Dry skin can be difficult to work with. Try these tips to keep your skin feeling hydrated.

  • Moisturize damp skin to lock in moisture.
  • Avoid hot water.
  • Reduce caffeine and salt. They can make dry skin worse.
  • Always have a lip balm with you. Your lips will probably get dry throughout the day.
  • Hydrate with a face mask once per week, followed by your moisturizer.
  • Facial oil nightly after your moisturizer is your best friend.

Skin care tips for combination skin

If your skin is both oily and dry in different areas or at different times, you may be experiencing combination skin.

  • Get familiar with your skin. Do you have an oily T-zone and dry cheeks, for instance? You may want different products for each area.
  • Opt for gentle products that won’t aggravate the skin. Favor hydrating products that don’t contain alcohol.
  • Exfoliate gently. While weekly exfoliation is great for oily skin, it may make dry patches feel worse. Take it easy and space exfoliation sessions apart if needed.

Skin care tips for normal skin

“Normal” skin is characterized by being not particularly oily or dry.

  • Use a lotion or a cream at night rather than a gel moisturizer.
  • Don’t get carried away with new skin care products. Normal skin tends to require less maintenance. Adding unnecessary steps may cause irritation.
  • Protect your skin with a consistent routine that includes SPF 30 or higher.

Dark skin

Dark skin tones may require specific care due to increased melanin.

  • Use an SPF 30 or higher. Dark skin tones with increased melanin can be prone to sun damage.
  • Tackle hyperpigmentation. Try an illuminating serum or other targeted treatment.

Light skin

Light skin tones can be extremely susceptible to the sun.

  • Use an SPF 30 or higher, even when it’s cloudy.
  • Watch for rosacea. This condition is common in light skin.

Signs of rosacea include:

  • flushed skin
  • eye irritation
  • small red bumps

Skin care tips for acne

Acne-prone skin can be difficult to treat. Here are a few tips to help you stay clear.

  • Know your type. Salicylic acid is good for whiteheads and blackheads, while benzoyl peroxide is better for deeper acne cysts.
  • Stay moisturized. While you may want to dry your skin so that it’s less oily, this will only result in your skin producing more oil to compensate.
  • Don’t pick. This can lead to permanent scarring.
  • Sandwich. Use any acne-targeted treatment after your toner and before your moisturizer.
  • Add retinol. Using retinol in the evening can target both acne and aging.

Speak with your doctor about persistent adult acne to find out about prescription treatment options.

Skin care tips for men

Guess what? Skin is skin! No matter what gender you are, your skin has the same needs.

  • Don’t turn up your nose at a skin care routine. Use a cleanser, toner, moisturizer, and SPF daily.
  • Keep your razor sharp and clean.
  • Facial hair? Use a beard cleanser to keep your chin fur and the skin underneath squeaky clean.
Skin care tips and tricks from the pros

Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s get into the nitty gritty. Here are a few little-known tips from the pros.

  • Go slow. Wait a few minutes between applying products to maximize effectiveness.
  • Take your time. Give your skin time to adjust to new products before changing them around.
  • Don’t splurge (unless you want to). Some drugstore products are actually pretty good.
  • Switch it up. Change your skin care routine based on your cycle, the seasons, and your age.
  • Prevent mouth wrinkles. Try applying your eye cream around your lips.
  • Eat your water. Add hydrating foods to your diet.

“Whether it’s protecting your skin in the sunshine or battling against the elements in the winter, it will have different demands throughout the year,” Mitchell says.

This means changing it up is key.

“Give products time to do their job properly,” Mitchell says. “If you keep switching what you put on your face from day to day, it can become over-sensitive.”

Ackers offers a pro-tip for adding new products to your routine.

“Leave it next to your toothbrush, so you remember to use it twice a day,” she says.

Miss. Ahmed.S suggests favoring hydrating foods, like:

  • watermelon
  • cucumber
  • celery
  • melon
  • broth

They’re “packed with nutrients and a great way of getting the desired amount of hydration into your body,” she says.

All-natural home remedies

Here are a few tips on how to make DIY skin care products at home.

  • Oil. Use coconut oil to reduce dryness on hands and body.
  • Baking soda. Use baking soda to treat hard calluses on your hands and feet.
  • Masks. Mix yogurt and green tea, or use a simple egg white, for a face mask.
  • Scrubs. Mix coffee grounds and coconut oil for an exfoliating body scrub.
  • Skip citrus. Avoid using acidic fruits and essential oils in your DIY concoctions. Only mild essential oils are skin-safe, and they need to be diluted in a carrier oil.