With all the focus on serums, moisturizers, and anti-aging products, you may be forgetting an important piece of the skin care puzzle: a good facial cleanser. Face wash can be just as important in your skin care arsenal to keep your skin looking and feeling its best. In fact, choosing the right cleanser for your skin type may be essential to getting the glowing complexion you’re looking for. But how do you choose your cleanser when there are so many options on the market? With the help of the dermatologist and cosmetologist Dr. Yomna Youssef, we’ve selected the best face wash for women with dry skin.
How to choose the best face wash for women with dry skin?
Regular skin cleansing is essential to keeping your skin looking healthy.
When you have dry skin, it’s crucial to find a gentle cleanser that doesn’t clog pores and moisturizes the skin.
1- Avoid fragrances: It is especially important to choose unscented products, as fragrances can irritate your skin. Look for the words “unscented” or “fragrance-free” on the label. Products for sensitive skin are also a good choice.
2- Look for moisturizing ingredients: According to Dr. Yomna Youssef, you should choose a facial cleanser based on the active ingredients it contains, which should include: hyaluronic acid, ceramides, or glycerin. These ingredients are very important for facial cleansers intended for dry skin.
3- Beware of anti-aging ingredients: Ingredients like glycolic or lactic acid may help fight the signs of aging, but they rob dry skin of the oil it needs. Stay away from these ingredients.
Should I wash my face with hot or cold water?
Dr. Yomna Youssef recommends using cold water because too much heat releases more sebum from the skin and therefore causes more dryness.
Washing with cold water has many positive effects on the skin. Acne prevention, for example, is one of those potential benefits. Also, while hot water opens the pores, cold water closes them. This benefits the skin for several reasons: it reduces the appearance of pores and tightens the skin.
What causes dry skin in women?
Around the age of 40 and 50, most women enter menopause. This is when estrogen production begins to decline. Estrogen stimulates the production of collagen and oils that soften the skin. This is why, as menopause approaches and estrogen production declines, dry and itchy skin becomes very common.
This decrease in estrogen and change in hormone ratios in the body slows down sebum production and reduces the body’s ability to retain moisture.
Dry skin appears just about everywhere, from the face, back, and chest, where the sebaceous glands are located, to the elbows, legs, genitals, and even the nails.
The changes to your skin can start as early as perimenopause, and they are permanent. Fortunately, relieving the itch and fighting the dry skin associated with menopause is largely in your hands.
Other causes include:
- Genetics. Mutations in the genes that control the production of the protein filaggrin, which plays a role in the formation and hydration of the skin barrier, can cause many skin conditions such as dry skin.
- Long, hot showers. Taking long, steamy showers or baths can dry out your skin.
- Certain medical conditions. Skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema can make your skin more prone to dryness.
- Fragrance. As discussed, fragrances tend to irritate dry skin or make it worse. So, avoid skin care products that contain them.
- Soap. Many soaps, detergents, and shampoos dehydrate the skin and scalp as they tend to remove oil. Dr. Yomna Youssef advises using soap-free cleansers, as soaps can inflame the barrier and promote dermatitis.
- Medications. Acne medications can dry out your skin when you start using them.
Keep reading to find out the best face wash for women with dry skin.
Why is facial cleansing so important?
Let’s see why facial cleansing is so important.
1- Removes build-up
The skin on your face is constantly covered with germs, pollutants, oil, dirt, and dead skin cells throughout the day. Daily face washing cleanses these impurities and gives your skin a fresh look. Dr. Yomna Youssef says that skipping face washing is not healthy as these unwanted impurities should be wiped away. She adds that you should go for a cleanser that contains emollient ingredients, and cleanse your skin at least once a day. Be careful not to exceed twice a day.
2- Boosts hydration
Regular facial cleansing is also an important factor in helping the skin maintain adequate moisture levels. Dehydrated skin is rough, wrinkled, and aged.
3- Maintains clear skin
Very small glands under the skin produce an oil called sebum to protect the skin from environmental hazards. These glands use the skin’s hair follicles as a pathway, allowing the sebum to reach the skin’s surface and create a barrier that keeps bacteria or other harmful agents out.
So, what are the best face washes for women with dry skin? Cleansers are an incredibly powerful tool for treating dry skin. Whether your skin is super sensitive, super dry, or somewhere in between, Ducray and Eau Thermale Avène have created soap-free cleansers that work with your skin type, all without stripping it.
We’ve rounded up a list of our favorites, so keep scrolling to see our picks.
For all skin types: Micellar Lotion from Eau Thermale Avène
For dry to very dry sensitive skin: TriXéra Nutrition Nutri-Fluid Cleansing Gel from Eau Thermale Avène
For dry skin: Ictyane Cleansing Shower Cream from Ducray
Washing your face is not enough to moisturize your skin. Your skin needs to be hydrated inside and out especially after deep cleansing. Thus, skipping the moisturizer is like depriving yourself of water. The best time to apply a moisturizer is when your skin is still damp after cleansing. So, before you even reach for your towel, apply your moisturizer.
Using a good moisturizer, along with good facial cleansing, is an important factor in helping your skin retain sufficient moisture. It also balances the pH and helps maintain a healthy skin barrier.
Check out these soothing and moisturizing face creams for dry skin that won’t irritate your skin.
Eau Thermale Avene Hydrance Aqua-Gel: It is rich in hyaluronic acid which hydrates, plumps and visibly smoothes the skin. Apply in the morning and evening after cleansing.
Eau Thermale Avene Hydrance Rich Hydrating Cream: Apply in the morning and evening after cleansing.
Ducray Ictyane Hydra Light Face Cream: Apply in the morning and evening after cleansing.
Perhaps the one big mistake you are making is not applying a night cream to your face. Using night creams on thoroughly cleansed skin hydrate, replenish and nourish the skin overnight. They are best targeted at the skin’s rebuilding process.
In the evening, you can use the same moisturizing creams mentioned above or you can use a Ducray cream specially designed for the night. Check it out!
Ducray Ictyane Regenerating Night Care
All of this is to say that washing is the first step in maintaining your skin’s natural state. The rest depends on all the other serums, moisturizers, face masks – the list could go on and on – that you want to use. In addition to the food you eat and the way you exercise.
Last Updated on February 26, 2024
