A skincare routine for dry skin in Bangladesh
Less washing, more sealing, and a richer cream for about ten weeks a year.
Is this you?
Tight after washing, flaking around the nose or brows, and makeup that clings to dry patches. Dry skin is short of oil; dehydrated skin is short of water. You can be both.
Morning
Cleanse
A cream or milk cleanser, sulfate-free
A foaming wash removes the little oil dry skin has. Some mornings water alone is enough.
Treat
A hyaluronic acid serum, on damp skin
Damp matters. On dry skin in a dry room a humectant can pull water out instead of in.
Moisturise
A cream with ceramides and squalane or shea
This is what stops the water leaving again. Without it the serum underneath does very little.
Protect
A light fluid or gel sunscreen, SPF 50 PA++++
The highest-return step in any routine. Every morning, indoors near a window as well as out.
Night
Cleanse
The same cream cleanser
Once. Clean skin should feel like nothing, not like tightness.
Treat
Hyaluronic acid again, on damp skin
Within a minute of washing.
Moisturise
Night is when you can afford the heavier texture.
In Bangladesh
For most of the year Bangladesh's humidity does half the work. For about ten weeks from December the air is dry and dusty, and that is when a humectant without a cream over it starts working against you. One richer moisturiser for those weeks is usually the entire seasonal adjustment.
Common mistakes
Hot water
Strips lipids faster than any cleanser. Lukewarm, briefly.
Exfoliating the flakes
Flaking is a barrier that needs rebuilding, not a surface that needs scrubbing. Scrubbing makes the next week worse.
Common questions
Dry or dehydrated — how do I tell?
Dry skin flakes and feels rough. Dehydrated skin feels tight but can still look shiny. Dry wants oil; dehydrated wants water. Many people here are dehydrated and treat themselves as dry.
This article is general information, not medical advice. Skincare products are not medicines. Speak to a dermatologist about persistent or worsening skin conditions.