Top 10 Ingredients for Dry Skin in DIY Skincare

When creating skincare products, we need to know what ingredients are the most beneficial for each skin type. The best ingredients for dry skin are focused on hydrating the skin.

One of the most common skin types is dry skin. Many different factors can cause skin to be dry. 

The most common factors that cause dry skin are:

• The lack of sebum production. 
• Living in cold or dry weather conditions.
• Over washing the skin with harsh skin products.

Keeping the skin hydrated is one of the main goals for someone with dry skin. Living with dry skin can be uncomfortable for anyone because it leads to cracked hands, chapped lips, and other painful skin conditions.

What ingredients can DIY skincare creators use in their products to make their items dry-skin friendly? There are a variety of ingredients that you can use, but the main focus of each skincare ingredient should be focused on hydration and not irritating the skin.

When creating skincare products for dry skin, avoid ingredients that may irritate dry skin and lead it to be drier than when you started. Paula’s Choice suggests not using fragrance or essential oils in skincare products for dry skin. These ingredients can irritate dry skin.

1. Argan Oil

Argan oil thoroughly hydrates and brings moisture deep into the skin. This deep hydration makes it a wonderful oil in skincare products for dry skin. It is high in fatty acids such as omega-6 and vitamin E. These two fatty acids in argan oil work to smooth skin texture and increase hydration. 

Another benefit of having vitamin E in argan oil is it penetrates deep into the skin, restoring moisture. Vitamin E also works with the antioxidants in argan oil to help heal wounds faster. Because of this, argan oil is perfect for dry, cracked hands or other areas of the body that need a little extra love.

Argan oil also helps to soothe the skin because it contains anti-inflammatory properties. Some skin conditions it can soothe are acne, eczema, and psoriasis.

You can use argan oil in products for the whole body, including the face. Since it is a quick-absorbing oil, consumers can use it in the morning and at night on the face. You can even apply it before putting on makeup.

Such a wonderful and hydrating ingredient for dry skin!

2. Sunflower Oil (Sunflower Seed Oil)

Sunflower oil has a soothing effect on dry and rough skin. It acts as a protective emollient on the skin, helping stop moisture from leaving the skin. This assists in keeping the skin hydrated.

Sunflower oil is a non-comedogenic oil. As a non-comedogenic oil, it is highly absorbent into the skin and does not clog pores.

A study was created comparing olive oil versus sunflower seed oil. This study looked at how both oils affect the skin barrier. It found that sunflower oil did not cause erythema (reddening of the skin) and improved skin hydration.

Sunflower oil is good for wound healing because of its oleic acid content. It also contains vitamin E.

Before using sunflower oil on your skin, test it on a small area of your body to check if you have seed, nut, or ragweed allergies. If you have seed, nut, and ragweed allergies, talk to a dermatologist or doctor before using this oil. 

3. Shea Butter

Shea butter is one of the most popular types of butter used in skincare products. It is a super moisturizer and contains three vitamins: A, E, and F. This butter is a wonderful ingredient for dry skin.

The vitamins in shea butter offer the skin many benefits. Vitamin F assists the skin by soothing it and healing chapped or dry skin. It also helps in ridding the skin of fine lines and wrinkles. Vitamin E aids in soothing sensitive and irritating skin. The irritated skin conditions it soothes are sunburn, windburn, and dry skin.

Along with the vitamins, shea butter also contains fatty acids. These fatty acids are linoleic, arachidic, and palmitic acid. Because of these fatty acids, shea butter helps keep the skin hydrated and moisturized, and it forms a protective layer over the skin.

Shea butter is non-comedogenic, meaning that it will not clog your pores.

When you are looking for a shea butter and want all the benefits it has to offer, go with raw, unrefined shea butter. Raw shea butter has a nutty and smokey scent. It has this scent because of the way that it is processed. 

If you use the raw shea butter in a skincare product and want to cover up the smokey smell, pair it with an essential oil that will complement it, such as grapefruit.

4. Cocoa Butter

Cocoa butter is a harder type of butter used in skincare products. It is a harder butter than shea butter, and it does not melt as fast because it has a higher melting point at around 93-101 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Cocoa butter contains many different vitamins and minerals. Some of these are magnesium, copper, iron, choline, vitamins E and K. All of these vitamins and minerals are helpful in skin rejuvenation.

It also contains fatty acids that are different from shea butter. Cocoa butter contains oleic, palmitic, and stearic acids. These fatty acids are known to help in stopping dry skin. One of the ways they do this is by forming a protective layer over the skin to help keep moisture in and the skin hydrated. 

Another benefit of cocoa butter is it is high in antioxidants. Meaning it fights free radical damage.

Cocoa butter is comedogenic, meaning that it has the possibility of clogging your pores.

Cocoa butter also has a distinct smell. It has a scent that is similar to chocolate.

5. Glycerin

Glycerin helps in keeping dry skin hydrated. It is also known as glycerol. This ingredient for dry skin is derived from vegetables, animal sources, or made synthetically.

The way that glycerin works is it uses the moisture in the air to help keep the skin moisturized. It also mimics the skin’s natural moisturizing factor called NMF. This natural moisturizing factor reduces as you age, and glycerin replenishes it.

Glycerin also works with other ingredients helping them deliver the most benefits skincare products have to offer to your skin. It works with emollients and oils to make dry skin soft and hydrated. Glycerin also helps other ingredients penetrate the top skin layers.

It is non-comedogenic and oil-free, meaning that glycerin keeps pores unclogged.

6. Urea (Hydroxyethyl Urea)

Urea is a humectant, just like glycerin. That means that it helps the skin retain moisture. It helps the body absorb water, and it has high water content.

Another common trait that urea has with glycerin is it is naturally occurring on the skin’s surface. It is an active part of the skin’s natural moisturizing factor (NMF).

The urea in the skin decreases with age, harsh ingredients, and environmental conditions. With the decrease of urea, your skin becomes dry, inflamed, and shows aging. Adding urea to skincare products helps your body to replenish lost urea.

Another benefit that urea offers is it helps in treating dermatitis, ichthyosis, psoriasis, xerosis, and nail fungus, states Samantha Miller.

7. Aloe Vera – Powder and Gel

Another ingredient for dry skin is aloe vera. This hydrating ingredient comes in gel and powder form. It helps to alleviate dry and itchy skin.

It is known for its soothing qualities. When someone gets sunburn, they will apply aloe vera gel to soothe the red, burnt skin. 

Another way that aloe aids dry skin is it helps the skin retain water and soak in nutrients from other skincare products.

It is also full of polyphenols. These polyphenols act as antioxidants by guarding the skin against environmental stressors.

It also contains many vitamins and minerals. James Roland mentions that it contains nine minerals.

8. Hyaluronic Acid

Hyaluronic acid can be described in one word: hydrating. It helps to keep your skin soft and plump.

It also prevents water loss from your skin. This helps to keep the skin hydrated and stop dryness from happening.

It offers many benefits to your skin because it is a super hydrating ingredient for your skin.

9. Rose Geranium Hydrosol

Distilled from the geranium flower, rose geranium hydrosol offers hydrating benefits for dry skin. 

This hydrosol is a humectant meaning that it draws moisture from its surroundings to the top layer of skin.

It is full of antioxidants and is an anti-inflammatory. As an anti-inflammatory, rose geranium hydrosol relieves skin with acne, eczema, and psoriasis.

10. Rose Hydrosol

Another hydrating hydrosol is rose hydrosol. It helps the skin lock in moisture and has a beautiful scent.

It is rich in vitamin C. This vitamin boosts collagen, and it helps the skin have a younger appearance. It helps in reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. 

Rose Hydrosol is also anti-inflammatory and antibacterial. This means that it is beneficial for skin with acne, eczema, and psoriasis. 

Conclusion

With this list, you can create DIY skincare products for dry skin. Knowing what ingredients are best for different skin types will help you create the best products for yourself or the consumer.