Moisturiser- what am I doing wrong?

[Stressedgiraffe]

What am i doing wrong?
I've tried everything. Nivea ,clarins , drunk elephant, clinique ....etc
I put on moisturiser every morning and evening. No matter what I'm still scaly and flaky where am I going wrong?
All I want is smooth shiny skin!
Help

Have you used the thick Nivea in the blue pot or the one in the white pot/tube? I have really dry skin and usually use No 7 or Charlotte Tilbury moisturiser but when my skin gets really dry, I smother it in the blue pot of Nivea for a few days which really helps.

What else do you do bar moisturise? I think you need to exfoliate a couple of times a week as well. That will help. Do you tone, use serum etc?

Do you get scaly and flakey when you don't use any moisturizer? I wonder if you have an allergy to something in moisturizer. Maybe it's time to see a dermatologist if you can afford to.

I agree with soupweather that you should exfoliate. Don't go overboard. Maybe try a bit of glycolic acid toner (there are pads available from Nip and Fab). But keep a very close eye on it in case your problem is about sensitive skin and it exacerbates the problem.

Good luck.

Agree that it sounds like your skin needs prepping.

Acid toners have replaced those dreadful gritty things we used to tear our skin off with and are really quite gentle in comparison despite the name!

After cleansing with a hot cloth (which in itself exfoliates) try maybe an acid toner a couple of times a week. A gentle introductory one would be something like Sali Hughes Placid which has a combination of gentle acids. (Otherwise glycolic for ageing/mature/dry or salicylic for oily but both of these depending on % can be quite harsh)

It could be that the ones you've used are silicon heavy (ingredients ending in -cone) and your skin is pilling rather than flaking?

I like La Roche Posay Toleriane, La Roche Posay Cicaplast baume (when my skin is dry and ouchy)

I also use Nivea blue pot or Astral when my skin gets very dry. Weleda Skin Food is also good.

You need to cleanse and tone before you apply moisturiser.

Also, the moisturiser must be for your skin type. Some are designed for oily skin, some for very dry and some for normal/combination. Your skin might appear to be flaky, but you could have combination skin underneath it.

My advice would be to try the Clinique 3 step Skincare regime. Their products are not scented and could help you a lot. Can you get to a store that carries Clinique products?
https://www.boots.com/clinique/clinique-skincare/clinique-3-step-skincare?paging.index=0&paging.size=18&sortBy=mostRelevant&criteria.category=Clinique---Skincare---3-Step+Skincare

I've included the link to the Boots site that shows what I'm talking about.

I don't work for Boots or Clinique but this is a very good starting point in looking after your skin.

Exfoliating. Some retinol a couple of times a week. Hyaluronic acid daily. Overnight facial oil or Nivea blue pot overnight. A decent cleansing routine. I double cleanse too.

Agree with others, you need to exfoliate so that you aren’t just moisturising a top layer of dead skin.

I agree to start using exfoliator. Keep the rest of the routine simple but a decent moisturiser. I use apricot face scrub in the shower every other day and day cream before make up. Then facial oil at night. I am oldish but do have good skin. I use micellar water or dove soap on face.

I love REN. Jelly cleanser, aha toner, the daily moisturiser. I have dry skin and this works really well.

oh! And the Votary serum is incredible- very expensive but lasts ages as you just use a wee bit

I would use CeraVe hydrating wash with a washcloth and then moisture.

@MintTrackies which daily moisturiser do you like? Is it the global one in the green bottle? I love the AHA toner so might branch out to the moisturiser!

@PhyllisBiscuits it is the global one 😊

Agreed.
There's a reason it's taking over the world!

Have you considered that you didn't drink enough water?

You need some sort of exfoliation. Moisturiser can’t work if it’s sitting on dead skin.