Everything you need to know about dry, uncomfortable skin

By Gemma Little

Beat Skin Dryness

Your dry skin lacks its natural lubricant (oil)

If you take good care of your dry skin it won’t be problematic. A young dry skin is porcelain in look and texture, rarely suffering with congestion or outbreaks.

Fail to care for your dry skin. You’ll get away with it… for some time.

Neglected dry skin feels tight and uncomfortable. The dryness will worsen, especially into your 30’s 40’s and 50’s. As your skins oil levels diminish it leaves your dry skin very dry, often sensitive.

Flaky skin is often a problem with tightness and discomfort an everyday battle. Unfortunately, this is the tip of your ‘dry skin’ iceberg.

A perfect, peachy complexion

‘Dry’ is your genetic skin type. When young it is the most beautiful of all skins, ‘a perfect peachy complexion’ that rarely gets spots or blackheads. Because it doesn’t present problems dry skin is often neglected. The ideal would be to rewind time. The reality is we need to put in the work to help you look fabulous for your age, because what I haven’t mentioned is dry skins age most quickly.

How do you know if you’ve got dry skin?

Your dry skin checklist

Does it feel irritated, tight, itchy and uncomfortable?

Do you have dry, flaky, peeling and cracked areas?

Does it feel rough to touch, especially on the cheeks and along your jaw line? (This self-protecting barrier is a protection mechanism created by your skin).

Do you have Milia? These are small white pearly spots, they can’t be squeezed out. Often appearing around your eyes but they can appear anywhere on the face and neck.

Can you see capillary damage? Your dry skin is thin in texture making capillary damage more visible.

Your skincare products don’t absorb into your skin? Do they sit on your skin’s surface making your skin feel greasy?

Your make-up never looks great. Is it sitting on top of your (unabsorbed) moisturiser? Or, dare to go without your moisturiser and your makeup looks ‘cakey’ on your dry flaky skin (disappearing quickly as your skin draws oil from your makeup base).

What causes dry skin?

Remember dry skin is genetic. This doesn’t mean it has to be problematic. There are many people with dry skin who sail through the decades with a ‘beautiful’ complexion, but here’s the low down on the main causes…

Lack of care (because you can get away with it)

As I said earlier, young dry skin looks amazing it rarely has any problems. I remember the girls at school who never had a single spot or black head; the girls who slept in their make-up - they used nothing but soap and water. This neglect will have caught up with them.

Harsh soap products

Soap is very drying for your skin. Its alkaline and destroys your natural skin barrier. It can take up to 8 hours for your skin to recover its natural protection from one wash with soap and water. Your skin becomes vulnerable allowing moisture loss which leads to a dehydrated condition.

Imagine tiny cracks appearing that allow makeup, dirt and pollution to enter your skin. This can lead to premature ageing. A moisturiser will never be enough to compensate for the damaging effects of soap.

Water and water temperature

Hard water areas have higher fluoride and lime content. This can dry your skin by stripping natural oils that you need as lubricants.

Consider the water temperature too, very hot water dries your skin. More than this it damages your skin. Please, never stand with your face upwards to your shower head, it’s like red hot needles hitting your face. This isn’t going to bring you anything other than sensitive skin (and red cheeks). The rule is if your skin looks red after showering / bathing it is too hot.

The weather and the environment

Do you protect your skin from the sun? Of course you do.

What about the cold, wind, rain and freezing conditions? The cold and wind will leave your unprotected skin feeling chapped, red and uncomfortably dry.

Going from the cold outside to your warm house. Sudden changes in temperature cause the heat / shock proteins in your skin to go into overdrive. This brings the flushed hot sensations which cause your skin to become dryer still. Left uncared for your dry skin can become sensitive.

Skin ageing

As you age your oil levels naturally decrease. As oil levels decrease we lose volume and suppleness, this allows lines and wrinkles to become more visible. Along with the natural depletion of collagen, elastin and our own hyaluronic acid, dry skin naturally ages more quickly. An ageing skin becomes drier (cruel hey)!

Tackling dry skin is easy with the right care

Your dry skin will respond to a traditional cleansing routine.

Our Essential Micellar Face & Eye Make-Up Remover, Essential Cleansing Milk and Essential Toning Lotion will start your morning and evening skincare routine.
Gentle exfoliating twice a week will end dry, flaky skin and reduce the tight uncomfortable feeling. It will the relieve the dry sand papery feeling when you touch your skin. Everything you apply after regularly exfoliating will be absorbed (and work harder and faster). You must remove this dry barrier from your skin, our Essential Exfoliating Gel is perfect for the job.

Once you have your cleansing routine we need to treat your dry skin

Nurturing Night Balm will support dry skin recovery and repair. Packed with anti-ageing properties from seaweeds. To protect your collagen and elastin; Omega’s 3, 6, 7 and 9 replenish your dry skin. Vitamins A, C, E and B3 are powerful antioxidants.

I love this product it does exactly what it says on the tin. It will nurture your skin back to good health, with the texture of a balm and penetrating ability of a serum.

Our Dry Skin Cream will treat the main problems of your skin. Packed with skin perfecting and anti-ageing properties it will: -
• Repair your skin barrier to keep the good ‘stuff’ in.
• Ignite your natural oil supply to keep your skin supple, comfortable and peachy soft.
• Red Seaweed and Blue Micro-Algae give powerful anti-ageing benefits by stimulating your own collagen and elastin production.
• Its texture is creamy, not heavy. Easily absorbs to leave your skin feeling soft, supple, strong and protected.

For dry mature skin try our Dry Skin Rich Cream. With all the anti-ageing and skin perfecting benefits of our Dry Skin Cream. We’ve added extra rice peptides for skin firmness and Shea Butter for a richer texture that will nurture and care, restoring the velvety softness to the driest of skins.

Your dry skin will be replenished with a feeling of comfort. Your makeup will enhance your beautiful skin, not cover it up!

Do you need help choosing the right products to use on your skin?

Join me for your personalised consultation at our Virtual Skin Bar. All you need is 20 minutes, a phone, tablet, or laptop .

With Love
Donna x

As the cold months roll in it's easy to think SPF can take a backseat in your skincare routine. But Daily DNA Defence SPF30 is much more than just a sunscreen, it’s your final coat of skin armour, it’s weather protection for your skin.

Our award-winning, broad-spectrum SPF protects your skin from more than just UV rays. It guards against environmental pollutants and blue light
emitted from your screens. Meanwhile, winter’s cold air, winds and rain can damage your skin barrier.

During and after exposure to the elements, Daily DNA Defence protects and repairs your cells DNA.

And more than this, it’s the best make-up primer. Talk about a multi-tasking product! Its lightweight formula sits comfortably under your foundation, ensuring your make-up stays fresh and stays ‘put’ all day.

Keep reading as we deep dive into the benefits of Daily DNA Defence SPF30 and why it’s an essential part of your winter skincare regime.

Broad-spectrum, photostable protection with Daily DNA Defence SPF30

Not all SPF products are created equal, Daily DNA Defence SPF30 offers broad-spectrum protection. This means that it shields your skin from both UVA rays (the ones that age your skin) and UVB rays (the ones that burn your skin). If your moisturiser or foundation contains an SPF it’s worth checking, make sure you’re covered for both UVA and UVB. Many of those products only protect against UVB, leaving your skin vulnerable to the long-term damage caused by UVA rays.

I’m guessing that you follow your daily skincare regime to promote skin health and to keep your skin looking great for your age? Using Daily DNA Defence SPF30 will help you avoid undoing all that effort by providing the UVA protection your skin truly needs.

And here's the bonus: our SPF is photostable, meaning it won’t break down or lose effectiveness in the sun. However, if you're by the pool make sure to reapply every two hours as water, sweat and towel drying can remove it, leaving your skin vulnerable.

Blue light and pollution protection

In today’s world, your skin is up against more than just the sun. Daily DNA Defence SPF30 also shields your skin from two often overlooked threats: blue light and pollution.

Blue light, mainly from our smart devices and pollution in the atmosphere. Blue light and pollution trigger changes in your skin cells, even leading to cell death. Unprotected exposure to these will lead to hyperpigmentation and can damage your skin’s health. Most blue light comes from smart technology, which is used daily by most of us. Pollution is all around; levels are higher in towns and cities all year.

DNA Defence and Repair: protecting your skin at the cellular level

When your skin is exposed to radiation it faces more than just surface damage, your cells DNA is at risk. Daily DNA Defence SPF30 acts like a "virtual parasol," shielding your cells during exposure to harmful rays. But the protection doesn’t stop there. After exposure, your body naturally works to repair DNA damage. Your cells naturally produce an enzyme which kickstarts the repair process of your DNA. Thanks to the powerful repairing ingredients in our formula this process is accelerated up to 100 times, meaning your skin recovers faster, stays healthier and sustains less long term damage.

In summary, wear Daily DNA Defence SPF30 as your final coat of skin armour each day in all seasons and you can rest assured you’re doing your best to protect your skin.

Magical make-up priming

We know that finding the perfect daily SPF texture is a challenge. We’ve been there too. Most SPFs feel like a layer too many, leaving skin feeling greasy, heavy or cause foundation to slide off by midday. This is why we made our product for you. A super light veil, which is suitable for even the most sensitive skin. With no oily or white residue, it’s non-pore blocking and
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No make-up, no problem

For our men and/or non make-up wearers, our handy pocket size product gives you the same invisible veil and matt skin finish. Skiers, golfers and cyclists will love that it slips easily into a pocket, bag or pouch.

Where else should you be applying your SPF?

Your SPF isn’t just for your face, use all the way down to your décollete and up to your hairline. Not forgetting areas like the tops of your lips, ears, nose and the backs of your hands. These are often overlooked spots that are equally exposed to the sun, whether you’re lounging by the pool or simply driving. The backs of your hands are quick to show signs of ageing, so it’s vital to keep them protected. And if you’re grabbing some winter sun make sure to apply it to the tops of your feet.

How much SPF should you use?

Aim for about the size of a 5 pence piece for each application. However, this should come after Step 2 – Skin Boost and Step 3 – Skin Defence Cream in your skincare routine. If you're planning to sunbathe, apply Daily DNA Defence SPF30 at least 15 minutes before heading outside. Once you're in the sun reapply after 15 minutes for the ultimate protection, then continue every two hours.

And remember, swimming, sweating or towel drying can remove your SPF, so be sure to reapply regularly to keep your skin fully protected.