The moisturising cleansers that won’t dry out dehydrated winter skin
Ditch the impurities, keep the hydration
By Delaney Loane
Digital Beauty Editor / May 09 2024
Constant cleansing can certainly seem counterintuitive if you’re dealing with a dry skin type, especially in the midst of a dryness flare-up.
You’ve just spent precious money and time loading your complexion up with oils, serums and moisturisers all promising to make you glow like the morning sun, only to what – wash them all away during your next cleanse?
Well, not exactly. The ingredients from your favourite formulas will have already sunk in (whether you’re concerned about rinsing away your evening topicals with your morning cleanse or vice versa), and will be busy working their magic beneath the skin’s surface, so you needn’t worry about undoing your hydrating handiwork there. All that’s left on the skin’s surface will be the residue, which is A-OK to rinse away.
Cleansers do, however, exist to strip away dirt, makeup (and here’s the kicker) sebum, the oil that naturally lubricates your skin. So while the nourishing elements from your topicals may be safe below the barrier, your skin’s natural oils are still at risk on the surface. And seeing as we dry-skinned souls already produce less oil than other skin types, we can’t afford to lose the limited sebum our skin does possess.
Basically, when it comes to thirsty skin, your cleanser selection is key. You’ll need a formula that not only protects the moisture your face is already holding (by avoiding harsh ingredients like salicylic acid or soap), but also builds on it, imparting hydration of its own thanks to moisturising elements within the mix (hello, hyaluronic acid).
If that sounds like a tall order, don’t worry: we’ve done the work for you. Here are our favourite hydrating cleansers, perfect for fulfilling your specific face washing needs.
Main image credit: @laneige_us
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