For some, dry skin comes around every winter, bringing with it chapped lips, cracked knuckles, and flaky patches. For others, dry skin is simply the type of skin they’re born with. Either way, dry sensitive skin can be difficult to deal with, but with the right hydrating products, it can feel a million times better.

Sensitive skin reacts more to changes in the environment, touch, and certain skincare products, but just because your skin is sensitive, doesn’t mean it has to stay that way. Skin sensitivity can be a side effect of dryness—think tightness, itchiness, and redness—or a side effect of a weak skin barrier.

In fact, both excessive dryness and sensitivity are often the results of a weakened skin barrier. The skin’s natural barrier is a combination of skin cells fortified by natural lipids that protect it from external elements and allow it to retain moisture. When this barrier isn’t intact, the skin easily loses moisture and is easily irritated.

When dealing with dry, sensitive skin it’s essential to use gentle ingredients that infuse the skin with moisture, restore its moisture barrier, and soothe irritation. Here, we’ll show you how to hydrate dry sensitive skin with the right products so you can achieve visibly healthier skin and experience greater comfort. Explore our skincare for sensitive skin collection and follow our recommended skincare routine below.

Restore the Skin’s Natural Barrier

Whether you are looking for skincare for oily sensitive skin or dry skin, the first step to hydrating dry, sensitive skin is to strengthen the skin’s natural barrier so it can actually retain the moisture you supply later on. Natural oils such as Camellia oil, Sunflower Seed oil, Safflower oil, and Rosa Damascena oil mimic the natural lipids in your skin and thus are effective at replenishing the skin’s natural barrier.

You can find these oils as well as Jojoba Seed Oil, Macadamia Seed Oil, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, and Cranberry Seed Oil in our Rose O12 Moisture Defence Oil. This hydrating facial oil is developed specifically for dry skin with 12 ultra-nourishing plant oils that contain ceramides, phospholipids, and essential fatty acids to help replenish and reinforce the skin barrier. In addition to replenishing the moisture barrier to help prevent continued dryness, these oils also work to rehydrate the skin.

Exfoliate, Gently

While exfoliating may make those with sensitive skin cringe, it is critical to achieving healthy-looking and hydrated skin. If you’re applying hydrating products constantly, and not seeing results, it could be because the products are being blocked by dead skin cells. Gentle exfoliation will rid your skin of these dead skin cells as well as any flaky patches you may be experiencing and allow hydrating products to actually to be more easily absorbed by the skin.

Our Ready Steady Glow AHA Tonic features lactic acid, which is one of the most gentle and hydrating of the acids but is still powerful enough to do away with dead skin cells. Reach for this at night after cleansing to get the job done. If you’re worried about skin sensitivity, start by using the tonic every other day, and apply it with an already dampened cloth or cotton pad.

Supply Ample Hydration

Now it’s time to infuse your skin with moisture. From hydrating serum skincare to moisturizing cream, there are a lot of moisturizer products on the market for dehydrated skin. One of the best ways to do this is to choose products that feature humectants such as glycerin and hyaluronic acid. These ingredients will allow your skin to hold onto water molecules and help retain the moisture you supply.

Our Ultra Moisture Day Cream contains both of these hydrating ingredients as well as shea butter to soften and smooth the skin and cranberry seed oil to help replenish the skin’s natural lipid barrier. It is specifically formulated to provide dry skin with optimal hydration and help it feel comfortable. What more could you want?

Apply this daily moisturizer morning and night after cleansing, toning, and applying facial oil.

Mask Up

When your skin is ultra-dry and littered with symptoms, it’s time to go beyond the day-to-day routine. Hydrate more efficiently with a weekly (or whenever you need it) skincare mask. Evercalm™ Ultra Comforting Rescue Mask is a fast-acting, calming and hydrating solution for dry sensitive skin*. It features beta-glucan from yeast, a powerful, yet gentle, natural ingredient that moisturizes the skin and reduces signs of sensitivity by boosting the skin’s natural barrier.

Reach for this mask whenever your skin needs rescuing. We recommend using it up to three times per week for 10-15 minutes or as an overnight mask to achieve a luminous, healthy-looking complexion that feels calm and comfortable.

*Proven by a consumer evaluation study

Sources:

Beta Glucan for Skincare

Best Natural Ingredients for Dry Skin

Dry Skin Treatment

Byrdie: Daily Skincare Routine

About the Author

Camille Poggi is a doctor in Pharmacy (PharmD.) and is passionate about skincare and how the skin works in general. She specializes in the cosmetic industry and worked for renowned companies in France like L’Oréal and Chanel before moving to London. After being a training manager for 4 years, Camille is at ease with explaining how products work in the skin and how to adapt her speech according to the audience.

She joined REN in January 2020 as International Training Manager and moved to the Research & Development team earlier this year to be the new Scientific Education Manager. A tailored-made role where she assesses and leads all technical communication and ensures scientific compliance is always met. She’s also involved in new product development from the earliest stages. Finding a way to create sustainable skincare products and making sure the message is properly delivered and understood is definitely a big challenge but also her favorite part working for REN.