As I've mentioned previously, I have dry skin. However, it goes a little deeper than the occasional patch of dry skin, I have eczema which means my skin is always dry and in need of some serious moisture.

I've had eczema since birth and I've never known life without it, so it doesn't bother me too much but aside from being careful about what I put on my skin, I am always on the hunt for products that make my skin feel amazing. While my skin is constantly getting better (as I now take care of it rather than just leaving it to be dry and cracked) I have experienced a period of bad skin which could be down to any number of things and isn't at all uncommon for me.

It's at times when my skin is bad that I search for new products to try, again like I said, I have to be careful of what I use but I gravitate towards products aimed for my skin type to avoid any unnecessary allergic reactions. As I've grown and gotten older, I have found that my skin is more accepting of products, meaning that I can now wear makeup and perfume with little-to-no fuss which is great. However, I am still wary of certain products, bath bombs for example, as I know I'm still allergic to some of the ingredients and no amount of persuasion by staff is going to make me voluntarily give myself an allergic reaction (sorry, Lush but it's not happening!)

With that being said, I have gotten into a pretty good skin routine which I thought I would share in case any of you suffer from dry skin and are in need of recommendations. I'd also love to hear your tips for treating dry skin as I'm always willing to try something new.

Tip #1 - Find a good moisturiser:
When I was a child I hated putting on my moisturiser; they were thick, greasy, foul-smelling concoctions that I was prescribed by the doctor and I hated putting the gelatinous gloop on my skin. I must've tried every moisturiser under the sun when I stumbled upon Aveeno. Featuring natural ingredients such as Colloidal Oatmeal, and having no chemical-ly smell, Aveeno was an instant hit for me.



When I was smothering my skin in the other creams (such as Cetraben in comparison) I had to let the cream sink into my skin overnight, and it often left a greasy residue on my pyjamas and even bedding as it was so strong. This meant that moisturising in a morning when I had woken up was out of the question, and so my skin got worse. With Aveeno, however, I found it easy to get into a routine of applying my cream in the morning so that my days were generally way more comfortable.

Aveeno's light formula allows it to sink into the skin really quickly and the moisture lasts all day. By lunchtime, my skin still feels soft and I'm not in danger of needing to re-apply which is great as no-one wants to have to take time out of their day to reapply moisturiser, especially when they've got a job or life to attend to.  Also, Aveeno has no strong smell, in fact not much of a smell at all which was amazing to me since all the creams I had used previously had a strong smell associated with them. I use it all over and on my face which is great as then, I don't need to buy a specific face moisturiser. Also, Jennifer Aniston is the face of Aveeno so it can't be all bad!

Tip #2 - Vaseline is a god-send:
Vaseline is essentially the best moisturiser on the planet, and it's not just for lips.

I use Vaseline on my dry spots (knees, elbows etc) and I also use it to prevent cracked skin on my feet. Ew I know, I just mentioned feet, but when they're in need of some TLC I use Vaseline to pump so much needed moisture into them.



Whenever my skin is so dry I rub some Vaseline on the area and then leave it overnight and voila, instantly better skin!

Tip #3 - Face scrub:
Your body isn't the only place that gets dry, your face does too. Usually, I wear a light layer of makeup during the day, and with this year's unpredictable weather I found myself in dire need of a face scrub that wasn't going to be too harsh on my skin.



I came across this St Ives oatmeal face scrub in Boots and I became instantly hooked as soon as I used it. The product can be used either as a face mask or as a face wash, and I alternate between both. When I want to have a pamper evening I apply the product as a facemask and leave for 10 minutes, the ingredients in the mask allow it to dry in a salt-like texture which gently exfoliates your face when you take it off. When used as a face wash, which I do as part of my shower routine, the exfoliant is slightly stronger I feel, but both applications leave my face feeling very moisturised and soft.

Using this face wash means I can target the dryest areas of my face and even out my skin tone which in turn makes my makeup sit better on my face, and makes me a lot more comfortable.

Tip #4 - Micellar Water:
By now, everyone knows about or uses micellar water. I find it so much easier to take my makeup off with instead of makeup wipes which, if I'm honest, always used to burn my eyes when I took my eyeliner off.

I used the Garnier micellar water for a year or so before I, again, stumbled across the micellar water with oil in Boots. It smells amazing, it removes my makeup better than the original formula and the best thing... It hydrates my skin!



I used to hate taking my makeup off as I could feel the moisture leaving my skin with each stroke. I'm also someone who loves to apply eyeliner and eyeshadow so taking my eye makeup off after a night out was, to put it mildly, painful. My eyes felt like they were shrivelling up and I'd wake up with mascara under my eyes the next morning as it was simply too painful to take my mascara off.

Now, with the added oil, I can take my makeup off knowing that my face will be hydrated at the end. No more mascara-related agony as I take my makeup off, I'm comfortable. Yes, it does leave a thin layer of oil on my skin, but I rub it into my skin with my moisturiser so it's all good. I honestly would recommend this to anyone suffering from dry skin as it really does work. And the large bottles last me months, so good value for money as well!


Tip #5 - Body Wash:
This last product is new to me, having only used it a few times, but I found that regular body wash formulas were drying my skin out, and I needed something that put moisture back into my skin while I was showering. My mum suggested buying the Aveeno body wash (here I go again with Aveeno) which I did and I now love!



The formula is very thick and produces a thick lather when worked into the skin. I feel like I am washing with moisturiser rather than soap and I really like how my skin feels when I step out of the shower. The only downsides to this product are 1) the price. Costing nearly £10 it's pricey, but that's for 500ml, and for the peace of mind that your skin will be nice and soft. Also 2) there's no real smell to the body wash. I don't get out of the shower smelling as bad as I went in, I'm clean, but there's no perfumed smell that lets you know you've been in the shower. But that makes sense when you consider that perfume dries the skin, so the lack of smell means more moisture is allowed back into your skin.

My skin will change as I change and I know I will have good moments and bad moments but for now, I know that I have a strong base of products which ensure that enough moisture is reaching my skin as is possible. My skin feels a lot better and looks healthier which is great; if only I could go back in time and tell my 8yr old self that there is a better alternative to smothering Cetraben on my skin...