One other subject with scrubs: “It’s onerous to manage the diploma of exfoliation and most of the people find yourself utilizing an excessive amount of or scrubbing with an excessive amount of power,” she provides, all of which might do further harm to your pores and skin barrier (and, once more, make it much less efficient at holding onto water).
As a substitute, do that: The answer isn’t to keep away from exfoliating altogether—you’d be lacking out on some fairly cool advantages like eradicating useless pores and skin cells and unclogging pores. Slightly than reaching for the walnut or sugar scrub, although, Kally Papantoniou, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York Metropolis, recommends chemical exfoliants—particularly, alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) like glycolic acid or lactic acid. In brief, AHAs work by loosening up the bonds (or “glue”) holding useless pores and skin cells collectively, making it simpler to shed them off.5
Simply be sure that to patch take a look at earlier than making use of any acids throughout your face, suggests the Meals and Drug Administration (FDA), with a purpose to keep away from irritation or a possible allergic response. Some merchandise to attempt:
4. You’re eradicating make-up with wipes.
On lazy Sunday evenings (or busy Monday nights), washing your face or double cleaning can really feel like an actual chore. As tempting as it’s to seize a disposable wipe to swiftly take away mascara, basis, and sunscreen, although, this handy behavior could possibly be the explanation your pores and skin feels so dry, in keeping with Dr. Hu.
First, a cleaning material alone isn’t all the time sufficient to do away with make-up or dust, which, if left behind, can clog your pores and result in breakouts.6 Plus, the friction from rubbing something throughout your cheeks, brow, and delicate eye space can harm your pores and skin barrier and yep, dry it out, Dr. Hu says. (To not point out the truth that wipes usually comprise these probably problematic added fragrances we already warned you about.)
As a substitute, do that: Utilizing a delicate face wash with soothing substances (niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, and glycerin are good selections) is essential to avoiding additional dehydration, Dr. Papantoniou says. Ideally, your cleanser of alternative ought to say issues like “light,” “creamy,” or “moisturizing” on the label.
For extra-dry pores and skin varieties, oil-based cleansers often is the solution to go since they sometimes don’t comprise surfactants (harsh chemical compounds usually present in detergents or foaming merchandise). Nonetheless, it’s value noting that oils also can clog your pores. So, particularly when you’re acne-prone, take into account maintaining it easy with a gentle wash—ideally one that claims “noncomedogenic” on the label, Dr. Hu advises.
Lastly, when a cleanser alone isn’t sufficient to take away persistent or waterproof make-up, Dr. Kirkorian suggests massaging your face with Vaseline, a product with just one ingredient (petrolatum), earlier than cleaning. This methodology, she says, is much less aggressive than utilizing wipes. We completely get it if Vaseline is just too greasy for you, although, so one other nice and delicate possibility is micellar water, which accommodates purified water and hydrating micelles (clusters of molecules that bind to grease).7
5. You’re over-cleansing your face.
Wait—earlier than you proceed along with your face wash or micellar water, simply know that there is such a factor as an excessive amount of cleaning in the case of dry and itchy pores and skin. “There’s this false impression that it’s worthwhile to wash your face intensely and regularly to maintain it clear, and doing so too usually also can take away the pores and skin’s pure moisturizing oils,” Dr. Kirkorian says.8