The skin's outermost layer, the stratum corneum, is a wall of flat skin cells mortared with lipids (ceramides, cholesterol, fatty acids) and filled with natural moisturising factors. When the wall is intact it holds the water in from inside and keeps irritation out from outside. Dry skin is a leaking wall: too little lipid, too few moisturising factors, and water evaporating from the skin faster than it is replaced. The result is tightness, flaking, dullness, itching, fine lines that show more, and skin that reacts to everything. Dry skin comes in two varieties that are often mixed up: dry skin (a skin type with little sebum, often hereditary, feels dry all year round) and dehydrated skin (a condition with too little water in the stratum corneum, which can affect anyone, even oily and spotty skin, feels tight and looks grey but can shine at the same time). Dry skin needs oil; dehydrated skin needs water and something that holds it in; most people with dry skin in winter need both. This guide covers the causes, the difference, the routine step by step, oil or cream, what makes it worse, when it is something else, and face cupping with dry skin. For hands, feet and heels, see dry hands and feet; for the scalp, dry scalp.
Why the skin gets dry
- Winter and dry air: cold outdoor air holds little water, and indoor air becomes dry when heated; humidity under 30–40 percent pulls water out of the skin. That is why dry skin is worst from October to March and on planes and in open-plan offices.
- Washing and heat: hot showers and baths dissolve the skin's lipids, soap and foaming cleansers remove them, and the more often the drier. A face washed twice a day with a foaming cleanser is the most common cause of dry cheeks.
- Age: sebum production falls from 40, cell turnover slows, and at menopause the oestrogen that drives the skin's lipid and collagen production drops; the skin becomes thinner and drier within a few years. See menopause.
- Skincare that dries out: alcohol in toners and serums, fragrance, strong acids and retinol at too high a dose or too often, peels, benzoyl peroxide, harsh scrubs, and too many active products at once.
- Hormones and illness: an underactive thyroid (dry, coarse skin), diabetes, kidney disease, iron deficiency, malnutrition, and hereditary dry skin (atopy, ichthyosis).
- Medicines: isotretinoin and other retinoids, cholesterol-lowering drugs, diuretics, certain blood pressure medicines, acne medicines, topical cortisone over a long time.
- Lifestyle: too little fluid (less important than people think, but noticeable with dehydration), smoking, alcohol, sleep deprivation, stress (raises cortisol, which impairs the barrier), chlorinated pools, sun and wind.
Dry or dehydrated skin: how to tell the difference
| Dry skin (skin type, lack of oil) | Dehydrated skin (condition, lack of water) | |
|---|---|---|
| Feel | Dry, tight, coarse, flakes, all year round, often on the body too | Tight after washing, dull, "tired", sometimes oily and dry at the same time |
| Look | Small pores, matte, fine flakes, red dry patches, itches | Grey tone, fine lines that disappear when the skin is rehydrated, can shine in the T-zone |
| Test | The skin never produces shine, even without products in the evening | Pinch the cheek lightly: dehydrated skin gets fine lines that linger |
| Needs | Oil: emollients, ceramides, oil; mild cleansing; protection | Water and humectants (glycerin, hyaluronic acid) on damp skin, and something light that holds it in |
Skincare that works: the routine step by step
- Cleanse mildly and rarely: the face in the evening with a mild, non-foaming cleanser (milk, balm, oil or cream) and lukewarm water; in the morning just water or a clean towel. The body with oil soap or shower oil instead of soap, and only where it is needed. Lukewarm, short, not every day in winter.
- Pat dry, leave the skin damp, and apply the next step within a minute: humectants only work if there is water to bind.
- Humectant: a serum or light cream with glycerin, hyaluronic acid, urea, panthenol, lactic acid; on damp skin. This is the step dehydrated skin is missing.
- Emollient and barrier builder: a cream with ceramides, cholesterol, squalane, shea butter, niacinamide; fills the cracks in the wall. Thicker in winter and in the evening, lighter in summer.
- Seal (occlusive): a few drops of face oil as the last step in the evening, or a thin film of petroleum jelly on the driest parts (cheeks, corners of the mouth, sides of the nose) in hard cold, so-called slugging. The oil stops evaporation but adds no water; so it comes last, not alone.
- The body: lotion or cream with 5–10 percent urea (softens and binds moisture, the pharmacy's most effective option for dry shins and arms) straight after the shower, every time; thicker cream on shins, elbows and hands. With itching and flaking: 10 percent urea and a couple of weeks of daily application before it turns.
- Sun protection every morning on the face, even in winter; UV breaks down the barrier and the collagen. Choose a moisturising one with glycerin and without alcohol.
- Active ingredients in moderation: retinol and acids at most two to three evenings a week on dry skin, never the same evening, always followed by cream; pause them with flaking and during the coldest weeks.
- A humidifier in the bedroom (target 40–50 percent) in winter, and turn the radiator down a little.
- From inside: enough water, oily fish or omega-3, enough fat in the diet (a strict low-fat diet gives dry skin), less alcohol and smoking, sleep.
Oil or cream, and when you need both
Cream is water and oil blended with humectants and barrier builders; it both adds water and holds it in. Oil is only lipid; it softens, protects and seals, but doesn't hydrate. Dry skin that is tight and flaky needs cream (or serum plus cream) as a base, and oil as the last layer in the evening or in cold. Dehydrated skin needs humectants and a light cream; oil alone makes it shiny but still tight. Oily skin can be dehydrated and does well with a gel with glycerin, not heavy oils. On the body a urea cream is often enough, and oil (body or baby oil) on damp skin straight after the shower is a good and cheap alternative for those who find cream sticky. Light oils such as jojoba, squalane, sunflower and grapeseed suit the face; coconut oil clogs pores in many and suits the body better. More in face oil: how to use it right and skincare routine morning and evening.
What makes dry skin worse
- Hot, long showers and baths every day; sauna without moisturising afterwards.
- Soap, foaming cleansers with sulphates, antibacterial soaps, microfibre sponges and scrubs.
- Products with denatured alcohol, fragrance, menthol and essential oils; alcohol-based toners.
- Too many active products: retinol, AHA, BHA, high-dose vitamin C and peels in the same week.
- Oil alone on skin that lacks water; cream that contains only lipid (mineral oil without humectants) on dehydrated skin.
- Skipping cream after the shower; moisturising only when it itches.
- Wool directly on the skin, warm rooms with dry air, hairdryer and fan heater on the face.
- Smoking, alcohol, sleep deprivation, too little fat in the diet.
When it is eczema, psoriasis or something else
Dry skin that is red, itches intensely, weeps or sits in the creases, on the hands or on the face around the eyes is often eczema and needs cortisone during flares in addition to emollients. Thick, silvery, well-defined scales on elbows, knees, scalp or lower back are psoriasis. Redness, a feeling of heat and small bumps in the middle of the face that get worse with heat, wine and spices are rosacea, which is often mistaken for dry sensitive skin. Flaky, oily, yellowish skin at the sides of the nose, eyebrows and hairline is seborrhoeic dermatitis (antifungal shampoo and mild cortisone, not more oil). Dry skin all over the body that has come on recently together with tiredness, feeling cold, weight change, thirst or itching without a rash should be tested for thyroid, diabetes, kidneys, liver and iron. Seek care when dry skin doesn't improve in four weeks of daily moisturising, with cracks that bleed, with signs of infection (pus, yellow crusts), and with itching that disturbs sleep.
Face cupping with dry skin
Dry skin does well with face cupping, in three ways: the cup requires oil, so the routine is in itself a proper oil treatment; the suction increases blood flow in the skin several times over for an hour or so afterwards, which gives glow and better supply of oxygen and nutrients to the slow, dry skin's cells; and the light pull on the skin softens tense facial muscles and reduces the fine dryness lines that sit in tension rather than in skin. Do this in the evening, after cleansing and serum: a few drops of face oil on damp skin, draw the face cup (or the mini around the eyes and nose) with light pressure from the centre outwards and upwards, three to five strokes per path, never still in one place, five minutes in total, two to three evenings a week; finish with cream on top of the oil that remains. Choose light pressure and more oil than you think; a cup dragged dry irritates dry skin. Not over eczema, cracks, a rosacea flare, fresh acid or retinol evenings, or active acne; wait a week after peels or laser. The whole technique is in face cupping and lymphatic massage for the face. On the body, cupping with oil does the same for dry shins and arms: increased blood flow and moisturising in the same movement, see cupping at home.
Read more
Face oil, skincare routine, dry hands and feet, dry scalp, eczema, rosacea, collagen, and face cupping.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the skin get dry in winter?
Cold outdoor air holds little water and indoor air becomes dry when heated, so water evaporates from the skin faster than it is replaced; at the same time hot showers and soap dissolve the skin's lipids. The result is a leaking skin barrier: tight, flaky, itchy skin. The help is cooler and shorter showers, mild cleansing, humectants on damp skin followed by cream and oil, urea cream on the body after every shower, a humidifier, and a pause from acids and retinol in the coldest weeks.
What is the difference between dry and dehydrated skin?
Dry skin is a skin type with too little oil: matte, coarse, flakes all year round, often on the body too, and needs emollients, ceramides and oil. Dehydrated skin is a condition with too little water in the stratum corneum that can affect even oily skin: tight after washing, grey tone, fine lines that disappear when the skin is rehydrated, and needs humectants such as glycerin and hyaluronic acid on damp skin plus a light cream. In winter most people have both.
Should you use oil or cream for dry skin?
Cream as a base (it adds water and holds it in) and oil as the last layer in the evening or in cold (it seals but doesn't hydrate). Oil alone on skin that lacks water gives shine but continued tightness. Light oils such as jojoba, squalane and sunflower suit the face; coconut oil clogs pores in many. On the body a urea cream is often enough, or oil on damp skin straight after the shower.
What helps best for dry skin on the body?
Shower oil or oil soap instead of soap, lukewarm and short, and cream with 5–10 percent urea on damp skin straight after every shower, thicker on shins, elbows and hands. With itching and flaking: 10 percent urea daily for a couple of weeks. A humidifier in winter, no wool directly on the skin, and enough fat in the diet. If it doesn't improve in four weeks, or itches all over the body without a rash, test thyroid, diabetes, kidneys and iron.
Can you do face cupping if you have dry skin?
Yes, dry skin does well with it: the cup requires oil, the suction increases blood flow and gives glow, and the light pull softens tense facial muscles. A few drops of face oil on damp skin after serum, light pressure, strokes from the centre outwards and upwards, five minutes two to three evenings a week, and cream on top. Not over eczema, cracks, a rosacea flare, active acne or the same evening as acids and retinol.
Written by Curam. Last updated 17 October 2026. This is general self-care information and does not replace medical care. For sudden, severe or unusual symptoms, contact your doctor. Talk to your doctor before cupping if you are pregnant, take blood thinners or have a condition affecting skin, blood vessels or blood.
