Dry skin care in Pakistan: face wash, moisturizer and serum for winter

Dry skin has too little oil and a weakened barrier, so water escapes and the skin feels tight, rough or flaky. In Pakistan's winter, cold outdoor air, gas heaters, very hot showers and harsh soaps all pull more moisture out of the skin.

Dehydrated skin is slightly different: it lacks water rather than oil, and can happen to oily skin too. The routine below helps both, because it adds water to the skin and then seals it in.

Dry skin does best with three gentle steps, morning and night: a cleanser that does not strip, a hydrating serum, and a moisturizer that repairs the barrier.

A face wash for dry skin should leave the face soft, not tight or squeaky. Sulfate free cleansers with a creamy or jelly texture clean without stripping the oil dry skin is short of.

BlossomK Pink Cloud Creamy Jelly Cleanser is a sulfate free jelly cleanser made for dry and sensitive skin, with rose hip, panthenol (vitamin B5) and glycerin. Use it morning and night with lukewarm water. BlossomK skin care is formulated in Korea.

Apply a hyaluronic acid serum to slightly damp skin to draw water into it, then seal it in with a ceramide moisturizer. Ceramides are part of the skin's own barrier, so a ceramide cream is one of the most useful moisturizers for dry skin.

BlossomK 2% Hyaluronic Acid Multi-Peptide Serum hydrates with several sizes of hyaluronic acid, peptides, aloe vera and panthenol. BlossomK 7X Ceramide Barrier Repair Cream combines ceramides with squalane, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and panthenol for dry and sensitive skin.

Morning: cleanse with a gentle face wash, apply hyaluronic acid serum on damp skin, then a ceramide moisturizer and sunscreen.

Night: cleanse, serum, then a slightly thicker layer of moisturizer. Exfoliate at most once a week while skin is dry and flaky, and gently.

Help: wash with lukewarm, not hot, water; pat the face dry; moisturize within a minute of washing; keep a bowl of water near a heater or use a humidifier; drink enough water.

Harm: lemon juice, toothpaste, baking soda and undiluted essential oils on the face. They irritate a dry barrier and can cause dark patches. Plain oils such as coconut oil can help dry body skin but may clog pores on the face.

See a dermatologist if dry patches are red, itchy, cracked or bleeding, or do not improve after two to three weeks of a gentle routine. Eczema and psoriasis can look like dry skin and need medical treatment.