If you have dry skin, you know how itchy and irritated it can get. Climate changes can affect your skin condition, whether the climate your living is cold or humid, these conditions affect dry skin. If you want to alleviate your dry face and skin, you'll have to make sure that you are following a proper dry skin care routine.

Dry skin care is not just about moisturizing, however. Dry skin also has to do with acquiring habits that help maintain your skin hydrated and avoiding habits that strip moisture from your skin. Here are a few things you should do to soothe your skin.

Choose the Right Type of Product

The type of products you should use if you have regular dry skin or really dry skin are very different. If you have regular dry skin then you can use a creamy moisturizer on a daily basis. However, if you have extremely dry skin then you should try using a mineral oil or even an edible, non-comedogenic oil (e.g. olive oil).

Modifying your Cleansing Routine

If you don't have the right dry skin care routine, you may notice that your skin feels tight and itchy no matter how much you moisturize it. As with any type of skin, you will need to cleanse, tone, exfoliate, and moisturize. When you are picking your skin care products, make sure that they are alcohol and fragrance free.

Cleanse your face with a cream or oil product, and avoid using a soapy cleanser. Cleansing your skin with soap and water will dry it out and irritate your skin. However, if you use a cream cleanser you can clean your skin without stripping away its natural oils.

Next, exfoliate your skin with a gentle product. Try making your own exfoliant by mixing oatmeal and honey or grapefruit juice. The oatmeal will help soothe your skin while the honey or juice will help remove dead skin cells.

Finally, apply the appropriate moisturizer for your degree of dry skin. If your skin begins to feel tight or itchy during the day, reapply your moisturizer as needed.

Daily Skin Care Habits

If you feel like you've done everything and your skin still needs a more intense moisturizer, then maybe there are some daily habits you should think about modify. Let's take a look at one of the things that may be aggravating your dry skin.

Long showers are a very common problem for people with dry skin. Hot water can strip your skin of natural oils so keep showers short and make sure to use warm water.

Moisturize your skin (entire body) as soon as you get out of the shower to lock moisture to your skin. If you've forgotten your moisturizer then make sure you dry off as much as possible because when water evaporates from your skin, it will take some of your body's moisture with it.