Help I've dried out!

[Jakadaal]

Sounds dramatic but I feel like a dried prune. I feel as if my skin has completely dried out - hands, face, scalp. Ive dried all of the heavy duty hand creams with little effect. I use Clarins blue orchid oil and Plant Gold moisturiser but they still aren't helping.

Does anyone else any recommendations that they have tried? I've tried collagen supplements in the past but wasn't convinced of their effectiveness but happy to try anything at the mo

Fellow prune here 😁
The winter weather doesn't help! I've started using a facial oil, an M&S one, not particularly expensive. To be honest you could just get a wheatgerm oil (Vit E) from Holland and Barratt. Then I use Cerave cream (not the lotion!) The cream is good for fsce/hands/body, saves buying lots of different products.

Thanks Missyb I will look at the Cereve. Yes I think it's the central heating and cold weather

I use super drug vitamin e face cream, they also do a body lotion range. Not very expensive either

I use all the Aveeno products as also suffer with dryness in the winter. Recently bought a small tub of Bio Oil gel for my hands. Would recommend.

Try “slugging”. Use a rich moisturiser then put a thick layer of Vaseline on top. Leave it overnight then wash off and do your regular skincare. Don’t do it every night as it will cause milia. I do it every third night and it works for me. Sometimes I alternate the Vaseline with black Jamaican castor oil.

I recommend biooil gel too!

I second this. Their vitamin c booster has completely changed my face, my skin was so dry and bad texture recently and it's made such a difference. I love their products

I've have a dry skin type and always find cold plus central heating a challenge. The winter I've tackled it with an evening routine of moisture layers rather than one specific cream.

A few products I've liked.

Mary and May Blackberry Cream Essence or Tir Tir Milk Toner - use after cleansing.

Tir Tir Ceramic Milk Ampoule - I use this as a serum layer if my skin feels very dry.

Laniege Sleeping Mask - comes in a few types, I've just finished the Cica one which was great. I apply this just before bed maybe 30 mins after my usual moisturiser.

The only moisturisers that actually work for my face and hands are:

Clinique dramatically different moisturiser (the original yellow lotion, not the gel). Everything else either leaves a flaky film on my face or dries my skin out.

Atrixo hand cream (the one in the green tub) is brilliant. Slap it on at night before you go to sleep, and it’s is brilliant for feet too, could also use on arms/legs but it is quite thick

For bath/shower I use the original Dove cleansing bar (blue/white packaging), then Vaseline intensive care body moisturiser.

Central heating, winter air and being in one’s 50s really aren’t helpful are they?!

I used a sheet mask last night and that definitely plumped things up a little bit… I think next winter I’m going to be more prepared and book a couple of facials to see me through ( I’m not otherwise a facial type of person)

the ordinary rosehip oil everyday and moisturiser all the time.

Thanks everyone I will check out all the recommendations. I've now started with an allergic reaction on my face and scalp
I think I need to go back to basics skincare wise.

I second OvaHere’s suggestion of moisture layers.
A hyalauronic toner, followed by a moisturising serum, followed by a cream and your dryness will be gone.
There’s a brand called Purito which makes an unscented centella product line which is excellent. Be careful and look at the ingredients, they put essential oils in some. The eye cream is a great face moisturiser.
Isntree makes a water sleeping mask which is a great occlusive for your body. I put it on over my notion lotion/cream and it’s great.

I've never heard of of that range but have found a mini set of three of the products. I'm going on holiday in a couple of weeks so will get some to take and try them out

I’d perhaps consider asking your GP for a blood test, you may be deficient in a vitamin. Even gut health can have an impact on our skin and sensitivity.

I've always been dry, but for the 10 years of peri I became a desert. I threw money at it, just decided for a year that this is what I wanted to invest in so that I could be comfortable, and I kept trying products until I found what worked, rather than using up things that didn't suit me. I started by googling for the iconic products with a good history and basically went through them all. I'm left with hydrated skin and hair, but what works for me may not work for you. Good luck!

I was told to take omega 3 supplements as part of the treatment for my severe dry eye issues. My eyes are better and my skin has really improved, much less dry. But this is an everyday long haul thing, it took many months for anything to improve. I still take it daily as for me it’s really working.

I have an autoimmune disease that causes really bad dry shedding skin when it's not controlled

Best things for it are glycerin and urea.

Anything with glycerin high up in the ingredients is brilliant, and it's a cheap ingredient too.
I've also bought glycerin on it's own from the chemist, added a cheap hydralonic acid and put in a spray bottle. Spray all over the body then top over with something like Ameliorate body lotion. I buy on Amazon, if you keep looking out for it, its often £6 for 200ml. It's £18 I think on cult beauty.

For face I really like the eucerin urea moisturiser. It drives the scales away lol.

I also wash with a shower oil for body, soap for bits and pits

My skin isn't at all reactive so I do also use the ordinary aha/bha peel all over my body about once every 2 weeks in winter. DON'T in summer as you will burn.

The best handcream I've found is The Chemistry Brand, extreme hydration concentrate. Expensive but it lasts a long time. It's made my hands look years younger

If I keep all this up I have lovely skin and I'm not literally leaving "dandruff" everywhere. Sorry for the image but just to show how effective it is.

Thanks again all. I have dry eyes and
Dry mouth syndrome. My test for Sjorgens came back negative. I feel as my dryness is progressing. I have bought some Aveeno products - hand cream and moisturiser and also will look into the supplements suggested. I've also upped my water intake. I'm a big fan of oil based products but it's wading through all of the other things that are added to them.

Think I will go back to aqueous cream for general washing. Hopefully I will plump up soon!

Big tubs of white cream like E45, Cetaphil and Cerave.

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream.

I had a boyfriend many years ago who got flaky, cracked hands. He’d pierce vitamin E capsules and rub the oil into his skin.

I completely changed my skincare about a year ago. I got extremely dry patches and an allergic reaction. I used Aveeno skincare for about 6 months (the facial skincare) and it didn’t really help. I did go to a private dermatologist and I can no longer use nail polish which is a small price to pay. They did say to come back if stopping nail polish didn’t help and they would test for other allergies.

I now use Nip and Fab, they do a ceramide serum which is supposed to repair the skin barrier and my skin is so much happier. No flare ups and much clearer. I also use their peptide oil which gives the skin a genuine glow and someone actually complimented me on my skin a few weeks ago!

Jakadaal: Purito is a Korean brand. When I started drying out in perimenopause the chemist brands were not nourishing enough for me, so I looked at Korean stuff.
Two other really nourishing creams are made by Aestura and Illiyoon: an ato barrier cream and a ceramide ato concentrate cream. Aestura is more expensive. You can get 50ml and sample packs of them, too.

My skin was starting to have that leathery dry look and nothing I used seemed to help.

What has helped is starting to use tretinoin alongside some of the Korean products above - that dry leathery texture has gone and I've got the glow!

I use Dermatica along with products from brands like Illiyoon, Skin1004 and Haruharu Wonder. Nothing is overpriced and it's been a revelation to realise that I can make a noticeable difference to my skin without needing any ridiculously priced stuff from eg SpaceNK.

I use Neutrogena hand cream, Nivea in the white pot for my body or Champneys body butter. I use Clinique on my face, with superdefence on top of daily moisturising lotion, Vaseline for my lips (often!).
my daughter has excema and she uses cetraben, so I pinch that too, works wonders.

The Chemistry has been discontinued.