Skin Concern: Dry Skin
Your risk of suffering from dry skin increases as you age.
Every person’s experience of dry skin is completely unique. However, the biology which causes dry skin it is not. Dry skin refers to a lack of natural oils in your skin, called sebum. Oily skin types make too much sebum. Dry skin types make too little sebum.
Sebum is required to lock moisture in and to keep pollution out. This is called the skin’s barrier function. A good barrier function makes for healthy, hydrated, supple, age-resistant skin. A poor barrier function makes for dry, dull, rough, textured, older-than-your years skin. Skin with an impaired barrier function is also more prone to developing age spots.
Why do you have dry skin?
You can have dry skin for a number of reasons:
- Genetic – a family history of dry skin
- Your hormone balance has changed
- You are using the wrong skincare
- Your diet is unbalanced
The risk of developing dry skin increases with age. Years ago, you may have been told that your skin is oily, but this may no longer be the case, as natural sebum production slows down with age.
Why is dry skin bad?
- Fine lines appear deeper and wrinkles are more pronounced.
- Chronic dryness may lead to persistent irritation, redness and inflammation.
- Skin tends to become sensitive, leading to horribly uncomfortable feeling skin.
- Skincare, makeup and suncare are difficult to use effectively on chronically dry skin.
- Skin may appear rough, uneven, patchy, dull and sallow.
Take action now to avoid. Be sure you’re using skincare that is right for you.
Don’t believe these common dry skin myths:
Myth #1: You have dry skin because you don’t drink enough water
Dry skin is not caused by too little water, it is caused by too little oil or skin sebum. True, when you drink water, your skin will hydrate. However, if you have dry skin, any skin hydration quickly evaporates because your skin doesn’t have enough oil to lock the moisture in.
Throwing water at your dry skin will not fix the problem. Replenishing your skin’s natural oils will.
Myth #2: Dry skin and dehydrated skin are the same
Dry skin and dehydration are not the same.
- Dry skin is a skin that has too little oil.
- Dehydrated skin has too little water.
The two go hand in hand. Skin that is more rich in oil (i.e. not dry) will retain water more easily, therefore stay more hydrated.
Myth #3: Exfoliating is the solution to making your dry, flaky skin better.
Dry skin is often flaking, as dry skin is lacking in oils. Exfoliation will improve the appearance of dry skin, but you need to be careful. If used improperly, over-exfoliation may aggravate and worsen dry skin conditions. The solution is to use a non-dehydrating cleanser, exfoliate gently, pre-hydrate with griffin+row Hydrate and then replenish oils with a good moisturiser, such as Nourish or Enrich.
Myth #4: It’s great if your skin feels squeaky clean after showering
If your skin feels squeaky clean after showering, you are probably cleansing too much – using soap, or using the wrong cleanser.
Your skin has a natural acid mantle, which protects against bacteria, fungus and dehydration. A squeaky clean feeling means that the acid mantle has been stripped off, which will exacerbate a chronically dry skin condition.
Myth #5: You need a toner to balance your skin
Skin is supposed to have a natural pH balance of around 5.6, which is slightly acidic, due to oils and lipids that form a natural acid mantle. Most soaps and cleansers are alkaline. They strip your skin of oils and throw your skin’s natural pH-level off-balance. That’s why toners were invented – to re-balance your skin.
A toner is of course not required if you use a good cleanser, such as griffin+row Cleanse. Cleanse has the right pH, which supports your skin’s natural functions and won’t leave your skin dehydrated after the cleansing process.
Myth #6: Cleansers need to foam
False, cleansers don’t need to foam.
In fact, if your cleanser foams, this is probably due to a chemical foaming agent, usually sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) or sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES). These are cheap chemicals that are also used in cleaning products, industrial degreasers and laundry detergents, but they certainly don’t belong on the skin. griffin+row Cleanse doesn’t foam, as it doesn’t contain synthetic chemicals.
1. Choose only pH-balanced cleansers
Healthy skin is slightly acidic, and so should be your cleanser. Most cleansers, including soaps, are alkaline. They destroy the skin’s natural acid mantle, causing the skin to become sensitive and flaky, and contributing to dehydration.
2. Use a gentle cleanser
Most cleansers contain chemicals that are harmful to your skin, such as SLS and SLES, also used as industrial degreasers. Needless to say, stay away from these products and use products containing natural ingredients instead.
3. Use moisturisers rich in natural oils
Replenishing your skins natural oils helps repair your skin’s natural barrier function, sealing in more moisture, and fixing problems related to dry skin.
4. Use skincare that is rich in antioxidants
Dry skin lacks antioxidants and a natural protective barrier. Supplementing your skin with antioxidant-rich ingredients assists with fending off free radicals, such as traffic-related particles that causes dark spots.
griffin+row is based on the premise that skincare is about skin health care – it is not a fashion item. griffin+row is determined to stay true to the purpose of giving you only the very best daily care for your skin, with a regime that is time- and cost-effective.
Read about the five simple steps of the griffin+row skincare system:
1 Cleanse 2 Exfoliate 3 Hydrate 4 Nourish 5 Enrich
What do you get when you ask a PhD-qualified research scientist to develop a naturally effective skincare system?
The result is griffin+row, a synergistic blend of the purest plant extracts chosen for their antioxidant and regenerative properties. Developed from the ground up to address the visible signs of skin ageing, including dry skin and skin dehydration.
Why 28 days? – At griffin+row, we would like to give you better skin tomorrow. The reality is that there is no quick fix – transforming your skin takes time and effort, as many underlying causes need to be addressed.
Our skincare takes time to become effective, as skin cells take around 28 days to renew. Within two weeks, people will generally start to see change, but results will get even better over time. Our skincare is not a quick fix, as it supports skin’s natural functions at each level, and provides it with nutrition to slow down ageing.
Our simple 5-step skincare system
Step 1 – Cleanse
griffin+row Cleanse is pH balanced and sensitive skin friendly taking away only impurities while respecting and rebuilding your skins moisture balance. Watch the gentle gel to foam formula expand, cleanse and condition in less than a minute.
When to use: Use nightly to remove makeup and impurities.
Step 2 – Exfoliate
griffin+row Exfoliate treats your dry skin symptoms aka flaky skin. Exfoliating the right number of times a week helps dry skin fixing moisturisers absorb deeply, getting to where they need to be to help fix dry skin.
When to use: 2 x a week.
Step 3 – Hydrate
griffin+row Hydrate helps create a supple, even, comfortable skin tone free from irritation and dryness. Made from skin identical moisture factors hydration is bound and locked into your skin.
When to use: 2 x a day before applying Nourish or Enrich
Step 4 – Nourish
griffin+row Nourish Natural Skin Moisturiser restores your skin’s radiance and rebuilds its resilience. Packed with moisture locking oils and butters your dry skin barrier can be repaired, restored and returned to normal.
When to use: Morning.
Step 5 – Enrich
griffin+row Enrich deeply nourishes your dry skin to relieve its cause – a lack of skin oils. Packed with nourishing oils and butters it not only helps fix dry skin it also protects against it with potent antioxidants.
When to use: Evening.
griffin+row starter kit
Each griffin+row product has a particular role and prepares the skin for the next skincare step. Products work best when used together. The griffin+row starter kit includes the complete system, with everything you need packed in a convenient bonus bag.
At griffin+row, the product development journey always starts with the ingredients. We produce naturally effective skincare, free of harmful chemicals, using active ingredients such as the ones below:
If your skin is dry, your current skincare probably contains ingredients that aggravate the condition. How do we know? Because good skincare should be designed to treat dry skin quickly and effectively.
Ingredients you should be looking for are:
Moisture-locking oils and butters, such as shea butter, sweet almond oil, rosehip oil and jojoba oil, contained in griffin+row Nourish.
Natural Moisturising Factors (NMFs) – skin-identical hydrators, contained in griffin+row Hydrate.
Vital and potent antioxidants from ingredients such as grapeseed, shiitake and rosemary extract contained in griffin+row Enrich.
Our promise: a life without tight, uncomfortable feeling, dry skin.