Dealing with skin that feels stretched, dry, itchy, and uncomfortable? Is your skin flaking more than you do on weeknight plans? You’ve got dry skin, man, and you need to fix it.
Dry skin is a major issue, and it can happen to any guy. Luckily, you’ve got us as your skin care wingman. Disco has the products you need to deal with dry skin and all the information you need to figure out how to do it right.
We’re going to tell you how to figure out whether or not you’re dealing with dry skin, help you figure out why your skin is dry, and of course tell you how to fix that sh#t.
Is it Dry Skin or Something Else?
Sometimes you experience dry skin. Sometimes you can experience skin irritation. Sometimes you fall face-first into a patch of poison ivy. Which is it?
Most of the time you’ll easily be able to tell whether you have dry skin or something different. But if you’re dealing with skin irritation and dry skin, it could be something else. Here’s how to know the difference.
Dry Skin: What it Is
Dry skin has some pretty familiar trademarks. Skin will be uncomfortable, even if you use moisturizer. No matter how much water you drink, your skin can still feel tight and dry. Symptoms of dry skin include:
- Itching
- Flaking, peeling
- Rough patches or texture
- Cracking, or areas of broken skin
- Loss of elasticity; wrinkling
- Irritation, pain, burning
Most of the time, your skin will just seem ashy and uncomfortable, but if you allow dry skin to go unchecked, you will end up with more severe symptoms.
If your symptoms are worse, it could be something more severe.
Dry Skin: What it Isn’t
Maybe it’s dry skin, but maybe it’s something more. If you experience some of the below symptoms, you might have more than just dry skin.
- Red, rashy patches that don’t go away with a good moisturizer and hydration methods.
- Open sores and/or areas of infection.
- Large scale peeling or itching.
Any of these conditions with dry skin should motivate you to see your doc. You could be suffering from a skin condition that needs medical attention.
If it’s definitely just dry, here are some reasons why you could be experiencing it.
Why is My Skin Dry?
There are a bunch of reasons your skin might be dry, including genetics. Here are five reasons your skin could double as sandpaper.
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Weather. Hot, cold, it doesn’t matter, weather affects your skin. In cold temps, there is usually less moisture in the air which means your skin isn’t able to pull as much moisture from the air as it normally can.
Cold weather also means indoor heating systems are in full gear, which can also cause your skin to feel drier.
Warm weather and a dry climate can be dehydrating to your skin, and indoor a/c units can leech moisture out of the air, making your skin become drier, too.
- Extremely hot baths and showers. Possibly the worst thing you can do for dry skin is expose it to a really hot bath or shower; it will only make matters worse. Frequent hot tub usage and/or swimming can also make your skin dry, especially in water that has been chemically treated.
- Genetics. Blame it on your genes. If one or both of your parents have dry skin, chances are you will too. Thankfully, you have the power to change the game.
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Wrong products (or none at all). What you use on your skin matters. If you’re using soap and water on your skin and nothing else, your skin could be irritated from not getting enough moisture.
Your soap could also be full of harsh chemicals that strip the skin and leave it feeling like the Sahara.
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Not enough water. You know you need to drink water, but if you're skimping on your daily recommended intake (enough to keep your urine clear), you’re definitely not drinking enough to keep your skin hydrated.
You don’t need to adhere to the old standard of eight, 8 oz glasses of water per day. There’s no medical proof that much water is necessary, and you don’t have to be that guy carrying around a milk jug of water everywhere you go.
There are other reasons your skin could be dry, but ultimately, if you’re pretty sure you’re drinking enough water and you live in a temperate climate, you just need to know what to do to fix your dry skin.
How to Fix Dry Skin
Quit scratching your face, man. Dry skin is a really easy fix, but you need the right products to get the job done right. Disco has everything you need to fix your face and feel comfortable in your own skin once again.
Cleansing
If you thought moisturizing was the most effective way to treat your dry skin, guess again. Keeping your skin hydrated is a multifaceted process that starts with the way you cleanse your skin.
You have to wash your face, but what you use to wash it is super important. Your cleanser should be hardworking enough to remove dirt and oil, but gentle enough not to strip your skin of its natural oil.
Your regular bar soap won’t cut it. Bar soap is harsh on the skin, and probably contains sulfates and parabens that can suck all the moisture out of your skin. A better bet? A cleansing stick designed specifically for men’s skin.
Disco’s face cleansing stick is made from natural ingredients that work to clean away dirt and grime while moisturizing it with plant extracts. Charcoal works to safely remove dirt and oil from your pores while moisturizing coconut oil helps make sure your skin never feels dry or chapped after you wash.
Cleansing your skin with the right ingredients is the first step in healing and correcting dry skin once and for all.
Moisturizing
You need moisture, obviously, but standard body lotion or the products you find on your store’s shelves aren’t the most effective products you can buy. It’s because you’re a dude, and the majority of the products you find in-store have been specifically formulated to treat female skin.
Men’s skin is naturally tougher and thicker than women’s, and also has a different pH balance. Using products that help keep your skin within its perfect pH balance range will help you keep your skin’s natural moisture levels balanced.
Disco’s Hydrating Face Moisturizer was a dermatologist formulated to work for men’s skin. It’s a true triple threat in terms of hydration and skin treatment.
- Hydration. Our formula includes plant-based oils to help hydrate skin and eucalyptus oil to help boost the skin’s ability to retain moisture. Eucalyptus oil increases your skin’s ceramide levels. Ceramides help your skin retain moisture and improve overall skin hydration.
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Texture. You want hydrated skin that’s also smooth and touchable. Our moisturizer contains emollient-rich vitamin E, which helps condition the skin, smooth over rough patches, and improve skin’s overall texture.
Vitamin E is also an expert in keeping your skin from free radical damage by delivering antioxidant protection.
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Anti-aging and skin brightening. Want to moisturize your skin and look good doing it? Then you need a moisturizer that helps eliminate fine lines and wrinkles and improves your overall complexion. Nothing does a better job than macadamia nut oil and vitamin C.
Macadamia nut oil helps fight wrinkles before they start while vitamin C helps brighten skin’s complexion revealing more healthful, youthful-looking skin.
Exfoliating
We realize you might not even know what this word means. It’s cool, man, we do. We know how exfoliation helps improve overall skin texture and moisture.
Exfoliation is a process that helps remove the layer of dead skin cells on the top layer of your skin (yeah, there’s dead skin on your skin). It helps tell your skin cells it’s time to make new skin, and helps prepare your skin for other products (like moisturizer).
Some exfoliants contain harsh ingredients, like granules so large they could leave microtears on your skin’s surface.
Disco’s exfoliating face scrub contains crushed apricot seed powder, which helps exfoliate your skin safely. We also include aloe extract in our face scrub, to help soothe your skin and encourage hydration.
Let’s Disco
Your dry skin is only dragging you down (and ruining your black shirts). The right skin care products can add moisture to your skin and improve overall hydration.
You’ve got choices when it comes to skin care, but for us, nothing beats a product designed specifically for your skin’s pH balance. Get rid of the ash and improve the overall health of your skin by using products that help restore the zen to your skin.
Sources:
https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/a-z/dry-skin-symptoms
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dry-skin/symptoms-causes/syc-20353885
