Do you have dry, itchy, rough, and flaky skin? Are you using the right ingredients on your skin? If all these questions are striking in your head, you must know 5 active ingredients to help your dry skin.
First, you have to understand that dry skin can happen due to many reasons. It can be genetic, climate change, natural, change in the skin, hormonal imbalance, etc. If your skin loses natural moisture, it leads to dry skin. When you touch your skin, it feels rough, flaky, scaly, etc.
In severe cases, when dry skin loses its flexibility, it starts developing fissures and cracks. Such skin cracks invite bacteria, viruses, and fungus, which leads to infections and wounds. We need hydrating ingredients that nourish your skin and provide enough moisture. Let us discuss 5 active ingredients to treat moisture-deficient skin.
Glycolic Acid
It is one of the effective skincare ingredients, which is best for exfoliation. Glycolic Acid is derived from plants such as pineapple, sugar beets, and sugarcane. It helps in removing the topmost layer of skin that contains dead cells and provides bright and refreshing skin. Many skin care products contain Glycolic Acid that can treat acne scarring, wrinkles, fine lines, and skin discoloration.
Benefits of Glycolic Acid
- The chemical peel is a skincare cosmetic treatment in which Glycolic Acid is used. It removes the old, discolored, and dry layer of skin and produces newly refreshed skin. It is a safe ingredient for sensitive skin.
- Many skincare products like cleansers and facial washes contain Glycolic Acid to prevent skin irritation.
- It is helpful enough to treat skin problems like Melasma, Psoriasis, and Seborrheic keratosis.
- You can add Glycolic Acid in different DIYs to treat dry skin, aging, pigmentation, etc. You can create your exfoliating skin care product at home.
- It helps in moving water molecules to the skin cells from the air. It is easy to replenish moisture, only when it is used in low amounts.
- The ingredient boosts the production of collagen (Natural Protein) in the skin. It helps in firming and resisting wrinkles and prevents acne, removes dead skin cells, even skin tone, and controls aging.
- It is a safe ingredient to use for expecting and new mothers. Generally, retinol and BHAs are not recommended to them.
Urea
It is a humectant or Hydroxyethyl Urea, a natural substance present in the top layer of skin. Urea is one of the natural moisturizing factors (NMF) to maintain the hydration level of the skin and keeps it protected. It contains water-binding components that help in maintaining the function, health, and hydration of the stratum corneum.
The healthy skin contains 28 gm of urea per square centimeter. If your skin lacks urea, then it becomes dry and dehydrated. The right amounts of urea can treat xerosis, nail fungus, ichthyosis, psoriasis, and dermatitis.
Benefits of Urea
- It is an effective humectant that retains moisture by binding water molecules. If you apply urea on your skin, it penetrates deeply into the stratum corneum to improve water absorption. It helps in balancing the hydration levels and keep your skin refreshed and hydrated.
- Urea can remove dead skin cells effectively in the stratum corneum. It improves water binding in the skin cells. Urea is keratolytic at high concentrations that help in removing dead and scaly skin by exfoliating skin and promoting all over cellular turnover.
- The ingredients retain moisture and enhance the renewal process of the skin. It strengthens the stratum corneum barrier to fight against contaminants and trauma. A moisturizer with a sufficient amount of urea prevents dry skin.
- Urea penetrates deeply into the skin and treats scaling, eczema, cracked heels, psoriasis, and skin inflammation.
- Urea fights against acne by metabolizing LL-37, an antimicrobial peptide that kills acne-causing bacteria. It inhibits Malassezia, a yeast that causes fungal acne.
- It has anesthetic properties that relieve your skin from itching. Urea reduces inflammation and skin irritation, even on sensitive skin.
Aloe Vera
Aloe Vera is a popular houseplant, which works wonderfully on your skin. It is a medical herb that nourishes your skin cell from the inside. The ingredient can be consumed to boost immunity and improve digestion. It is rich in nutrients and antioxidants that enhance the quality of your skin, face, and hair.
You can plant aloe vera in your house garden and extract the gel from its flatter leaves. Make sure that you handle it with care because it has thorns. You can also cut the leaves and scrape the gel into a container. You can refrigerate the extracted gel to use it for a week.
Benefits of Aloe Vera
- The gel has anti-inflammatory and cooling properties, which can be used in home remedies to treat burnt skin or sunburn. You can apply the gel to shield the skin and retain moisture. The minerals and antioxidants help in boosting the healing process. Daily application of Aloe Vera maintains your skin health in summers.
- Many moisturizers come with extracted Aloe Vera gel that provides sufficient moisture to your face and skin. It is an excellent ingredient for treating dry skin. It helps in unclogging the pores and softening the skin. Men can use the gel after shaving to hydrate the skin and get relief from the burning sensation.
- Aloe Vera gel heals several injuries and wounds. It is an essential ingredient in burning treatments. It speeds up the production of skin cells and penetrates deeply into the Epidermis.
- Aloe Vera contains Vitamin C, E, and Beta-carotene in sufficient amounts, which are useful to treat all signs of aging. The anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties diminish fine lines and reduce blemishes. It increased the levels of collagen and elastin in the skin.
- People suffering from acne should use Aloe Vera gel. It cleanses the skin and treats pimples with its antimicrobial properties. It acts as an antiseptic gel that protects against bacteria. The gel removes excess sebum, dirt, and microbes.
- It boosts the production of skin cells and reduces acne scarring and stretch marks. You can add lemon juice with Aloe Vera gel to lighten age spots and freckles.
Hyaluronic Acid
It is an Alpha or Beta Hydroxy Acid that exfoliates your skin. It is a natural substance that your body produces naturally in your skin, eyes, and joints. The skin cells, known as Fibroblasts, produce Hyaluronic Acid and collagen.
It is a vital ingredient to keep your skin moisturized and hydrated. It can absorb the water molecules 1000 times more than its weight in water. The HA holds your skin’s moisture and keeps your skin dewy and plump.
Benefits of Hyaluronic Acid
- The ingredient penetrates your skin and deeply moisturizes it. The holding capacity of the substance is 1000 times more than the molecular weight in water. It can easily infuse in all the skin layers and rejuvenates skin quality.
- The HA serum is used with other ingredients and fillers to enhance the skin and face. It is an effective substance for treating dry and rough skin. It balances moisture levels in your skin and protects you from itching, inflammation, flaky and scaly skin.
- HA is a humectant that holds on the collected moisture in the skin. It infuses in the top layer of the skin, Epidermis, which continuously draws moisture from the surrounding environment.
- Our skin damages due to harmful UV rays, environmental pollution, unhealthy lifestyle, and much more. It leads to wrinkles, fine lines, dark spots, dry skin, etc. HA helps in fortifying natural barriers of natural skin and locks moisture in skin cells. It slows down the liquid barrier deterioration and protects your skin from environmental damage.
- Hyaluronic Acid helps in treating sagging skin and improves the production of elastin. With age, our skin loses its elasticity and bounce, which leads to sagging and wrinkled skin. It helps in tightening the skin and fills it with sufficient moisture to improve the skin’s appearance. The ingredient improves facial contours and gives you a more youthful face.
- You can combine HA with Vitamin C and its booster to increase the cell turnover. It helps in reducing age spots and hyperpigmentation. It is available in sunscreen creams and lotions to protect your skin from sun damage. You should apply a suitable sunscreen at least 30 minutes before going out daily.
- There is a myth that oily skin does not require hydration. If you have too much oily skin, then it can cause acne and pimples. It is essential to moisturize your skin properly to prevent the over oiliness of your skin. HA prevents the production of too much oil that leads to clogged pores and breakouts.
Petroleum Jelly
It is also known as Petrolatum, which is a mixture of waxes and mineral oils. It looks like a jelly substance that can heal wounds, burns, dry skin, and much more. Petroleum Jelly is an important ingredient that helps in sealing your skin by a water-protective barrier. It helps in healing the skin by retaining moisture.
Benefits of Petroleum Jelly
- Petroleum jelly is one of the effective ingredients that helps in moistening your skin and heals injuries. It is necessary that you apply the jelly on a cleaned and disinfected skin surface. Otherwise, it leads to bacteria and other pathogens on the wound.
- You can also apply this ingredient after taking a shower. It works as an occlusive moisturizer that prevents your skin from getting dry.
- In winters, if you suffer from a cold and dry nose, you can apply it on the surface of your nose to prevent dryness and pain.
- It is an excellent ingredient to treat dry, flaky, and cracked heels. You need to soak your feet for a few minutes in warm water along with salt. After that, towel-dry your feet and apply the jelly and wear clean cotton socks for faster recovery.
- You can also apply petroleum jelly on chapped lips to get rid of dry and scaly lips.
- Babies develop skin rashes due to diapers. You should clean and dry the skin and apply jelly to create a protective barrier. It will help in protecting your baby’s skin from constant moisture exposure.
- Petroleum Jelly is a safe ingredient to clean eye makeup. You can use a cotton pad and apply the jelly on it. Rub the cotton pad gently to clean your eyes.
- If you want your perfume’s fragrance to stay longer, you can use petroleum jelly as a base. After that, spray the perfume for long-lasting effects. It helps in increasing the duration and stay of a perfume fragrance. On the other hand, it will not cause any allergy or irritation to underarms or other parts of body skin.
- You can apply petroleum jelly on dry, flaky and scaly skin. It helps in providing sufficient moisture to reduce skin flakiness. In severe cases, dry skin leads to irritation, inflammation, and other skin allergies. You can prevent such problems by taking enough jelly.
The Bottom Line
You must focus on these 5 active ingredients to treat dry skin. There are other benefits of using these natural substances. You can consider any one of them that suits you and is available around you. In severe cases of skin dryness, you must meet a dermatologist, who can suggest better solutions to your skin problems. You can also take suggestions from your skin doctor regarding the use of these ingredients.
It is essential to understand your skin needs and provide essential moisture, vitamins, and minerals. These active ingredients are used in many skincare products. Make sure your products must have such ingredients. Do not compromise with your skin, and do not delay any skin treatment. It is better to treat dry skin before it gets severe.
