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Small Batch
Phthalate Free
Organic
Paraben Free
Clean Ingredients
California Made
Vegan
Cruelty Free
No Synthetic Fragrances
Non Comedogenic
Woman Owned
No Synthetic Dyes

THE SKIN GUIDE FOR DRY, POLLUTED SKIN


The first thing to know is that everyone’s skin is different. The way our skin reacts is a result of a very large number of factors. These include things like our environment, hormones, diet, water intake, mineral & vitamin intake, environmental exposures, humidity (or lack thereof!), stress, and so much more. 

Today we are diving into the realm of dry skin. The main takeaway we want to give you in this article is how to be able to adjust your skincare ritual according to the signs our skin give us. 

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DRY SKIN

What is Dry Skin? 

Dry Skin occurs when your skin loses too much water and oil. Dry skin is common and can affect anyone at any age. Dry Skin can be distinguished by a feeling of tightness, skin that feels and looks rough, itchy skin, slight to severe flaking or ashy skin, slight skin peeling or scaling, fine lines or wrinkles, deep cracks that may bleed. 


Causes:


Dry skin is caused from water loss in the outer skin layer. It can be caused by factors like:

  • Heating systems that reduce humidity.
  • Environmental elements, such as living in cold, low humidity or windy conditions.
  • Over cleansing or exfoliation: When we take overly long, hot showers or baths can dry your skin out and remove the natural oils from your skin. 
  • Harsh Soaps and Detergents: Ingredients like SLS can be found in many popular soaps, detergents and shampoos/cleansers that strip moisture and oils from your skin. We recommend you do not use products with stripping ingredients that disrupt your skin’s moisture barrier. 
  • Polluted Water: Irritants found in our water can dry out our skin! Research shows that most US households' tap water contains chlorine, micro-plastics, heavy metals, fluoride and hundreds of unregulated chemical compounds. These can lead to dryness, irritation, premature aging, breakouts, skin sensitivity, allergic reactions, redness, and other skin conditions. We recommend the FilterBaby filtration system which is the #1 recommended water filter by dermatologists and removes 99.9% of irritants in tap water.
  • Aging: As we age, our skin thins and produces less of the natural oils (sebum) needed for our skin to retain water.
  • Other Skin Conditions: People with skin conditions such as atopic dermatitis (eczema) or psoriasis are more likely to have dry skin.
The Bedouin Elixir Facial Oil

Prevention:


  • Moisturize. Moisturizing creams and oils seal in water to keep your skins protective moisture barrier healthy. Use moisturizer, sealed in with our facial oil throughout the day. Before going outdoors, use a moisturizer that contains sunscreen with a at least factor 32, even on cloudy days. Apply sunscreen generously and repeatedly every two hours if you’re swimming, sweating or in direct sunlight. Look for ingredients like Camellia Seed Oil, Jojoba Oil, Apricot Kernel Oil and Blue Tansy that are both incredibly nourishing, moisturizing and also incredibly rich in anti oxidants. This helps protect your skin further, whilst still providing much needed love and repair.
  • Limit water exposure: Keep bath and shower time to ten minutes or less. Use warm, not hot water. Rinse and pat dry and try not to bathe more than once a day. 
  • Use a gentle cleanser or allergen free soap. In our cleansers, it’s important to avoid ingredients like SLS, alcohol and fragrance that can dry or sensitize our skin. Try using an oil cleanser to remove makeup, followed by a gentle cleanser to get the remaining dirt off. Then follow with a gentle moisturizer and oil while your skin is still damp to lock in the extra moisture. 
  • Rinse and moisturize after swimming. Most swimming pools contain chlorine and other chemicals to maintain cleanliness, however these are very drying on our skin.
  • Use a humidifier. Adding gentle (and preferably filtered) water back into the air prevents further water loss from our skin throughout the day. The most important time to use your humidifier is when you sleep, as this is when our skin does most of its repair. 
  • Increase your water intake. We all know we need to drink a lot of water each day. For women it’s about 2.7 liters and for men it is about 3.7 on average. In addition to this, 20% of the water we intake comes from the fruits and vegetables we eat. Fruits and vegetables high in water content include: Bell peppers, papaya, broccoli, cucumbers, lettuce, zucchini, celery, oranges, peaches, pineapples and many more. 
  • Take electrolytes. Electrolytes are essential minerals (such as magnesium, potassium, calcium and sodium). They have electric charge and are key to many bodily functions, including regulating water levels.
  • Use a hydrating serum with Hyaluronic Acid, Vitamin C and Niacinamide. HA is a humectant - a substance that retains moisture- and is capable of binding over 1000 times its weight in water. HA can help increase skin moisture and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. In addition to HA, Niacinamide and Vitamin C increase your skin's ability to absorb hydration and repair wounds as well as repairing your skin's natural moisture barrier. Our Active Rejuvenation Oasis Serum was designed with hydration and anti aging in mind for that very reason.
  • Get a water filtration system. Removing elements like rust, micro-plastics, chloramine, arsenic, fluoride, and thousands more from your tap water to wash your face. Getting a water filter is an easy way to upgrade your skin ritual and ensure that your skin is being fully cleansed of pollutants at the very core.

THE RITUAL



Twice a week, do gentle exfoliation. Try using enzyme or acid based exfoliants. It’s important to avoid mechanical exfoliation (like scrubs) on dry skin as they can lead to micro tears and can make the skin more prone to sun damage. You can also opt for using a gentle Retinol at night. If you do, and the same goes with any acids, do not mix them with Vitamin C at the same time (you can separate morning and night, just be sure to cleanse in between).


Try “slugging” a couple times per week, or in severely dry skin periods. Slugging is done by adding an occlusive moisturizing balm (like Vaseline or even the Blue Cocoon from May Lindstrom) as the final step in your evening skincare routine. This occlusive barrier enables your skin to retain even more moisture throughout the night and let your moisture barrier do some much needed repair. 

 

We hope you found this useful!

With love and radiance,

Omayma

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