products for dry skin as well as an oil-based serum for hydration. I have been mixing a drop of the serum with the moisturizers and have even tried using the night cream during the day. I have also been exfoliating and using a glycerin-based toner for dry skin. My skin is still very dry and flaky. I have been using Ponds® cream during the day and Vaseline® at night. A dermatologist told me to use the Vaseline, and it worked pretty well, but my pores stayed clogged.

Instead of putting one drop of the serum into your creams, try putting five or so drops on your face before applying your creams. In other words, cleanse, tone, apply five or more drops of serum to your entire face, massage the oil in, and then apply your day or night cream over that. And if you feel like you need it, go ahead and add some of the oil to your moisturizers as well. If you are using a glycerin-based serum or even a vegetable oil-based product, these shouldn’t cause you to become clogged (as long as you have true-dry skin).

Vaseline and anything else that has a high concentration of petroleum will usually clog the pores. These substances have a large molecular structure and aren’t able to penetrate the skin. They remain on the surface as occlusive covers. This not only can clog the pores, but it also inhibits your skin’s natural elimination and absorption action.

If you think you have dry skin because it feels dry but you still have oil-based problems (most notably breakout and/or blackheads), there are numerous articles on this blog detailing dehydrated skin along with many other skin conditions. Without accurate information, you might make mistakes when picking out products for your skin.

For more information, see:

• Using dry skin products on oily skin—STOP THE INSANITY!
• Is Your Skin Truly Dry or Just Thirsty?
• Determining Skin Type