Great looking skin is a wonderful thing to have. Healthy and wonderful skin not only enhances your personality but also protects your body from outside world. Most of us are not born with perfect skin type and complexion, and the problem is worse when we find that our skin type is dry, since dry skin looks dull, damaged and tight, especially after washing with soap and water.

Characteristics of dry skin

Dry skin looks dry because of its inability to retain moisture. It has a low level of sebum and sometimes it can be quite prone to sensitivity. Once washed with soap and water, dry skin becomes tight and uncomfortable unless some moisturizing lotion is applied on it. Another characteristic of dry skin is - chapping and cracking, due to wind, extreme temperature or air conditioning, though these are the signs of extremely dry skin. If you have dry skin, you may also have tiny expression lines on the cheeks, around the eyes or in the corners of mouth.

Taking care of dry skin

The main problem of dry skin is lack of moisture and this can be solved by thorough and regular use of moisturizing lotion. Moisturizer increases the water content of the outer layer of your dry skin and gives it a soft and smooth look. The skin also needs regular stimulation with oil and cream massage. This gives extra protection to the skin.

Avoid using tap water for cleaning your dry skin, for the deposits of tap water may also deposit on dry skin making it drier. Use filtered water to wash your face. You can also use mineral water to freshen your face skin. Avoid using rough cloth, since rough texture can irritate your dry skin.

Highly alkaline soaps and detergents are harmful for dry skins because these contain highly alkaline and drying ingredients. You should use mild, non-detergent, and neutral-pH products for cleaning your skin. After washing, always massage your skin with oil or cream. It is good if you can use baby oil after having bath and nourishing cream before going to bed at night. Be careful about the places where the expression lines are born - apply cream gently on those spots.

Diet recommendation for dry skin

Diet takes a vital part to keep the moisture level of your dry skin balanced. Here is a list of recommended diet for your dry skin. Always maintain a balanced diet with lots of vegetables, fruits, grains, and nuts that can satisfy your requirement of protein, carbohydrate and fat. Raw food is better than cooked food. So increase the intake of raw foods. Make sure you are consuming a plenty of yellow and orange vegetables, as these are high in beta-carotene, an antioxidant. Drink plenty of water to keep your dry skin well hydrated. Use unrefined cold-pressed flax seed oil for salad, baked vegetables or other dishes that do not require heating to high temperature. This type of food will keep your dry skin moist. Flax seed contains high amount of Omega-3 fatty acid, which keeps your skin healthy. Eat foods rich in sulfur like garlic, onion and eggs. These will keep your dry skin smooth and healthy. Avoid foods that kill - fried foods, animal fats and heat-processed vegetable oils. Use cold-pressed oils. Avoid alcohol, caffeine, soft drinks, sugar, chocolate, potato chips, and junk foods.

It's true that you cannot change our skin type but you can take good care of it to give it a better look. Dry skin is a problem but following the recommended diet and proper skin care you can avoid uncomfortable situations that you face for dry skin. However, dry skin has one advantage too. You will less likely to have acne than oily skin.

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