[10 Ways to Drench Your Skin]

Factors like water temperature and the after-shower steps you take can greatly affect the hydration level of your skin. Here’s how to make sure it remains optimally hydrated.

AVOID ABRASIVE SOAPS
Strong soaps are very capable of stripping oil from your skin, leaving it dry and scaly, particularly deodorizing and fragranced soaps. If you need them, limit usage to areas that develop odours such as the armpits, genital area and feet. Harsh soaps don’t contain additives such as moisturizers or moisture retainers which is why your skin feels tight after wash. The best soaps are mild ones specially formulated with glycerine and other moisturizing ingredients. Dermalogists love gentle soaps.

GET A GOOD BODY LOTION
Never for once think that slapping on any lotion is doing your skin any justice. Using the wrong moisturizing lotion will not help your dry skin in the long term. Lightweight lotions may be great cosmetically but body oils or heavy body creams are more effective in trapping moisture. Regardless of skin type, it’s best to get products that can deliver the best benefits. Its best to apply moisturizers twice a day after shower when skin’s most absorbent.

CUT SHOWERS SHORT
When temperatures reach desert-hot outside, you might be tempted to take a longer shower. Delightful as that may be, lingering in the shower will actually dry out the skin even more. Showering moisturizes the skin temporarily, but soaking in water for too long will remove skin’s oily lipid layer. So try to use lukewarm water daily for shower. If have a bathtub, add about a teaspoonful of bath oil to bath water for more moisturizing benefits. When toweling dry, avoid rubbing the skin. Blot or pat dry so there is still more moisture left on the skin.

HANDY HYDRATION
Unless you’re a very lucky woman who gets served on hand and foot 24/7, chances are you need a moisturizer that locks in moisture while you go about your daily routine. May good moisturizers work better these days-they seal in existing water into the skin. Keep those hands supple and smooth with luxurious hand creams.

DON’T WASH WHAT YOU DON’T HAVE TO
One of the greatest skin sins is washing too much. In reality, overwashing and using harsh astringents dry out and irritate skin, causing it to produce more oil in the long run. We just need to wash our face twice a day with a gentle cleanser. Overwashing skin and hair robs them of moisture, resulting in scaly skin and hair breakage eventually. While hygiene is important you should not leave out the conditioning bit. A shampoo every other day is more than enough. Instead of washing hair daily, simply rinse hair and condition.

MAKE A FACE
The level of moisture on your face fluctuates depending on stress level, hormonal changes, the weather as well as other external factors. Protect your face from dehydration with more than an ordinary moisturizer. Dry skin around the eyes leads to fine lines which settle into permanent wrinkles.

TAKE COVER
Sunburns cause skin to become dry and irritated. Apply daily a moisturizer with sun block or sunscreen of at least spf15 to areas most exposed to the sun, such as the face, ears, hands, and back of neck. Wear protective clothing complete with sunglasses and a cap if you’re going to be under the sun for a long time. Also, strong winds do more damage than just tangling up hair. It removes surface lipids from the skin, resulting in water loss to the outer layers. That’s when those layers become inflamed and chapped.

SLEEP ON IT
When outside temperatures soar, chances are you’ll have your air conditioner turned up at full blast. To prevent your skin from cracking, apply a heavy body cream over legs, arms, feet and hands after shower or at least an hour before you hit the sack to prevent butter-dipped feeling. This is also a time for intense spot treatment. Apply the right products to your cracked heel or rough elbow.

SHAVE SAFELY
Shaving is another reason for dry skin. Those triple blades scrape the surface of your skin as it removes the hair, causing a snake skin effect. Now here’s a trick you can learn from the men. Use shaving gel or foams available at pharmacies to get a smoother and better shave than dry shaving. Most of them are formulated with vitamins and aloe vera to moisturize and protect the skin. After shaving, follow up with your body lotion or dream.

OUT WITH THE OLD
Applying body creams to rough, dry skin is like cramming in information at the last minute before an examination-nothing sinks in. once you have a build-up of dead skin cells, and it’s difficult for a lotion to be absorbed properly. To clear the way for moisturizers on normal skin, gently exfoliate once a week with a grainy scrub. One caveat: dry skin may be itchy and cracked, so be careful not to use too harsh an exfoliator or you’ll worsen the situation.