Dry forehead?

This has been a skin problem of mine for a few years now. I have really dry areas of skin on my face, mostly my nose and forehead. They look fine without foundation on, you wouldn't even say they were dry, but when I put make up over these areas, even with primer, it doesn't "sit" right, it sticks and looks like I have dry, flaking skin. Even though my nose is shiny without makeup. It seems to be both slightly oily and slightly dry. Crazy right? lol.

I cleanse with almond oil and moisturise with nivea blue pot cream straight after. once a week i exfoliate using my Body Shop exfoliating mit and a deep cleaning facial wash (garnier pure A I think).

Is this a foundation problem? Or a skin one? It does seem to happen with every foundation I wear. Do I need a more intense moisturiser? Nivea blue pot is pretty greasy, thick stuff. Any suggestions?

Why don't you try mineral powder foundation? its great for dry/oily/sensitive skin. and then use hydrating mineral spray before you apply the foundation. Also, there is this really really great NARS hydrating primer you can get, it works great, I used to get it when I had dry skin.

I am very oily in my T-zone, its fine if I don't put on makeup, but when I have my makeup on for about 3 hours, my nose is very shiny, what I do is, I cleanse my face with sebum/oil control facewash and then put on my makeup after. Or you can apply mask for oily to combination skin the night before to help balance it out.

Hope this help and good luck

my nose isn't super oily, it's just shiny really. it never comes through my makeup or anything. it's just weird that it can be shiny and flaky at the same time! thanks for the nars suggestion, i'll have a look into that!

Maybe it's more on the dehydrated side, it has enough oil but not enough water so eventually the skin gets dry and dry skin peels. Maybe using a hydrating mask would help, as well as a hydrating cream rather than that Nivea cream, it's so thick it cannot have much water in its formula.

thanks mags. do you have any hydrating cream recommendations?

It seems as though you need to exfoliate...I know that you say you do but maybe try using something else instead of a exf-mitt. And the loose mineral foundation is a great idea too. I use the White Pearl Scrub...its natural and also the scrub part is jojoba beads.. so it does not harm your face like silica sand would with other scrubs. It is very healing with the vitamins, and the botanicals that it has along with the beads. Hope this helps, hope you clear your problem

mari, i've tried many exfoliators, i should totally have mentioned this in my OP! lol i've tried st ives, that sugar/oil thing, clean and clear.. those things just don't work for me. i know your reccomendation is different to those but i think my problem is in the moisture levels in my skin.. even if i physically take a towel or rough cloth and just rub gently to dislodge the flaky skin, more comes.

i think no matter how much i exfoliate i'll always have this weird flaky layer unless i get something actually into my skin that will sort it out. thanks for your suggestion though! i just wanted to clear that up as i think lots of people will tell me to exfoliate. if i read the OP i would say that to myself too!!

Ok well...seems as though that would not be it then. Well maybe a real good moisturizer that has lots of natural oils that would deep penetrate into those areas. For sure at night time because that is when your skin repairs itself. I use the Sol'day, which has lots of natural and organic oils, etc.. but also maybe for nite time onto those areas again...I use the Lu'Nite cream, which has lots of green tea which helps because it is one of the best ani-oxidants out there... Once again best of luck!

I don't know if you've read my other thread on using milk to wash your face, if your skin is badly dehydrated, besides using collagen mask to help you, why don't you try using milk as a facewash after your regular cleansing? milk acts as an antioxidant and it's very hydrating. If you want more information on it, read my thread "milk as a facewash"

i have the same problem.

my forehead mostly. n sometimes could be about my cheeks. but mostly forehead. i have tried masks, exfoliating .. doesn't work.

i just try to drink more water, milk. am taking vitamins now which i think are helping, Biotin supplements, its for hair and skin.

i dont think its a foundation problem cause i have been using one and i haven't had it before.

i really think its a skin problem, i think drinking more water helps.

in short this is what i did, and i find it better than before but still can get it sometimes:

- the supplements

- water and milk

- i got a honey n oat face mask, followed by Vitamin E moisturizer from body shop.

i notice that i get those dry flaky patches when i dont get enough sleep or i stay up later than my usual bedtime.

how are your sleeping habits?

Then you can try to use some fscial mask .

Originally Posted by Ingrid /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't know if you've read my other thread on using milk to wash your face, if your skin is badly dehydrated, besides using collagen mask to help you, why don't you try using milk as a facewash after your regular cleansing? milk acts as an antioxidant and it's very hydrating. If you want more information on it, read my thread "milk as a facewash" yup i read, i often use yoghurt myself as a facemask and find it does help, but i think i need something that i can use everyday. i'm weird about milk, i don't really want to splash it on my face. i can see how it would help though, it just grosses me out a bit! lol

Originally Posted by Doya G /img/forum/go_quote.gif i have the same problem. my forehead mostly. n sometimes could be about my cheeks. but mostly forehead. i have tried masks, exfoliating .. doesn't work.

i just try to drink more water, milk. am taking vitamins now which i think are helping, Biotin supplements, its for hair and skin.

i dont think its a foundation problem cause i have been using one and i haven't had it before.

i really think its a skin problem, i think drinking more water helps.

in short this is what i did, and i find it better than before but still can get it sometimes:

- the supplements

- water and milk

- i got a honey n oat face mask, followed by Vitamin E moisturizer from body shop.

i notice that i get those dry flaky patches when i dont get enough sleep or i stay up later than my usual bedtime.

how are your sleeping habits?

thanks doya, i might check out some supplements. what exactly do you take?
and lol as you mention it, i'm not a great sleeper! i'm prone to insomnia that can last anything from 4-5 days. but it's not all the time, it just happens sometimes. like it's not enough to really affect my skin that much, i don't think. plus i had this before my sleeping troubles started. but you make a good point! lol

The first cream that comes to my mind is Weleda's almond hydrating cream. In the japanese brands i buy online (you know my addictions ) Sana Nameraka is great, i have the honpo soy milk essence, and the cream.

I also buy a mask called 8 cups of water by Catena, but my fave store doesn't seem to have it anymore, so i'll have to look for other brands.

thanks mags. i've been looking into the avene hydrating moisturiser too, does anyone know if thats any good? its just a little more available (i.e. in boots) than the weleda.

i've recently starting taking Biotin and Omega 3.

i do think you need to drink more water. i find it helps. i dont normally drink enough water. weather here is hot and humid but when i go back to my hometown, its just hot so we end up drinking lots of water, juice. and i find my skin always looks heaps better there. no dry forhead.

and well to me, it is sleep. and well.. am nearly 30, so i think all that does affect my skin. but that's just me.

I suggest you try Silkia camelia oil. It's great to wear with makeup. My foundation goes on more smoothly and lasts much longer, almost the whole day, and it doesn't look shiny or oily. If I don't use this oil before foundation and use a regular moisturizer cream instead, my face would dry out and the foundation would be flakey in a few hours. I've recommended this to many of my co-workers and they are all very happy using it with their makeup.

I'm sure u have vaselene at home. Put some on your forehead for a couple of nights and u'll see the difference.

Once my nose was so dry (to the sides) and the skin was broken. I tried a lot of moisturizers...but nothing worked like the vaselene.

Originally Posted by Lucy /img/forum/go_quote.gif thanks mags. i've been looking into the avene hydrating moisturiser too, does anyone know if thats any good? its just a little more available (i.e. in boots) than the weleda. My mother swears by that brand (especially the water spray !), i can't make it work on me.
Hydraphase from La Roche Posay, good stuff. Skinfood also has a hydrating cream. I thought i had more names, but i can't remember them.

Try an AHA. I had flakes on my face last wk and decided to use the one I had bought. Flaky Sat, no flakes by Mon. I was impressed. I used the one by Alpha Hydrox with 10% Glycolic Acid.

I should post my FOTDs so you can see how dry my face looked.

With my skin, dryness is different from flakiness. If my skin is dry in some areas in winter, I just use any thick moisturizer (or even Vitamin E oil) and it´s back to normal within a day or two.

But if those areas as flaky, no moisturizer will help. I just take my little facial brush (a $2 one from the drugstore, with a small brush head and soft bristles...you can also try one that´s made for babies as it´s even softer) and use it on my face everytime I wash my face at night (just with my regular cleanser, not an actual scrub). This process is rather gentle, and gets rid of the flakiness, then I apply the thick moisturizer afterwards.

It kinda makes sense that if flakes are sticking off of your skin, moisturizer won´t "glue" them back onto your skin, you have to remove them somehow, and then your moisturizer can do the rest of the work.

It seems like some dermatologists actually recommend daily (gentle!) exfoliation. Whether that is a chemical or a physical exfoliation is up to you.