Best Moisturizers for Dry Skin
Whether your dry skin is caused by cold weather, aging, harsh soaps, over-exfoliation, or your skin type, finding the best face moisturizer is crucial.
Moisturizers contain hydrating and emollient ingredients that nourish the skin’s barrier, prevent water loss, and lock in skincare products (like serums) to enhance the skincare routine.
Today’s article will cover products for dry skin. Keep reading as we explore the best moisturizers for dry skin. We’ll discuss:
- When to apply moisturizer
- Ingredients to look for in a dry skin moisturizer
- How to choose the best moisturizer for dry skin
- How to hydrate your skin
- The best dry skin moisturizer options from NassifMD® facial plastic surgeon skincare
Where Moisturizing Fits in Daily Skincare Routines
The order in which you apply your skincare routine matters. You’ll get more benefits from your moisturizer when you apply it correctly. Overall, you want to layer skincare products from the thinnest to the thickest. This layering process will put your moisturizer at or near the end of your skincare routine.
A helpful skincare routine order is:
- Cleanser
- Toner
- Serums
- Eye cream
- Moisturizer
- Sunscreen (for your morning routine)
A simple routine could include cleansing, toning, moisturizing, and sunscreen during the day. Moisturizing isn’t just for dry skin; while dry skin needs extra moisture, all skin types benefit.
What Ingredients to Look for in Dry Skin Moisturizers
Hyaluronic Acid
Are you curious about how to quickly hydrate skin? Hyaluronic acid is at the top of list of hydrating skincare ingredients. It’s a natural molecule made by the body, and it’s present in high amounts in the skin to help with skin regeneration, moisturizing, and keeping the skin young.
As a topical skincare ingredient, hyaluronic acid pulls water into the skin and holds it there. Combining it with other bioactive skincare ingredients creates synergistic effects, so you’ll see it in toners, serums, and some of the best dry skin moisturizers.
Glycerin
Glycerin is another skincare ingredient that hydrates skin. It’s a natural component of lipids, the glyceride part of triglycerides in the body. Maintaining the lipid barrier is critically important to skin health and preventing dryness that leads to red, cracked, and irritated skin.
Glycerin is considered a humectant because it maintains skin moisture and hydration in cosmetic and skincare products. One study examined topical glycerin solutions and found they helped prevent water loss (by evaporation) from the skin.
Ceramides
Ceramides are natural, moisturizing lipids that help form the physical structure of the skin barrier, the outermost layer of the skin, called the stratum corneum. Low ceramide levels are associated with various skin conditions and water loss from the skin, leading to dry skin. You’ll find ceramides in top skin moisturizers.
Shea Butter
Shea butter is a natural fat extracted from the African Shea tree. In skincare, it acts as an emollient and occlusive to prevent moisture loss and smooth and soften skin. It’s a thick ingredient and can be helpful as a nighttime moisturizer to promote skin healing and moisturizing while you sleep.
How to Choose the Right Moisturizer for Dry Skin
Dry skin means a damaged skin barrier, which leads to further dehydration. Moisturizing requires infusing hydration, repairing the skin barrier, and creating a seal to protect the skin. The best daily face moisturizer for your skin could be a gel, lotion, cream, or balm. You may also elect a moisturizing sunscreen or two separate products during the day. Choosing a thicker cream overnight supports skin healing.
Consider Your Skin Type
It’s a skincare myth that only dry skin needs moisturizing. You can have oily, acne-prone, or combination skin and still be dehydrated and need moisturizing support. Each skin type will need something different. For example, oily skin may benefit from gels and water-based products, while dry skin does better with more oils.
Richer Creams for Nighttime
For dry skin, choose a thicker product as the last step of your nighttime skincare routine, to protect the skin barrier and prevent water loss. The active ingredients in your moisturizer can help repair and replenish the skin as you sleep.
Lighter Gels for Daytime
It’s perfectly fine to use thick moisturizers during the day if this works for you. However, some may choose a lighter moisturizer during the day and a thicker one to promote healing at night. Daily sunscreen is important to use daily as sun damage can worsen dry skin. Choose a non-drying, moisturizing sunscreen such as NassifMD® Protect & Hydrate or NassifMD® Simply Hydration.
Moisturizing Tips to Combat Dry Skin
Managing dry skin, especially in the winter, requires addressing the problem from many angles. Consider your indoor air and invest in a humidifier if warranted. Additionally, stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water and herbal teas. If you have a hard time holding on to water or sweat a lot, adding an electrolyte supplement may help, too. Let’s look at a couple of additional skincare tips to follow along with finding the best moisturizer for your skin.
Apply Immediately After Cleansing
Take advantage of the moisture on your skin after a bath, shower, or washing your face by following it with the rest of your skincare routine. Applying lotion or a moisturizer to clean, damp skin helps capture the moisture. Your skin will respond much better than when products are applied to fully dry skin.
Layer with Serums
Facial serums contain concentrated skincare ingredients like hyaluronic acid, ceramides, and essential nutrients. They can aid in moisturizing, repairing the skin barrier, and healing dry skin. For best results, apply serums after cleansing and before your moisturizer. If you use more than one serum, layer them from thinnest to thickest, then lock them in with a thicker moisturizer.
Some beneficial serums for dry skin include:
- NassifMD® Pro Peptide Collagen Serum
- NassifMD® Hydro-Screen
- NassifMD® Dermaflect Smart Day Therapy Serum
- NassifMD® Radiance Brightening Booster Vitamin C Serum
- NassifMD® Night Therapy Serum
Best Moisturizers for Dry Skin
The best dry skin moisturizers contain moisturizing ingredients to soothe dry skin and improve skin health, preventing future dryness. NassifMD® Skincare is formulated by Dr. Paul Nassif, bringing to you many formulas he uses in his medical spas for post-treatment skin hydration and recovery. These are truly the best products on the market!
Soft Focus Hydrating Day Cream
NassifMD® Soft Focus Hydrating Day Cream transforms dry skin in real time! Watch pores and fine lines diminish while the skin appears more nourished and radiant. Key moisturizing ingredients include red clover extract flora esters (from jojoba), niacinamide (vitamin B3), and hyaluronic acid.
For daytime hydration, apply in the morning after cleansing, toning, and serums. Ninety-two percent of users said their skin looks plumper, and 96% report all-day hydration and a more youthful appearance.
Pure Hydration Night Cream
For overnight hydration, NassifMD® Pure Hydration Night Cream is the best face moisturizer for dry skin. With galactoarabinan (from the larch tree), fu ling mushroom extract, vitamin C, and aloe, this moisturizer deeply hydrates, plumps, and repairs the skin while you sleep. One hundred percent of users say their skin feels immediately hydrated with use.
Caring for dry skin takes some knowledge and effort, but with the right NassifMD® Skincare products, you can moisturize and repair the skin for lasting results.
References
- Juncan, A. M., Moisă, D. G., Santini, A., Morgovan, C., Rus, L. L., Vonica-Țincu, A. L., & Loghin, F. (2021). Advantages of Hyaluronic Acid and Its Combination with Other Bioactive Ingredients in Cosmeceuticals. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 26(15), 4429.
- Chen, H. J., Lee, P. Y., Chen, C. Y., Huang, S. L., Huang, B. W., Dai, F. J., Chau, C. F., Chen, C. S., & Lin, Y. S. (2022). Moisture retention of glycerin solutions with various concentrations: a comparative study. Scientific reports, 12(1), 10232.
- Akiyama, F., Takahashi, N., Ueda, Y., Tada, S., Takeuchi, N., Ohno, Y., & Kihara, A. (2024). Correlations between Skin Condition Parameters and Ceramide Profiles in the Stratum Corneum of Healthy Individuals. International journal of molecular sciences, 25(15), 8291.
- Abdel-Razek, A. G., Abo-Elwafa, G. A., Al-Amrousi, E. F., Badr, A. N., Hassanein, M. M. M., Qian, Y., Siger, A., Grygier, A., Radziejewska-Kubzdela, E., & Rudzińska, M. (2023). Effect of Refining and Fractionation Processes on Minor Components, Fatty Acids, Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities of Shea Butter. Foods (Basel, Switzerland), 12(8), 1626.
