Lazy Skin – Can Moisturizer be too Thick for Dry Skin?

Sometimes when you have dry skin, it is hard to believe that there will ever be a moisturizer that is too thick for your dry skin. Yes, that cream you bought which was specially made for eczema skin can be bad for your normal-dry skin. Over applying moisturizers can be just or if not worst than using something too heavy. Sometimes too much of anything can be bad for your skin and moisturizers aren’t an exception.  In this post, I will discuss lazy skin and how your skincare routine can make your skin lazy.

What is lazy skin?

What is lazy skin? Essentially, when you use a thick moisturizer and your skin gets used to that luxury and gets “lazy”. When it gets lazy it stops producing its own moisturizer. Why would your skin make its own moisturizer when you keep giving it moisture? This can lead to many problems. Without the moisture barrier created by your skin, you will feel constantly dry and your skin might even be super irritated.

My experience

I don’t personally have dry skin but recently my sister developed a strange condition around her mouth. She told me she constantly felt dry but also the area around her mouth was getting darker.

For months the dryness or the darkness would not subside. I recommended some skin products but it was not until I gave her a strict skincare regimen she had to follow and it finally got better.

What happened

Before my sister followed my strict regimen she only used some of the products I recommend and chose the rest of the products herself. The products itself wasn’t the problem.

I initially thought that maybe her skin was irritated that is why her skin was getting darker. There was one thing she didn’t tell me. She reapplied her thick cream every hour! That my friend, tells me something isn’t working. I know her skin is dry but, IF your skin is feeling dry again on the hour, there is something wrong. She would go through a jar of moisturizer in 2 weeks. That’s not normal.

After some research, she may have developed lazy skin. I don’t know for sure if that is even a real thing, but I think it is very plausible. She uses the thickest cream and reapplies very often. Her skin may have gotten used to the heavy moisturizers that her skin stopped making its own moisturizer.

She had all the symptoms of lazy skin. Dry, irritated, congested, and dull skin.

I do know where she is coming from. When suddenly you develop this weird skin condition, you go ham and buy and use anything to find that “cure”.

I gave her some products and made her promise me not to reapply heavy moisturizers throughout the day. She was very hesitant of not reapplying a thick moisturizer throughout the day since she was constantly dry. After a couple of days, her skin is slowly getting back to normal. Best of all she doesn’t need to reapply throughout the day.

Here’s what helped

If you have similar problems and want some recommendations here are some products that helped her skin get better:

1.Hydrating toner

To help hydrate her skin without being overly thick and heavy, I thought a hydrating toner would be the best choice. Heavy moisturizers and oils can be super heavy and not hydrating enough, instead opt for something light but hydrating. You can layer the toner a couple of times if you are feeling a bit drier than normal.

I initially recommend my favorite Hatomugi Skin Conditioner but it was too light for her dry skin. Instead the I’m from Fig toner worked a little better for her. The I’m from Fig Toner is a super hydrating and nourishing toner. I highly recommend the I’m from Fig Toner if your skin is lacking in any way. Another option is the Laniege Cream Skin Toner. The Laniege toner is super light yet feels super hydrating almost as if you have applied a moisturizer. Any of these 3 toners are a good option.

2. Don’t use actives

She was quite insistent to use vitamin c to help fade her dark spots, but I thought that she needs to stop using any actives. Although Vitamin C brightens the skin, it can be super irritating as well. Since her skin is already super irritated and she does not need to cause any more irritation to her skin.

3. Use a light but hydrating moisturizer.

A hydrating moisturizer doesn’t need to be thick for it to hydrate your skin. The Purito Deep Sea Pure Water Cream is a good example fo that, it feels light but super hydrating. It absorbs very fast without leaving any oily residue. My sister likes it as well.

4. Use thick moisturizer sparingly.

If only and only if you feel particularly dry on that certain day that she can apply a thick moisturizer once in the morning and once at night. My current favorite moisturizer for super dry skin is the La Roche Posay Lipikar Baume Ap+. It really helped my eczema-prone skin. You can read my post on it here.

Conclusion: Lazy Skin

If your skin is constantly dry, yet congested and dull you might have lazy skin. If you think you have lazy skin you might want to skip your thick moisturizer and opt for a lighter routine. Try layering lighter products instead of using only one thick jar of cream.

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored but it may contain affiliate links where I make a small commission. This means that when you make a purchase using my links I earn a small percentage. All opinions are my own regardless of affiliate links or not. You don’t have to use my links but it would really help me keep on posting the things I love  🙂 <3

Michelle

A beauty lover that loves everything about beauty and skincare. She is always on the lookout to find the new “it” product. Whether it is budget friendly or high end, she plans to share with others her beauty adventures and beauty experiences on this blog.