Help please, my face is sooo dry!

[Jemster]

Hi this is my first time posting here, I'm after some advice please.
When I get up in the morning my face feels so dry. Even after I moisturise it still feels dry and tight and just uncomfortable. I look at the other mum's at school and their skin looks glowing and soft and just well moisturised. Mine is looking dry, flakey and my lines are more obvious. I feel like a prune!!

It's always been on the dry side and I've bought many many moisturisers for dry skin but none seem to make any difference. I really can't waste any more money on things that don't work. It's horrible trying to put make up on as it's all so dry.

Please could you tell me what I'm doing wrong or what I can buy that actually works. I have been put off buying all these things that claim to work and then don't. I wouldn't mind spending a bit if it was definitely going to improve the look of my skin. I feel haggard!
Thanks for any replies x

E45 is the answer.

are you washing/cleansing with water? I was told to stop and thought but have noticed a massive difference since switching to a tissue off cleanser. Also drinking lots of water and eating sufficient fats

Aveeno moisturiser works wonders on mine and DD's skin.

I have got on well with the sensitive skin serum from Clarins which i bought last winter in desperation. I put it on last thing at night before my moisturiser. It is expensive, but I am still on the same little bottle so it has lasted me a year.

Eucerin 5% urea cream works for me. It really does control flakiness.

I have to avoid cleaning my face too much - scrubs and toners really dry it out. Nothing soap-based, and many make-up remover wipes are too harsh too.

Do you have atopic skin?

E45 cream at night and E45 lotion during the day.

Waht type of shampoo are yiu using?
Recently after changing the make my skin literally started geting so dry I felt it was painfull to grimace

cetophil moisturizer and face wash is really good.

Oil, oil oil! I started oil cleansing - basically you just massage oil in to your face and then wipe off the excess with a hot flannel. I no longer even need to moisturise and my skin is soft and glowy. Saves a fortune on skin care as well.

Yes i do tend to wash with water in the shower in the morning and with a face wash at night. The face wash is for dry skin but doesn't work for me. I like the feel of cleansing creams but I think I just don't feel clean unless I've used water. Maybe this is where I'm going wrong. I wash my hands a lot too, having an 8 month old, and they are very dry too and sometimes get sore so maybe its the water causing it.

I do like clarins make up but have never got their moisturiser as it's just too expensive, I'm afraid to waste my money.
I got a clarins cleanser and toner set for christmas. Should I try both or will the toner be too drying?

DonaAna I'm not sure what atopic skin is?

Try putting sudacream on it at bedtime. Rub it in as much as you can until you look like Casper.

Drink gallons of water. Avoid very hit water on your face. Try to keep shampoo off your face. Cleanse with a gentle cleansing lotion, or a soap free face wash. Tone with something alcohol free or not at all. Moisturise with something very simple. My skin is like yours sounds, though I also get spots . I wash with freederm sensitive wash, tone with boots own traditional rose water and glycerine and moisturise with Boots evening primrose moisturiser which is very light and not greasy, but effective. If I'm having a very dry day I use diprobase.

Try going to the Clarins counter and ask if they have any free samples. They can keep you going for ages- you have to pretend to be seriously interested even if you have little intention of purchasing.

Argan oil?

I use it as a moisturiser at night, also on hands and a little bit as hair conditioner.

Amazon sells it for about £10, can't remember the exact brand but there are probably others.

oh, if you've got the right cleanser/toner for your skin it should be fine. If it doesn't, go and ask their advice, they don't tend to like unhappy customers.

Bio Oil will sort you out. Tiny drop is all you need so small bottle will last forever

I use a cream cleanser and remove it with cold water and a muslin cloth at night. Warm water feels very drying on my skin. Then I use L'Occitaine Shea face cream, very rich but really does the job. I use an in shower cleanser every other day but any more often makes my skin feel tight.

Atopy is a very common structural defect in skin that makes it dry out easily (the protective layer of skin is not as tight as it should). It's often associated with allergies, particularly hay fever and asthma. Atopic people (about 20% of us) often get itchy eczema that can be scaly - joint areas (flexor side) is a common place. The rashes usually starts in your early childhood. Atopic skin needs moisturizers (a good idea to pick those without fragrances and other additives - a short ingredient list is better than a long one) but is chronic and may need cortisone based creams too. If this sounds like you, see a GP or a dermatologist.

I can get my face get wet only once a day during winter, or it will really tighten up. Quite a few makeup products accentuate the dryness of my skin - powder is horrific, and many longwearing foundations really tighten it up too.

Thanks for your replies. Viewofthehills do you use a clarins moisturiser as well as their serum?

I do use a moisturiser as well. At the moment it's what I was given for my birthday, not Clarins. A lot of face creams irritate me and before I got the Serum I had had a facial which made my skin itchy and tight for a good three months. The serum totally resolved that for me in the first few days.
If I was choosing a moisturiser at the moment the Hydraquench one seemed really good in a sample. I have also used their 'sensitive' moisturiser before and that was really soothing.

Oliatum face cream has saved my dry skin. I suffer in a similar way to you. Face so dry and tight, I can feel it stretching when I smile.

Clarins hydraquench rich cream. Fab. Get them to give you a tester thing

So many different opinions on how to fix dry skin, really interesting.

Mine for the mix: use Shu Uemura cleansing oil, it's a bit like the oil cleansing method but you rinse it off with water so good if you prefer a water cleansing routine. Use Nivea blue pot basic moisturiser overnight, really thick but doesn't clog up skin. Cetaphil is brilliant simple moisturiser for daytime, works under makeup despite being v thick and rich. But I'd have a couple of weeks makeup-free while you detox your skin.

Djembe yes that sounds like a good idea to go make up free for a bit. I don't wear much make up but I have been wearing a clinique foundation lately which I think is too drying for me so not exactly helping. Perhaps I should try a tinted moisturiser instead, although I do need a bit of coverage at the moment to hide the pasty, shattered look i have from regular night wakings! I'm guessing powder is a definite no no with dry skin?

I get very dry flaky patches and, as well as using a gentle cream cleanser, was advised to exfoliate regularly using a very gentle exfoliator. I use Dermalogica daily microfoliant, which has lasted for a year. Or try an enzyme exfoliant which won't scrub at your skin. I follow that with Mary Cohr enriched moisturiser.

I also get eczema ony hands so use an e45 cream handwash and lashings of cetraben lotion, and an emulsifying ointment at night.