Discover the causes of dry skin and how moisturising helps.
Have you ever wondered how to get glowing skin? When skin is radiant, it helps to boost self-confidence. When the skin looks dull, dry, and tired, it can be due to a number of different factors – these include the sun, a lack of sleep, vitamin deficiencies, or even the natural aging process.
Skin isn’t just the outer layer of our bodies, it’s our largest living organ. Our skin is constantly changing and growing to protect our insides and shield against germs and bacteria. As our skin acts like our body’s topcoat and works with our immune system to protect us, it’s vital that we take care of it. In order to do that, first you need to know what can cause dry, dull skin.
What Causes Dry Skin?
When our skin is dry it can lose its natural glow. Here are some of the most common causes of dry skin and why it loses moisture and radiance:
- Aging – Activity from our sebaceous glands, or oil glands, reduces with aging. The skin’s ability to renew lipids also decreases – these make up the protective lipid barrier of the stratum corneum (our skin’s outer layer).
- Climate – Moisture evaporates from our skin when it’s overexposed to the sun. In winter, cold winds and indoor heating also dry out our skin.
- Lifestyle – Examples like lack of sleep, excessive alcohol consumption, and fat-free diets can deprive the skin of hydration which can lead to dryness, flaking, and chronic itching.
Cleansing the skin and moisturizing daily can help to keep skin happy and healthy-looking. This is especially important in winter when our skin becomes vulnerable to extreme temperatures and can dry out easily.
Easy Ways to Get Healthy Glowing Skin
1. Glowing Skin Tips for Your Skincare Regime
Cleanse and Exfoliate
Cleansing daily helps to remove dead skin cells and everyday dirt – plus it gets rid of excess oils that can make your skin appear greasy, rather than glowing. Look for a gentle, non-comedogenic cleanser that won’t clog your pores. Similarly, exfoliating once a week sloughs off dead skin cells that could be making skin appear dull and tired. This allows for the healthy skin cells underneath to show through. By taking care of these appropriately, with proper moisturisation, you can maintain a healthy-looking glow. Be sure to exfoliate gently, especially in winter when your skin is vulnerable – if you’re too rigorous you can actually damage the skin.
Moisturise – Especially in Winter
Get glowing skin by moisturising regularly to keep your skin healthy-looking and hydrated. Vaseline® Intensive Care™ Cocoa Glow Lotion contains glycerin to draw moisture to the skin and micro-droplets of Vaseline® Jelly to lock in moisture. This formula moisturises to help to restore dry, dull skin and give you softer, more radiant looking skin.
The cocoa butter in Vaseline® Intensive Care™ Cocoa Glow Lotion is also a known emollient, meaning it is known to soothe and moisturise deeply to help heal dry skin for a beautiful glow.
Moisturising is especially important in winter. Humidity is low in cold temperatures so the skin on your lips can become dry and cracked very easily. Using a lip balm, like Vaseline® Lip Therapy Original, can help bring dry lips back to life with long-lasting moisture.
2. How to Have Glowing Skin with a Healthy Diet
Looking good on the outside can also be affected by how healthy our bodies are on the inside. Moisturising is important for glowing skin, but our diet and certain vitamins may help give our skin an extra boost.
Stay Healthy
Glowing skin can start with a diet that promotes our overall wellbeing. Foods that are considered skin-friendly include:
- Carrots, apricots, and a range of yellow and orange fruits and vegetables
- Spinach and leafy green vegetables
- Tomatoes
- Blueberries
- Beans, peas, and lentils
- Salmon, mackerel, and fatty fish
- Nuts
Promote good skin health by maintaining a healthy diet. Speak with your doctor or a nutritionist for advice on selecting a healthy, balanced diet that is right for you
Omega-3
Foods containing essential fatty acids are believed to be beneficial for the skin. They may help to strengthen the skin’s natural oil-retaining barriers. Try adding some Omega-3 to your diet; oily fish – like salmon or mackerel – flaxseed, and walnuts are all rich in different kinds of Omega-3 essential oils.
Vitamin C
Aging skin can often be dry, making your skin appear tired and dull. Eating foods containing Vitamin C may help restore your radiance. You’ll find Vitamin C in oranges, red peppers, strawberries, and potatoes.
3. Lifestyle Changes for Glowing Skin
Sun exposure, stress, and neglecting our skin can all affect its natural radiance. With simple tweaks to your daily routine, you can help your skin get its glow back. Here’s how to get glowing skin with a few lifestyle adjustments.
Wear Sunscreen
Glowing red from sunburn isn’t a good look, and it’s not safe for your skin either. When you’re out in the sun, always wear sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 30, which filters out 97 percent of harmful UVB rays. You can also get sunburned in winter, especially if you’re taking part in activities like skiing or snowboarding, as snow can reflect ultraviolet light. For effective coverage you should reapply sunscreen every two hours throughout the day when outdoors. Remember: when applying make-up before going outside, always put sunscreen on first.
Avoid Irritants
Common irritants such as very hot water and harsh chemicals in soaps and skincare and beauty products (especially if you have sensitive skin) can cause your skin to appear red and puffy. Although a long, hot shower in winter might sound appealing after a day out in the cold, hot showers can also weaken lipids, drying out the skin and reducing its radiance. Stick to cool or warm showers, and fragrance-free or unscented, non-irritating, hypoallergenic skin care products. Also, moisturise daily after a shower to lock in moisture using Vaseline® Intensive Care™ Cocoa Glow Lotion.
Sleep Well
We’ve all heard of beauty sleep, but did you know that a lack of sleep really can affect the appearance of your skin? When you have tired skin, it loses its natural glow. Lack of sleep causes the blood vessels to dilate, leading to dark circles under the eyes, leaving you with a dull, tired looking complexion. The good news is that the skin renews itself as you sleep. Skin is hard at work while we sleep. Our body’s main defense against the outside world works overtime to protect us, as cell regeneration doubles at night and the production of collagen – a protein that promotes the healing of wounds – increases. Make sure you get 7 – 9 hours of sleep per night to help maintain healthy glowing skin.
Reduce stress
Work to reduce your physical and emotional stress levels to promote glowing skin from within. Stress causes a chemical response in your body that makes your skin more sensitive and reactive. It can also make it harder for any skin problems you have to heal. When you’re stressed you may neglect your normal skin care regime too. Be sure to follow your daily skin care routine, even when you’re busy, and take actions to reduce stress. For example, getting enough sleep and taking time to yourself – such as going for a walk, reading a book, or meditating – can help you maintain a balanced lifestyle
Exercise
Not only is a workout great for maintaining a healthy lifestyle, it can also have a positive impact on our skin. Exercise can boost collagen production which improves skin texture, and it can increase the flow of blood, oxygen, and nutrients needed to repair environmental damage that can cause skin to age or become irritated. Physical exercise may also help prevent premature aging by increasing the level of antioxidant activity.
As the skin helps to remove waste from the body through sweat, it’s important to keep skin clear of heavy make-up during a workout. It’s also best to take a cool shower afterwards and wait until the skin has fully cooled before applying a hydrating moisturizer to revitalize the skin. Whether your skin looks dull and tired due to aging, or from a hectic, everyday lifestyle, you can help restore your glowing skin. Keeping on top of your skin care regime is vital, especially in cold snaps that can dry the skin.
With these simple tips for glowing skin, you can achieve a warm, radiant complexion and keep skin smooth, supple, and hydrated.
Expert Advice
The advice in this article does not constitute medical advice, it is solely available for information purposes.
