If you have a dry skin and not too keen on having it look like a withered apple, then your only way out is to jump headlong into a dry skin care regimen. The dry skin is basically a dehydrated skin, very sensitive to the weather elements. So the dry skin care regimen is all about nourishing the skin and keeping it protected from external ravages.

Dry skin care involves getting to the roots of the problem. Apart from the intrinsically dry skin type, dryness can also be the result of taking drugs like diuretics, antispasmodics, and antihistamines. Dry skin can also result from medical conditions like hypothyroidism, dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis, seborrhea and diabetes. Excessive exposure to harsh weather elements like snow, sun and winds and the use of chemicals on the skin, Vitamin A and B deficiencies can lead to conditions of dryness too.

The essentially dry skin has a dull look about it especially around the mouth and the eyes and it feels taut and uncomfortable right after washing. Chapping and cracking are its severest symptoms.

Dry skin care primarily involves nourishing it with baby oil, gentle moisturizing creams and preferably, a non-detergent based, neutral-pH product to clean it. Dry skin needs an out-and-out cleaning but not with a commercial soap. After washing, always use a moisturizer to keep the skin looking and feeling soft and supple. Its good if you apply the moisturizer over a damp skin.

You can also use oil for hydrating your dry skin, however while massaging, take care not to stretch your skin. Apply oil profusely around the eyes, because this is the area most prone to wrinkles and crows feet.

Dry skin care demands the application of only very gentle and preferably natural beauty care products. Thus when you retire for the night, massage yourself with a homemade nourishing cream. Or you can use a natural beauty mask consisting egg, honey, olive oil and rose water to provide your skin with all the nourishments.

A warm milk bath with a few drops of almond oil added to it will soften and hydrate your skin like nothing else. Dry, cracked lips respond well to a little milk cream mixed with rose water and lime juice, while style divas swear by the raw-beetroot-application-before-the-lipstick routine. Just a dab of Vaseline afterwards ensures that your lips remain pink and pretty.

Dry skin care also involves knowing what to stay away from. Overheated rooms, beauty care treatments that use steam and sudden changes of temperatures wreck havoc on a dry skin. While stepping out in the cold, liberally douse yourself with some kind of moisturizer, and pile on the sunscreen when you go out in the sun.

Your diet too plays an important role in containing the reverses of a dry skin. While smoking and fatty, oily foods are a definite no-no, fresh fruits and vegetables, along with copious quantities of water daily, improve the quality of your skin and they have also been proven to contain anti-ageing properties. Thus with such foods in your diet, you not only remain healthy, but look also good.

There are many herbs that can be directly applied to the skin or consumed to help your condition of dryness. Thus chamomile, lavender, calendula, comfrey, tea tree oil, aloe vera and peppermint used in herbal facials are good for dry skin and borage, fennel, coltsfoot or calendula tea can be had daily for a youthful looking skin.

Dry skin care actually means pampering your skin, for you have to always keep in mind that you are dealing with something very fragile.