Stubborn dryness may occur if your body is low in vitamin A, vitamin D, iron, niacin or zinc, all of which are a must for healthy skin. Talk to your doctor about whether you might be deficient in one of these nutrients, and if you are, whether or not to take supplements.
One primary reason for dry skin despite sufficient water intake is environmental factors. External elements such as cold, dry air, harsh winds, and low humidity levels can strip the skin of its natural moisture, leading to dryness and irritation.
Research shows that this can lead to excessively dry skin. Vitamin or mineral deficiency: Skin requires nutrients to keep it healthy. If you're not getting enough vitamin D, vitamin A, niacin, zinc, or iron, you can develop excessively dry skin.
Dry skin is skin that doesn't have enough moisture in it to keep it feeling soft. The medical term for dry skin is xeroderma (pronounced “ze-ROW-derm-ah”).
“The best practice is to avoid over-scrubbing because you want to maintain a healthy and intact skin barrier,” Dr. Khalifian notes. Going too hard can leave your skin red and irritated. Use it after cleansing, and always follow with moisturizer to lock in hydration.
Living in cold, windy conditions or low-humidity climates. Too much bathing or scrubbing. Taking long, hot showers or baths or scrubbing your skin too much can dry your skin. Bathing more than once a day can remove the natural oils from your skin too.
If nonfacial skin is very dry, you might want to use a thicker moisturizer (Eucerin, Cetaphil, others) or an oil, such as baby oil. Oil has more staying power than do lotions and prevents the evaporation of water from the skin's surface. Another possibility is a petrolatum-based product (Vaseline, Aquaphor, others).
Coconut Water
The drink is full of vitamin C, calcium, and potassium that moisturize your skin and help shield it from sun damage. It's also rich in B vitamins and magnesium, which will make your skin look younger, keep your blood sugar levels stable, and help you build lean muscle tissue.
You may be using too much product, your skin may not be adequately exfoliated, or the formula might be too heavy for your skin type. Ensure to exfoliate regularly, use the correct amount of moisturizer, and choose a formula that suits your skin type for better absorption.
You're over-cleansing, or using the wrong cleanser.
If you are cleansing too often, that can lead to dry skin no matter how much moisturizer you slather on. For instance, if you're washing your face in the morning and at night, try only doing it once a day and just rinsing it with water the other time.
Pure petroleum jelly is very gentle on skin, making it perfect to soothe dry skin on all areas of the body and keep it hydrated at the same time. Choosing a good moisturizing lotion containing micro droplets of Vaseline® Jelly will help heal dry skin deep down for fast relief from itchy dryness.
Consuming foods that are high in vitamins A, C, D, and E, as well as foods that are good sources of zinc and selenium, may help prevent or improve dry skin. Omega-3, green tea antioxidants, and turmeric also have benefits for the skin.
Staying hydrated is great, but is not necessarily the cure-all for dry skin, since it's more of an issue of water escaping through the skin.” However, if you are chronically dehydrated, drinking the right amount of water can help hydrate your skin.
DON'T SCRATCH DRY SKIN
So don't forget, although it might feel good to start with, scratching is one of your dry, atopic eczema-prone skin's worst enemies.
The “black stuff” when you rub your skin is nothing but dead cells, dirt and surface grime. It comes off due to friction caused by rubbing your skin.