The Best Weapons For The Battle Against Super Dry Skin
It’s been well established that I’m very into moisturizers. The more heavy-duty, the better. I have spent literal decades cultivating a collection of the best of the best, and these are my top picks.
The Basics
Is your skin peeling? Dealing with itchy flakes? Having trouble applying makeup? On Accutane? These are the basic, best solutions I’ve found.
First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream: The name really says it all. This is a basic, unscented, medium weight moisturizer. This is one of the cornerstones of the First Aid Beauty brand, and because of that you can often get one of these tubes as a part of a gift set, or as a Sephora reward, or a Black Friday deal. I always have at least one of these small tubes in my arsenal.
Weleda Skin Food: I’ve written about this one before. Here, here, and here in my guide to post-Accutane skincare. She’s a classic for a reason! Weleda Skin Food is a thick, oily, healing balm that can be used anywhere. I started using it for post-breakout irritation, but I’ve used it on my hands, knees, and lips. This is not an under-makeup moisturizer. This is like, slather on before bed and expect to have a grease spot on you pillow, emergency moisturizer.
Eucerin Original Healing Creme: This is a new discovery, but it’s already on my Holy Grail list. I’ve spoken about this stuff many times, so I’ll just direct you there. I even have a tip for how to manage this massive container this stuff comes in. And while I’m speaking of greasy moisturizers, this has the exact consistency of diaper rash cream and WILL leave a mark on your pillow. But 1) it’ll wash out, and 2) it’s worth it, particularly if you need to heal your dry skin FAST.
The Extras
You’ve got your complexion basically under control, but you want to maintain it! Or maybe you just want a different method than slathering diaper rash cream all over your face (I swear by it, but I’ve also been dedicated to skincare since I was 11, so I realize I’m a weirdo).
Homeoplasmine: This stuff is like Neosporin/Aquaphor on sterioids. And it’s French, so based on the laws laid down by fashion magazines throughout time, it is naturally superior. I reach for this tube when my lips are SUPER chapped, or when I have a very irritated spot after a breakout. If I have a zit, my skin likes to become VERY red and VERY dry and peely. I dap a spot of Homeoplasmine on it and then cover it with a band aid (specifically these ones) before bed. This not only makes you look incredibly sexy (that’s sarcasm - you’ll look like a monster) but it will improve the state of your skin overnight, and will make it MUCH easier to cover up your blemish in the morning. When I was on Accutane I would do this with huge swaths of my face. I bought these bandaids instead of my usual dots. It made a huge difference. Also: My mom bought me this tube in Paris in 2015 (I wrote about it here) and now it’s 2019 and I’m halfway through the tube.
Aquaphor Healing Ointment: Another fabulous, essential product from Eucerin. And another one that’s used on babies! This is my go-to overnight lip balm. My lips are not huge, but they’re not small, and if I don’t COAT them in Aquaphor before I go to bed I will wake up with a real flaky mess on my hands (or lips, rather). Aquaphor comes in many shapes and sizes, but I firmly believe that the best way to get it is to buy the huge tub. They sell it in little tubes to mimic lip balm and honestly, God bless ‘em but that’s a scam. It’s so much more expensive that way. There’s also a tube, which I WOULD prefer, but over time the oil separates and when you squeeze the tube a bunch of oil comes out and it’s just NOT GREAT. The tub maintains the structural integrity and is cost effective.
Josie Maran Argan Oil: This is a tip I learned from a makeup artist. If you’re battling dry skin, and it’s red and you want to cover that up, but you don’t want to miss out on a chance to help heal your flakin’ skin, mix some oil in with your foundation (or CC cream, or tinted moisturizer, whatever). I’ll typically take a pump of It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream on the back of my hand, then add in a few drops of Josie Maran Argan Oil, swirl them together with a brush, and apply. I think any oil will work. And it DOES work!
Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence: This is a miracle elixir that I put under whatever moisturizer I’m using at night. Think of it as a booster, just amping up your Eucerin or First Aid Beauty product. I wrote about this stuff already, but man, am I ever obsessed with snail mucin. I could talk about it forever.
These are all products for attacking your super dry skin and keeping it at bay, but when I’m having a GREAT skin day and I just want to maintain, my routine is a bit of eye cream, then the Cosrx Power Essence, then press Benton Snail Bee Steam Cream (previously discussed here) into my skin. I wake up with the complexion of a literal angel.
