Dehydrated Skin

[Savoretti]

I am over 50 and my skin is so dry everywhere.
Am trying to drink more water as well but what is the best skincare for my face please? Moisturisers are never moisturising enough for me. Confused with retinol vs hyaluronic
acid etc

Most important question- how do you currently clean / cleanse your face?

Good call on drinking lots of water. I find that eating nuts and avocados do my skin a lot of good as well

Coconut oil is brilliant for lots of things, i use it for hair, body moisturising, cooking and even as a lube. I get the organic one from Aldi, costs under £2 for a jar.

If you’re dehydrated you need to repair your skin barrier, which when compromised allows moisture to escape very quickly. Sadly drinking water doesn’t actually help a lot!

Use a very gentle, non-foaming cleanser. A balm, oil or gel will be good for you. I have dehydrated skin and I currently use Plantastic (Beauty Pie) Apricot cleansing butter, and then SBC collagen gel for the second cleanse.

Then an acid toner to remove dead skin cells. Paula’s Choice BHA or Pixi Glow tonic are my favourites.

Then a serum with hyaluronic acid in - this draws water to your skin so use it under a moisturiser. The Ordinary do a good one and it’s cheap! Some people don’t get on with the texture, but it doesn’t bother me.

Then a good, hydrating moisturiser is the day. At night use a face oil. I have Zelens Z-22 oil but it’s pricey. The Ordinary again do a good range of face oils at a good price point if you want to try to see what works for you.

Retinol is Vitamin A and is for anti-aging. Hyaluronic acid is to draw water into the skin. Hope that helps!

OP, I’d be wary of slathering coconut oil all over your face if it’s dry (or possibly your skin is dehydrated?) - it can make it 10 times worse. There are lots of skincare bloggers you can have a look at for routine suggestions. Personally, I would try and work out what skin type you have (lots of things you can read online to see what type of skin you have) and take it from there.

Actually i was referring to body skin, not advocating "slathering all over your face"

I use Kiehls Midnight Recovery oil on my face at night its very good

I like Clarins facial oils. They are gorgeous to use and I find they make a big difference to the comfort and appearance of my skin. I tend to get the one for dehydrated skin, but there’s a dry skin one too.