Hydrating Skincare Routine for Dry Skin

Winter is easily the most damaging season on your skin, so we’ve put together these hydrating skincare tips to get ahead of that dry, dull winter skin. The air is cold and dry, the winds pick up, and harsh indoor heating takes a toll on your skin. This is the season where we pile on moisturizers and serums and cover up with thick sweaters to keep the dryness at bay. But does it ever seem like you moisturize until the cows come home, only to see flaky skin in just a few hours? It's time to find products that can effectively boost skin hydration.

Dry Brushing is a great way to gently remove dry skin cells

Understanding Dry Skin

What is dry skin?

Dry skin, also known as xerosis, is a common condition where the skin lacks sufficient moisture. This can lead to a tight, rough, and flaky texture, often accompanied by irritation and itchiness. In severe cases, dry skin can even result in infections. It’s a condition that can affect anyone, regardless of age or skin type, and can be influenced by various factors such as genetics, environmental conditions, and skincare habits. Understanding dry skin is the first step in addressing it effectively.

Causes of dry skin

There are several factors that can contribute to dry skin:

• Genetics: Your genetic makeup can make you more prone to dry skin. If your family members have dry skin, you might be more likely to experience it as well.
• Environmental conditions: Cold weather, low humidity, and wind are notorious for stripping moisture from the skin, making it dry and flaky.
• Skin care habits: Using harsh soaps, over-exfoliating, and neglecting to moisturize can all exacerbate dry skin. It’s essential to adopt gentle skincare routines that support your skin’s barrier.
• Medical conditions: Conditions like eczema, psoriasis, and diabetes can cause or worsen dry skin. Managing these conditions often requires specialized skincare routines.
• Aging: As we age, our skin’s natural ability to retain moisture diminishes, leading to increased dryness. This is why mature skin often requires more intensive hydration.

Identifying dry skin

Recognizing the symptoms of dry skin is crucial for effective treatment. Common signs include:

• Dryness and tightness: Your skin may feel tight, especially after washing.
• Flakiness and scaling: Visible flakes and scales are a clear indicator of dry skin.
• Itchiness and irritation: Dry skin often feels itchy and can become irritated easily.
• Redness and inflammation: Persistent dryness can lead to red, inflamed patches.
• Cracking and fissuring: In severe cases, the skin can crack and even bleed.

If you notice any of these symptoms, it’s likely that you have dry skin and should consider adjusting your skincare routine to address it.

Our Peace of Mind Bath Soak can help sooth redness and irritation caused by dry skin

Preparing Your Skin for a Hydrating Routine

Understanding your skin type

Before diving into a hydrating routine, it’s essential to understand your skin type. There are five main skin types, each with unique characteristics and needs:

• Normal skin: Balanced skin that is neither too oily nor too dry. It typically has a smooth texture and even skin tone.
• Dry skin: Prone to dryness, flakiness, and irritation. This skin type often feels tight and may have a rough texture.
• Oily skin: Characterized by excess oil production, leading to a shiny appearance, blackheads, and acne-prone skin.
• Combination skin: A mix of oily and dry areas, often with an oily T-zone (forehead, nose, and chin) and dry cheeks.
• Sensitive skin: Easily irritated and reactive, often experiencing redness, itching, and discomfort.

Once you identify your skin type, you can tailor your skincare routine to meet its specific needs. For a hydrating routine, follow these steps:

• Cleansing: Use a mild cleanser to gently remove dirt and impurities without stripping your skin’s natural oils.
• Exfoliating: Regularly exfoliate to remove dead skin cells and improve skin texture. Be gentle to avoid irritation, especially if you have sensitive skin.
• Toning: Apply a toner to balance your skin’s pH and prepare it for better absorption of subsequent products.
• Treating: Use a serum or treatment product to address specific skin concerns, such as dryness, fine lines, or uneven skin tone.
• Moisturizing: Lock in hydration with a good facial moisturizer. This step is crucial for protecting your skin’s barrier and keeping it hydrated.

By understanding your skin type and following these steps, you can effectively prepare your skin for a hydrating routine, leading to healthier, more radiant skin.

Our Best Face Forward Set contains everything you need for the perfect honey skincare routine

Combating Very Dry Skin in Winter is Hard

Dry skin can be persistent because it is often not enough to slap on lotion and call it a day. A weakened skin barrier can exacerbate dryness by allowing moisture to escape and preventing proper hydration. Dead skin cells (which sit on top of healthy skin and cause dryness and flakiness) block the absorption of liquid into the healthy skin below. To actually hydrate the skin, you must first slough off this layer of dead cells before applying moisturizer. Otherwise, the scales will be back in no time!

Treating dry skin on the face and body is done differently. For your body, though, treating dry skin is fairly straightforward: exfoliate, moisturize, and go! For your face, a more honed routine may be needed. This includes cleansing the skin, exfoliating, and moisturizing with oils and creams. Follow these winter skincare tips and let us know how you do!

Hydrating Skincare Tip 1: Cleanse, Tone, Treat

The trick to reducing dry skin on the face is to gently cleanse, exfoliate, tone the skin, and then apply a serum or your favorite facial oil, finishing with a light moisturizer. If you don’t have a set facial routine to follow, this is a pretty simple one to follow. You can add or subtract steps that you see fit (for example, you might need to exfoliate more or less regularly, depending on your skin type). Throwing in a mask once every week or two also wouldn’t hurt!

Some things should be noted: if your skin is very oily in the first place, don’t try to dry it out. If you’re naturally very dry or flakey, don’t over-exfoliate. In doing both of these things, you’re actually counterproductive. Drying out your overly oily skin with harsh cleansers will force your body into producing more oil to compensate while exfoliating dry skin too frequently will irritate it more. The key here is balance! Facial moisturizers are versatile products designed for both daytime and nighttime use, emphasizing their hydrating properties due to ingredients like glycerin.

We have developed, and are currently adding to, an extensive series of skincare products. Meant for the face and body, our Bee Inspired goods nourish the skin with ingredients from the earth, like plant-based oils, berry extracts, mineral clays and salts, and honey, of course.

Our Dry Face Masks allow you to become your own chemist - no preservatives necessary

Hydrating Skincare Tip 2: Put a Mask on it

Use a face mask every week to week and a half-masks to help deliver nutrients to the skin while also pulling out impurities and slough off dead skin. Choose a mask that will treat your specific skin type, apply gently, sit back, and let the mask do its magic. This will leave your skin feeling soft, hydrated, and nourished.

Our Dry Masks were formulated to be customizable to your skin type, and are made with gently cleansing and refining clays, powdered fruit extracts, and dehydrated honey. To make a fresh, customized mask, blend an equal part of the powdered formula with a liquid base. Warm water is safe for all skin types; you can also mix the powder into plain Greek yogurt (the lactic acid in the yogurt is beneficial for your complexion), or into plain green tea, too. An optional step is to add a few drops of your preferred serum or oil to the mix.

Hydrating Skincare Tip 3: Pre-clean with oil and follow with a gentle cleanser

Start your dry skincare routine by gently cleansing the face. Using a cleansing oil to remove makeup and dirt, followed by a gentle foam cleanser or moisturizing wash, is a great gentle cleansing process—this type of cleansing will remove excess oils and dirt without disturbing the outer skin layer.

Using our Oatmeal + Lavender Bar Soap will do all of this! Handmade in small batches, our this soap was designed to cleanse and nurture the skin with soothing lavender essential oil, nourishing shea butter, and skin-loving ground oats. Gentle enough for everyday use. Expect brighter, clearer skin after consistent use.

Hydrating Skincare Tip 4: Exfoliate at least once a week

The exfoliation process removes dead skin cells, which cause flakes and make it difficult for moisturizers to absorb, while preserving the skin's natural oils. Choose an exfoliant that is of fine to medium grit-nothing too harsh! Large grains in a face scrub can cause micro-abrasions on the skin and end up doing more harm than good.

• Aim to exfoliate 1-2 times a week (if you have a problem with dry areas, target them first). Be gentle! Don’t scrub too harshly.
• If need be, experiment with coarseness. You may need something softer or scrubbier, depending on your skin type and texture.

Although not originally formulated to be a face scrub, Sea + Tea Body Scrub makes for a wonderful mask. It’s made with nutrient-dense coastal herbs and greenery, which deliver a burst of vitamins and nutrients to the skin. Kelp extract helps to fight acne and uneven skin tone and also gently moisturizing.

Lavender Flower Water from our farm stimulates more than the skin

Hydrating Skincare Tip 5: Tone before you moisturize and oil-based serum should be the last step.

Toning the skin with Lavender Flower Water is uplifting to more than your skin. Incorporating hyaluronic acid in your skincare routine can significantly enhance hydration by attracting and retaining moisture. In general, zoning helps to remove any trace flakes of skin that may still linger after you exfoliate and cleanse. Using witch hazel as a toner is incredibly effective in pulling the last of the dead skin cells from your complexion without over-drying like alcohol-based astringents. This can help to combat dry skin by allowing moisturizers to sink in faster and work better. Witch hazel can reduce redness and excess oiliness when used frequently and even is useful in reducing the frequency of breakouts.

Next up is a water-based moisturizer (while skin is still wet). Our brand new Vitamin Bee Day and Night Creams will do the job perfectly. Packed with vitamins to protect and nourish your skin, you'll be glowing and smooth all day and night.

Using a serum or facial oil after moisturizing your skin will provide a nourishing layer that seals moisture into your skin, enhancing skin hydration. Our Rose Face Oil contains light oils, such as rosehip, jojoba, and camellia, packed with nutrients that won’t clog your skin. Daily use of facial oils helps to decrease the appearance of fine lines while improving other textural issues. Oils add moisture to your skin, which (ironically) reduces the amount of oil your own body has to produce: this can help with acne by controlling sebum production.

Hydrating Skincare Tip 6: Polish and Protect the Lips

During the winter, the lips can also become dry and irritated. For those with very dry skin, addressing this issue is crucial to prevent further complications. Occasionally using a lip scrub to remove dead skin will definitely improve your lips’ appearance and feel. Choose something that does not have artificial colors or flavors or added alcohol to dry the skin further. Our Lip Collection is a great place to start.

Our Honey Lip Scrub is made with honey crystals and shea butter that smooth and softens. To use, scoop a small bit out and rub on the lips. The mixture will at first exfoliate the lips and then melt to provide moisture. Wipe away with a damp wash towel, and follow with our Honey Lip Balm to provide lasting hydration. Avoid using matte lipsticks if you are prone to dry lips, as these formulations can suck the moisture right out of your skin.

If your lips are severely dry, make sure that you are drinking enough water. Being hydrated on the inside will help your skin to stay quenched as well. Steer clear from excessive soda and alcohol consumption, which will dehydrate you further. You can also try our ultra-hydrating Lemon and Strawberry Lip Gloss.

Save money and get a whole lip care set with our Honey Kissed Lip Care Kit

Hydrating Skincare Tip 6: Treat Dry Skin with scrub and butter

Exfoliating the body is an important step in any skin care routine to reduce dry skin. In doing this, you essentially scrub off the dry, dead cells that cause itchiness and dullness. Dry skin can be persistent, so make sure to keep up with it! A good beauty technique to introduce to your regimen is dry brushing. This process helps to brush off dead skin while also improving circulation. Occasionally brushing the skin and then gently (gently!) scrubbing the skin every time you shower and moisturizing afterward will banish dryness for good!

Body Scrubs

Home remedies for dry skin can sometimes be lengthy (soak in this milk and honey bath). To simplify things, we formulated our line of butter and scrubs as part of effective skin care routines. In the shower, scrub the skin with one of our Honey Body Scrubs. Made with shea and cocoa butter for rich moisture and honey crystals for gentle exfoliation.

Body Butter

Follow exfoliation by towel drying and applying a Honey Body Butter to lock in moisture and boost skin hydration. Our butter is with plant butter, honey, and essential oils to be incredibly moisturizing and nourishing. These are too heavy to be used on your face (hello, clogged pores!), but they are perfect for elbows and legs. Our body butters are made from only natural ingredients that soothe dry and itchy skin for ultimate hydration.

Save money and get a duo - our Peace of Mind Body Care Duo comes with both scrub and butter

Hydrating Skincare Tip 7: Maintain with Balms and Oils

Dehydrated skin would benefit greatly from incorporating a heavier balm or body oil into your skin care routine. This type of product not only soaks into the skin but leaves behind a moisturizing barrier to prevent dryness from creeping back in. Balms and body oils are preferred for use at nighttime, before bed, because they are rather heavy. We recommend our Massage Candle to treat severely dry skin. Made with skin-safe soy wax, plant oils, and natural essential oils for superb moisturization.

Embrace Hydration for Healthier Skin

Incorporating these hydrating skincare tips into your daily routine can transform your skin, leaving it feeling soft, supple, and rejuvenated. By understanding your skin type and addressing the specific needs of very dry skin, you can effectively combat the harsh effects of winter. Our carefully curated selection of products, from nourishing facial oils to deeply moisturizing body butters, is designed to enhance your skin's natural barrier, ensuring it retains sufficient moisture.

Remember, achieving healthy skin is a journey that requires consistency and the right care. Our Bee Inspired products, rich in natural oils and hydrating ingredients, are here to support you every step of the way. So, why wait? Start your hydrating skincare routine today and experience the difference in your skin's texture and overall wellness. Your skin deserves the best, and with our tips and products, you can achieve the radiant, hydrated skin you've always desired.