Your Guide To Finding The Right Face Wash For Dry Skin

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6 Best Face Wash For Dry Skin In India That You Must Try In 2024

By Anupriya Jamuar 

 

When dealing with dry skin, we tend to focus more on moisturisers to hydrate but the face cleanser you use can also make or break your skin. Finding the best face wash for dry skin is the first step you take towards building a healthy skin barrier.

 

Best face washes for dry skin help clean your face without stripping off natural oils from your skin. They often contain skin barrier-supporting ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, glycerine, and niacinamide to help hydrate the skin.

 

To help you navigate smoothly through the rough terrain of dry skin woes, we’ve picked our top cleansers for dry skin.

 

Your guide to understanding face cleansers

 

For you to understand what is the best face wash for your dry skin, you need to dive into the deep waters of cleansers first. There are essentially, three different types of face washes:

  1.  Gel cleansers – These are water-based cleansers with a gel-like consistency, best suited for oily to combination skin, that deep clean pores and remove excess sebum from your skin.
  2. Foam cleansers – As the name suggests, theses lather into a foamy consistency that digs deeper into your pores to cleanse them. Foaming cleansers are best suited for combination to oily, acne-prone skin.
  3. Cream cleansers – These are non-stripping formulas that have a thick, lotion-like  consistency. Cream cleansers are best suited for dry skin as they retain moisture as well as clean your face.

Now that you understand what the best cleanser type for dry skin is, let’s take a look at our pick of best face washes.  

 
Up Next: How to bounce away from dryness and towards jello skin

Product Mentioned

L'Oreal Paris Revitalift Hyaluronic Acid Hydrating Gel Cleanser - 50 ml  
If your skin lies awkwardly between dry to normal then this hyaluronic acid-powered gentle gel cleanser by L’Oreal Paris is your best bet. The innovative technology of this gel-cleanser lathers into a beautiful creamy lotion when mixed with water to effectively clean your face without that post-wash tightness.

Product Mentioned

Mamaearth Aqua Glow Face Wash - 100 ml

Power your skin with Himalayan thermal water and ultimate hydration ingredient, aka hyaluronic acid. This creamy formulation is ultra-gentle on your skin, leaving it feeling soft, supple and hydrated.

Product Mentioned

Minimalist Aquaporin Booster 5% Face Cleanser - 100 ml

This ultra-hydrating face wash for dry skin is perfect for those dry patches that show up all over your face. Packed full of humectants and high-purity glyceryl glucoside, it boosts your skin’s aquaporin channels to maintain its plumpness.

 

Up Next: What are the best serums for dry skin

Product Mentioned

Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser - 125 ml

Balance out your skin’s pH with the cult classic and fan favourite best face wash for dry skin. Cetaphil is a staple cleanser that intensely purifies your skin without stripping it and also replenishes your skin lipids to leave it hydrated and soft. The creamy consistency of this cleanser is easy to massage into your skin making it the mild cleanser we all need.

 

Take a deeper dive into the best face washes for dry skin

 

Choosing the right face wash for your dry skin needs a little research. Since your skin is already dry, its skin barrier is compromised, making it sensitive and more prone to irritation. This means you can’t keep switching cleansers as that can strip off the natural oils from your skin.

 

On the other hand, we understand that finding the right cleanser is all about trial and error. But we want to save your skin from any poor experiments, so, we’ve curated a cheat sheet to dry skin face washes that are mild, effective, and hydrating.

 

Up Next: Why is hyaluronic acid the ultimate skin hydrator you need?

But before we get into the list, here are some ingredients to look for in your dry skin cleansers: 

  1. Glycerine
  2. Hyaluronic acid
  3. Urea
  4. Honey
  5. Lactic acid
  6. Alpha hydroxy acids
  7. Lactic acid
  8. Oatmeal
  9. Tea Tree
  10. Ceramides
  11. Vitamin B3 

Here are some more face washes  you can give a try:

Products Mentioned

How to choose the right cleanser?

 

Here are a few things you should look for before selecting your face wash for dry skin:

  1. Skin type – What is the dryness level of your skin? Does it feel tight after washing, do you suffer from dry patches? Is it mild dryness or intense dryness.
  2. Ingredients – Look for humectants and hydrating ingredients as well as gentle exfoliants.
  3. Cleanser type – Choose the right cleanser type based on the dryness of your skin – gel, foam or cream cleansers.

For best results, follow up your cleanser with a hydrating serum and lock all that moisture in with a heavy-duty moisturiser. This will ensure your skin stays hydrated for long hours. Do remember that the best face wash for dry skin is the one that doesn’t strip the oils. Now, don’t skip on your daily cleanses to avoid post-wash dryness, rather use the right face wash that replenishes your skin while cleansing it.

 

Up Next: Why glycerine is the hydration army you need against dryness

Get your burning questions answered 

 

  • Is face wash necessary for dry skin? 
    - Yes, even if your skin doesn’t produce excess sebum, you still need to remove dirt, debris and pollution off your skin. One of the leading causes of breakouts is due to clogged pores which is why you should use a face wash for your dry skin.
  • How many times should I be washing my face in a day? 
    - Since, your skin is already dry, we suggest you limit it to twice a day; once in the morning and once at night. But, in case your skin is extremely dry then you can also just wash your face with water in the morning and use a cleanser in the night. 
  • What ingredients should I look for in my cleanser? 
    - Look for hydrators and humectants like glycerine, hyaluronic acid, peptides, ceramides, aloe vera, niacinamide. These are your dry skin’s best skin barrier buddies. 
  •  Is it okay if my face wash has fragrance in it? 
    - Since cleansers are a wash off treatment and they only sit on your face for a few minutes, it’s okay if your cleanser contains some amount of fragrance. However, since dry skin is also prone to more irritation and sensitivity, using fragrance can irritate your skin overtime so its best you stick to fragrance-free formulas.