How do I fix my itchy, dry skin?

Put down the heavy lotions and potions. When it comes to soothing parched winter skin, says The Kit’s executive editor, sometimes less is actually more

My skin always tends to get drier when winter rolls around, but it’s particularly red and dry now. I have been trying a million different products, like night creams and heavyduty moisturizers, none of which are working to my satisfaction. I’m frustrated and I’m sick of wasting my money. What should I invest in? — Marie-Anne, Toronto

I get your frustration. Dry skin isn’t just flaky, it’s downright uncomfortable. It’s itchy and tight and impossible to ignore unless you’re in the middle of binge watching The Bodyguard on Netflix, in which case the rest of the world just fades away because Richard Madden is a true babe.

But before we get to the pesky issues that might be causing your parched skin, we have to cover a more foundational problem: Commitment. Don’t turn the TV back on — stay with me here.

Patience is the least sexy idea in our world of fast fixes and broken promises. But when it comes to the skin, the body’s largest organ, there is rarely an immediate solution. In fact, there is a good chance that your poor, sweet skin isn’t even the concern — your product-philandering is.

Just like romantic love, you need to get over the disappointment of past duds (and, my god, there are disappointments) and be willing to commit. You will never have a healthy relationship with your skin if you are throwing a different product at it every night. Your skin needs a marriage, not an endless and exhausting array of one-night stands. (Even if you meet Richard Madden at a moody hotel bar and he offers you a tempting assortment of Korean hydrating essences.)

But let’s pause on that thought to talk about the skin itself for a second. Our skin has a natural lipid barrier that, when it’s working like it should, traps water in. When that layer of protection is compromised, the water in our skin disappears through the cracks.

“You can actually lose half a litre of water a day that way,” explains Lindsay Barras, education manager at Dermalogica.

That’s how annoying dry skin happens. But why does your barrier get damaged? A few common reasons. The older we get, the harder it is for our skin to produce those lipids and maintain a healthy barrier. Also, the environment can take a toll — anyone who has spent the day skiing in cold weather knows what wind or cold can do. The last, however, and the most interesting for us to consider in this case, is products themselves.

Alcohol, fragrance, exfoliants and aggressive professional treatments can strip the skin of its natural lipids and actually aggravate the issues your fancy creams might be promising to solve.

“Most women believe they have sensitive skin,” says Barras.

“But they have sensitized skin. There’s a difference there.”

True sensitive skin implies allergies and doctor-diagnosed conditions like eczema. “Sensitized” skin, on the other hand, is skin that is being irritated by products or your environment. Slap on a highly fragranced moisturizer, for example, and you might suddenly find your skin feeling tight and flushed.

My advice to you? Break up with your aforementioned desire to “try a million different products.” Break up with barrier-damaging ingredients like alcohol, artificial fragrances and colours, harsh foaming and stripping cleansers, and even superhot water that washes away the skin’s natural oils, says Barras. Consciously uncouple with an unnecessary regime and give your skin a chance to repair its barrier. So then what do you commit to? “The non-negotiables are a creambased cleanser, then a hydrating mist or serum that will help hold on to ambient water, then lock it in with a plant-based facial oil,” says Barras. The lighter texture products, like a mist, go on first, and then heavier products go on last to essentially seal up the cracks in your barrier and keep active ingredients and moisture in. Then, twice a week, use a lactic acid product to help gently exfoliate away dry, dead skin cells without causing any irritation, explain Barras.

Sometimes, as many of us know, monogamy can be a little boring. But in this case, regaining your clear-and-comfortable complexion is worth it. Besides, you can always switch on The Bodyguard when your reliable skin care routine isn’t getting you fired up enough.