It can happen to any of us. A dry patch decides to move in on your face and no matter what you do, it will not leave you. Like a stalker ex boyfriend, he’s here to stay.
Back in November, it happened to me. A dry patch took up permanent residence on my face, and I couldn’t shake him off. But, it wasn’t just any old dry patch. It was a grotesque, disgusting dry patch that literally kept me from leaving the house for a week because it was repulsive and super large and super noticeable and makeup only emphasized the crustiness even more. Literally, my sister nicknamed me Moldyvort (like Voldemort) because it looked like my skin was slowly molding away to death. I don’t know why or what caused this to happen, but I figured out how to get rid of it for good. Instead of saying “why me?” I said “try me.”
How I Quickly Got Rid of the Gross Dry Patch Growing on my Face
Step 1: stop over exfoliating
I used to love my Clarisonic. We were ride or die buddies. But, then I realized that one of us actually had to die because one of us was harming the other ones skin. And the one that had to go was the Clarisonic. It was just too harsh on my skin even though I had the sensitive brush head. I even stopped using my Foreo Luna under my bottom lip, which is where the dry patch was harboring, because even that was too harsh on my skin. Instead of trying to exfoliate it away with brushes, tools, and chemical exfoliants, I let my skin have a little breather. Over exfoliating can really damage the skin’s barrier so now I’m cautious to make sure I’m using gentler products on my skin. And, I’m monitoring the ingredients in my skincare to make sure I’m not overdoing it with the chemical exfoliants.
Step 2: cleanse, but don’t strip
A lot of cleansers on the market use ingredients that strip the skin of its natural oils, drying it out, and that actually does more harm than good. I used the Boscia Purifying Cleansing Gel, a gentle cleanser that doesn’t contain any sulfates or alcohols. Sulfates are really drying so make sure you skip the cleansers that have that. The Boscia cleanser is my holy grail because it cleanses the skin, but leaves it feeling refreshed and hydrated. It’s a super underrated cleanser, but one I constantly rave about because it’s amazing.
Step 3: mask mask mask
The best thing I did for my skin was apply a hydrating mask. The Complex Beauty Thirst Quencher hydra mask worked literal magic on my skin. For so many days I used so many moisturizers that did absolutely nothing for me and my disgustingly flaky skin until I used this mask. I globbed this mask on, left it on my skin for several hours, did this 2 days in a row, and my dry patch was literally gone. When I tell you this worked magic, I’m not lying. I would say this is the number one product that helped the dry patches go away. Even after the dry patch was gone, I globbed this on for a few hours for several days to make extra sure he wasn’t trying to move back on to my face; he didn’t.
Step 4: layer the moisture
The Complex Beauty hydra mask helped me get rid of my dry patch, but layering on the moisture right after masking was super important too. Instead of using one thick ass moisturizer, I applied moisture in layers. First, I’d either use the Belif Hungarian Water Essence or the Belif Aqua Bomb since they’re really light on the skin. I let that sink in, and then topped it all off with something a little thicker like the Algenist Genius Moisturizer* or the Origins Night-a-Mins moisturizer. Both are really nice and creamy, but they don’t feel heavy or greasy, which is a big turn off for me. Lately, I’ve been using either the Drunk Elephant B-Hydra Gel or the Dr. Jart Ceramidin Liquid before bed. If my skin is feeling extra dry then I top it all off with the Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Whipped Cream. It’s super miosturizing, and a little goes a long way so my combo skin doesn’t need much at all.
Au revoir, dry patches. See you never!
What products do you turn to when you have to get rid of dry skin? Let me know in the comments below!
Follow me: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube
Pinterest
Shop this post:
•••