Ugh! There’s nothing more frustrating than putting together an iconic makeup look before school or your weekly trip to Starbucks with your best friend, just to look in the mirror and realize your face is a dry, patchy mess. Dealing with dry teen skin can be a challenge, but understanding why it happens and how to fight it off can help get rid of it for good.
What is Dry Skin?
Dry skin is a complexion that looks rough, flaky, or irritated. It occurs when your skin isn’t getting enough moisture or producing its own natural oils. Teens with dry skin might also notice that their faces can get red when especially parched. This skin type can feel very itchy and tight, especially after showering or swimming.
What Causes Dry Skin?
There are lots of different factors that can contribute to both periodic and chronic dry skin. You might be affected by one singular factor or multiple at once.
The main things that cause dry skin are:
- changes in weather
- dry air
- hot showers
- frequent swimming in chlorinated pools
- fragrance
- harsh soap and laundry detergent
- other skin conditions
- Weather Changes
Weather changes can affect your teen skin just like they influence your mood. On a warm, sunny morning, you might wake up with a smile on your face and enough motivation to conquer the world, but when you wake up to see a blizzard or thunderstorm, someone might just have to drag you out of bed.
Quick changes in the weather can cause teen skin to have intense reactions. Dry skin is sensitive to cold air and low humidity levels. This is why you might notice that your skin is glowing in the summertime, but you have to start bathing in moisturizer come winter.
- Dry Air
As mentioned before, a lack of humidity can dry out the skin intensely. Think about how dehydrated you feel when you forget your water bottle at home all day. Now, imagine how your skin feels when it’s trapped in dry air 24/7. Dry environments make it hard for teen skin to produce the natural oils it needs in order to stay supple and healthy.
Lots of different environments can have dry air. Your house, school, or favorite coffee shop could be secretly contributing to your dry skin. If your environment is dry, if your skin feels tight, your throat feels scratchy, and you feel dehydrated, the air could also be dry.
- Long, Hot Showers
This one is so tragic! Does this mean we’re going to have to start doing our nightly Olivia Rodrigo concert session in lukewarm water? Even though hot showers feel amazing and relaxing, they can dry out your skin if you take them too regularly or for too long.
If you want to take a nice, hot shower, try to limit it to ten minutes or less. A short amount of time shouldn’t do too much damage to your dry skin. For days when you want to shave, exfoliate, face mask it up, and do the whole nine, try to keep your water on the cooler side.
- Swimming in Pools Often
If your ideal summer consists of heading to the pool every day, we’re sorry to break your heart. The chlorine in pools can be super drying to the face and body, especially if you’re already prone to dry teen skin. We’re not suggesting that you miss out on all the fun; just maybe try to avoid putting your face underwater or don’t stay in for super long periods. Don’t forget to always moisturize your face and body afterward!
- Fragrance
Smelling like flowers and vanilla might be your signature thing, but you should know that some fragrances can be harmful to your dry skin. You don’t have to compromise your skin’s health to smell amazing. When it comes to your face, fragrance is never the best option.
Your body can have adverse reactions to fragrances in your body wash, perfumes, or lotions. It all depends on which products you use and the ingredients within them. Teens with dry skin need to pay extra attention to this. When you’re already prone to getting itchy or dry skin, fragrances made with chemicals can make it worse.
- Harsh Soap and Detergent
Just like products with too much fragrance, ones with too many chemicals can leave teen skin feeling like the Sahara. Laundry detergent also has more of an effect on the skin than you might think. You use it to wash your sheets, pillowcases, washcloths, and clothes; you,know, things your skin is touching all the time.
- Underlying Skin Conditions
It sucks, but sometimes your skin might be dealing with something that some extra moisturizer can’t fix. There are lots of different conditions that can lead to dryness, like eczema or psoriasis. If you feel like there’s a more significant issue going on, you might want to speak to a doctor.
When to See a Dermatologist
If you’ve been struggling with dry skin, it might be hard to tell if it’s just dehydrated or if you have a skin condition. It’s always better to be safe and go to a doctor if you have concerns.
Some signs that you might need a visit to the dermatologist are:
- Your skin isn’t improving even after a long, consistent routine.
- Itching and irritation starts interfering with sleep.
- You have open sores or infections from scratching.
- You get large areas of scaling or peeling skin.
When your dry face becomes a problematic part of daily life, you deserve to feel like yourself again. You can get a dermatologist’s exam to make sure you’re getting your dry teen skin the help it needs. Keep in mind that if you start to experience intense dryness and leave it untreated, it can lead to more intense infections or issues.
How to Combat Dry Skin
Having dry teen skin isn’t a fun adventure, but there are things you can do to heal it and make it better over time. As long as you pay attention to your skin and its needs, you will achieve a natural radiance and glow.
The most important things you can do to combat dryness and irritation are:
- Use gentle skincare products.
- Moisturize every day.
- Don’t over-exfoliate.
- Wear sunscreen daily.
- Get a humidifier or diffuser.
- Drink lots of water
- Eat healthy, replenishing foods
Gentle Teen Skincare
Even though teen skin products with harsh ingredients are often marketed as acne killers, they run the risk of drying out your skin and increasing irritation. Gentle products with a simple ingredient list will still clear your skin without leaving it dehydrated. A non-abrasive cleanser followed up by a light moisturizer is the perfect recipe for a luminous complexion.
How do you know if your skincare routine is the root of your dry skin? If you notice your face feels especially dry after you start using that new cleanser, it might be time to try something new. An excellent way to test if your products are harmful is by trying one new thing at a time instead of rebuilding your whole routine overnight.
Certain chemicals are incredibly drying to your already sensitive teen skin. So look out for things like parabens, sulfate, and fragrance in your face and body products. Glycerin, on the other hand, is a great ingredient for getting rid of dry skin. The Kidskin gentle skin cleanser features glycerin and has a light, foamy consistency.
If you notice that the skin on your body tends to get dry too, you might need to make some adjustments to your shower routine. You can still find a body wash, like our soothing mandarin body wash, that smells amazing without leaving your skin feeling tight and agitated. The foaming consistency is lightweight, but the formula will leave you with long-lasting hydration.
The Importance of Daily Moisturizing
When you’re half asleep before school in the morning or exhausted after a long day, the last thing you’re probably thinking of is adding one more step to your skincare routine. However, moisturizing every day is a must for people who experience dry skin. Your skin gets dry when it lacks the natural oils it needs, and moisturizers can bring them back to the surface.
Even people with the oiliest skin can start to experience dryness if they neglect moisturizing. When your skin is already on the dry side, you’re probably used to feeling tightness, itching, and irritation. Moisturizer will be so soothing that it’ll become your favorite step in your skincare routine.
For a refreshing moisturizer that will fight dryness, check out the Kidskin calming moisturizer. It was made for people with all skin types and conditions, so it doesn’t have ingredients that irritate your face.
Don’t Over Exfoliate
We’re sure you’ve seen some of your favorite beauty gurus using an intensive exfoliator to rid their skin of makeup, oil, and imperfections. Sure, exfoliating can get rid of dead skin cells and dirt, but it can also significantly dry out your face and body. So, if your teen skin is extremely dry or sensitive, you should probably skip out on exfoliating altogether.
Dry brushing is a natural way to remove dead skin cells from your body that doesn’t include intense chemicals. But, it can still be a bit abrasive if you’re not gentle, so be careful when using it. Whether you’re dry brushing or using a skin exfoliator, you should never do it on teen skin more than once a week.
Sun Care for Dry Skin
It doesn’t matter if your teen skin is dry, oily, acne-ridden, or a combination of all three; everyone needs to be wearing sunscreen daily. When you’re a teen, you might be tempted to skip out on the sunblock before beach day so you can get a good tan, but this is a bad idea when it comes to your skin health. Being overly exposed to UV rays can cause sunburn, rashes, discomfort, and premature aging later in life.
Dry teen skin can be especially reactive to the sun. Everyone knows how much it sucks to be stuck with a painful, peeling sunburn. But, when you’re already dealing with skin irritation and a lack of moisture, sun damage can be especially harmful.
The Kidskin daily sunscreen is an excellent choice for any skin type. It has zinc oxide, a gentle ingredient for fighting UV rays compared to those in other sunscreens. With SPF thirty, you know you’ll be protected for soccer practice, beach day, or whatever outdoor festivities are on your schedule.
Humidifiers and Diffusers for Dry Teen Skin
As previously mentioned, dry air is such a buzzkill for sensitive skin. You can bring moisture back into the air with a humidifier. The cool, relaxing mist will take your bedroom from dull to dream-like. Plus, not only are humidifiers great for your teen skin, but they can also prevent dryness in your throat and nose.
Who doesn’t love the smell of lavender or eucalyptus essential oil? It’s no secret that everyone and their mother either wants a diffuser or already owns one. Even though they don’t provide the same amount of moisture as a humidifier, they can be suitable for small spaces like the car.
Drink Your Daily H2O!
If there’s anything you take from this blog, let it be that you need to be drinking enough water every day. It’s the most crucial skincare tip of all time! Staying hydrated is one of the best things you can do for your skin and body. So find a cute water bottle and keep it filled for clear pores, reduced acne and scarring, and of course, a radiant face.
Not sure how much water you should drink on a daily basis? It depends on your lifestyle, gender, weight, etc. On average, most professionals recommend that teens should be drinking around eight to eleven cups of water a day. But, of course, that’s only a lot of water if you don’t have a Hydro Flask (just kidding).
Healthy Foods for Dry Skin
The lovely thing about having teen skin is spending all night watching Tik Toks, texting your crushes, and eating all the salty and sugary things with your besties just to wake up with a giant dry patch or growing breakout on your face. Sadly, your favorite cookie dough ice cream and Cool Ranch Doritos aren’t doing your skin any favors. Instead, try foods like avocado, oatmeal, carrots, and raspberries that are rich in nutrients and will help replenish your skin.
You can kiss your dry skin and redness goodbye with a new and improved skincare routine. Choose your products wisely, be patient with your skin, and remember to always stay hydrated! You’re already on track to being a glowing god or goddess.