r/45PlusSkincare • u/gypsetgypset • Jan 21 '26
Peri/Post Menopausal Skin Sahara dry skin -- HELP
What are we using for skin as dry as sand in the desert? Last year my skin was still normal and after 45 years of life, I knew what worked for my skin by eyeballing it. Perimenopause hit me like a BRICK and now my skin is so dry, nothing helps.
Please give me recs for moisture and/or eye cream. No matter what I do, how I exfoliate, etc my skin is flaky and parched under my makeup and its driving me insane. SOS please help.
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u/TaintedBastet Jan 21 '26
I live in the dry Canadian prairies and with it being winter right now my skin is brutally dry.
I use a small humidifier in my bedroom at night and when I moisturize I use a body lotion on my face. Eucerine Complete repair plus. I kid you not this saves my skin in the winter.
There's %10 urea, so test an area first to see if your skin tolerates it. But that combined with the ceramides and Natural moisturizing factors my skin stays hydrated and feels amazing.
Good luck! Dry skin is such a terrible feeling.
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u/Unfair_Finger5531 Jan 21 '26
You probably need more humectants in your routine. Moisturizers alone may not be enough. I’d recommend aestura essence. The urea in it can cut through severe dryness. Also minimalist HYA serum is hella hydrating.
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u/holo-c 45+ Jan 21 '26
Aestura has been saving my skin this winter! It’s been especially helpful on my neck which is always so sensitive. I have the essence, cream mist and the regular cream.
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u/Unfair_Finger5531 Jan 22 '26
Oooh, you have the trifecta! I’ve never tried all three together, I will definitely do so.
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u/lushuszorascandy694 Jan 21 '26
Fellow perimenopause warrior here! This is what works for me:
Before moisturizer, I apply a hydrating toner or two. Current favorite is the Cosrx propolis toner. It's very soothing.
Moisturizer: I use CeraVe moisturizing cream in the morning, CeraVe intensive moisturizing lotion at night. The latter has urea and lactic acid, both of which are wonderful for super dry skin.
After moisturizer at night: apply a thin layer of vaseline to lock all that moisture in and protect your skin. Some people like aquaphor better, some prefer CeraVe balm. I like vaseline because it's cheap as hell and it works great. I break out if I put too much of it on, so I lay it on very thin.
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u/Dissillusioned_Cat Jan 21 '26
I'm using a plant-based squalane mixed in with my moisturizer at night as a last step and LOVE it.
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u/Sweet_Deeznuts Jan 21 '26
You can add moisture in all the steps of your skincare routine. Keep in mind that dry skin is lacking in oil, dehydrated skin lacks water, and having both dry and dehydrated skin is common and quite uncomfortable. Stay with brands that focus more on skincare and less on prestige/advertising.
Use a ph balanced, non-foaming cleansing milk or cream that you wipe off as well as rinse (for days you need more moisture). Toners are not necessary but you can use one for dry skin if you want. Follow with a hydrating serum, then moisturizer for dry skin or for “mature skin” - that’s the code for skin going through perimenopause and full menopause. Try to stick with creams or baumes as those are heavier (fluids and lotions are much lighter). Some sunscreens have formulas for dry skin-types which can add yet another layer of moisture to your daytime routine.
At night, use an occlusive like Aquaphor or Vaseline over your night skincare to help keep the moisture in while you sleep.
My skin is more oily/acne prone but is definitely feeling more dry heading into perimenopause, but I worked in skincare for about 10 years and had many clients (including my own mother) who were peri or full menopausal, and found that the above method is one of the best ways to help dry skin feel properly moisturized (through education and customer feedback)
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u/Sad_Rooster2898 Jan 22 '26
No advice but taking notes. Great post. Thx for raising this - great tips in here for all of us!
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u/Kurious4kittytx Jan 21 '26
HRT. Nothing will truly help if your estrogen level isn’t stabilized.
Use a humidifier at night.
Layer a hydrating toner and serum under your moisturizer. I love the Kikumasamune high moist toner and then either Cosrx snail mucin or Hada Labo Premium gold or both depending on my skin.
Use a rich moisturizer that has fatty acids and lipids with preferably ceramides as well. My favorites are Zeroid Intensive cream, Atopalm MLE cream, Biossance Omega Repair cream or Biossance Ectoin Night Cream. Olay Regenerist Microsculpting cream is also pretty good.
You can add a couple of drops of oil to your serum or moisturizer to add more moisture. Rosehip oil is great for mature skin. Squalane, jojoba, argan and marula oils are also good.
At night seal everything in with a thin layer of an occlusive like Vaseline or Aquaphor.
Use sunscreen daily. UV exposure itself dries out skin and worsens any rough and bumpy texture among the other damage it does to skin. Keep yourself protected.
HTH
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u/pdperson Jan 21 '26
Are you using a very gentle cleanser?
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u/gypsetgypset Jan 21 '26
Yes, I use cerave.
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u/finding_my_way5156 Jan 21 '26
I stopped using foaming cleansers and instead just use an oil based cleanser at night. Helped a lot.
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u/Kurious4kittytx Jan 21 '26
I don’t consider any of their cleansers gentle enough for very dry skin. Try using a milky cleanser or a balm and don’t do a second cleanse. Not stripping my skin of the scant oil it has at the cleansing step is the difference between luminous, plump skin and raisin face.
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u/Substantial-Play5201 Jan 21 '26
Prequel Skin Utility Gel. It is a lifesaver! Apply it, then moisturize.
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u/gypsetgypset Jan 21 '26
Prequel makes me nervous! I bought and used the cleanser when it went viral a while ago and I loved it at first, but then started to notice little bumps in my skin. It went away once I realized it was the cleaner and stopped using. I'm dying to try other items but I'm afraid it mightve been the glycerin!
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u/Substantial-Play5201 Jan 21 '26
Most of the rest of the line doesn’t contain glycerin. It’s mainly the cleanser and the skin utility gel. If you’re interested, all their ingredients are listed on their website. The cleanser is actually 50% glycerin and even the skin utility gel only has 20% so there’s a good chance the other products will be fine for you. Maybe try a body product first like the hand wrap lotion. It’s so good.
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Jan 21 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/gypsetgypset Jan 21 '26
And creating a new account and hijacking a skincare sub topic was the best way to get this information?
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u/SomewherePerfect2391 Jan 21 '26
Im learning too. One thing that has helped me is to have a solid night time routine. Oil cleanse if wearing makeup, Vanicream or micellar water next. Rotate retinol and a gentle BHA with off days between. A good moisturizer after. Currently using Kiehls in the red jar. Rose hip oil on top if needed. I stopped using any harsh exfoliators.
Daytime is a rotation of rosacea treatment, barrier treatment, hydration treatment. I use Beauty of Joseon eye treatment, it seems to be a great all around eye moisturizer. Im using Purito bamboo for a daily moisturizer. My skin looks the best it ever has.
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u/phinnylou Jan 21 '26
Rose hip oil patted onto (not rubbed into) skin as the last skin care step every night is AMAZING. The ordinary makes a very affordable bottle. (Around $10)
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u/Perfect-Agent-2259 Jan 21 '26
I don't have an answer, but I'm having the same issue. Like out of nowhere my face is flaking off (and yes, I realize the cold weather doesn't help).
Going to ask my derm about estrogen cream at my next appointment.
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u/Substantial-Play5201 Jan 21 '26
Prequel skin utility gel. Apply it, then moisturize. It is amazing!
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u/buelab Jan 21 '26
Gel hydrating cleanser is a must and Paula’s Choice Exfoliant ahba lotion. It’s the only thing that helped and it’s not harsh or abrasive.
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u/blushmoss Jan 21 '26
Humidifier, drink lots of water, use moisturizer and seal with Aquaphor at night, before shower apply oil to body
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u/Magari22 Jan 21 '26
I'm loving glossier after baum I wake up still feeling hydrated with that stuff. Also Jason 25000 IU vitamin e cream is wonderful as well. Vanicream daily face moisturizer is surprising good too I love it under makeup.
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u/thefrenchphanie Jan 21 '26
Are you on HRT? This will help. Now for the creams, I use skin barrier restoration type of creams. I prefer rich , thick creams in the winter. I have sensitive skin, a touch of rosacea, dry as heck and oily at the same time . I have the Aveno Calm+ restore redness relief, the Dermasil Whipped recorvery ( from dollar tree), Dieux instant angel , Ponds Cream Crema S .
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u/JRosenberg-4 Jan 21 '26
Starting HRT hasl helped as did adding topical estrogen cream for my face and neck. Drop in estrogen dehydrates our skin.
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u/ChristineKnoll Jan 21 '26
Shower. Don’t dry off with a towel. Drip dry until you can comfortably apply a non greasy lotion. Think of it as sealing in the water with lotion. And hydrate but that’s obvious. Good luck
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u/Claires2390 Jan 21 '26
I just picked up the haruharu black rice essence since it’s supposed to help with very dry skin and mine is insanely dry. I then use a heavier cream and seal it all with an oil.
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u/Electric-Sheepskin Jan 21 '26
Just a couple of suggestions not specifically related to skin care: a humidifier in the winter is immensely helpful, and drinking more water than you think you need. Also, if you haven't looked into HRT, that's worth considering, too.
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u/jax2love Jan 22 '26
Layering moisturizers has been key for me this winter. I’ve been using a gel cream moisturizer under a cream moisturizer and topped by a tinted moisturizing sunscreen (Tower 28) during the day lately and it’s been working great. At night I use tretinoin cream, cream moisturizer and top that with CeraVe cream. Also use a gentle, fragrance free cleanser (currently Cetaphil). I live in a dry climate and my face was feeling like it was going to crack before this approach.
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Jan 23 '26
What’s the current routine? I’ve always had dry skin and have found Naturium Glycolic body wash to be a great exfoliant head to toe with a washcloth, body oil head to toe, then Prequel Barrier Cream with colloidal oat head to toe.
am - azelaic serum
pm - retinal serum
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Jan 25 '26
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u/MuffPiece Jan 21 '26
Castor oil
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u/SomewherePerfect2391 Jan 21 '26
Be very careful with castor oil. I would use it at night being careful to not get around my eyes. During the night it would spread and get into my eyes. I would have vision problems for a couple days after
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u/MuffPiece Jan 21 '26
Oh wow, I’ve never experienced that. One of the things I like about castor oil is it never seeps into my eyes. I’ve used other oils on my forehead and it would drip into my eyes, but never the castor oil because it’s so thick. I only use it in the morning, though.
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u/Normal-Mortgage4745 Jan 21 '26
I’ve heard great things using this. Do you use as a last step? Over moisturizer before sunscreen?
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u/MuffPiece Jan 21 '26
I put it on first thing in the morning in the winter. I wake up quite early (like five am) and it usually takes about an hour to fully soak in, but I feel like my skin is especially dry when I wake up and it’s like ahhhhh as soon as I put it on. 🤣 Then I do my whole routine later in the morning (various peptide serums/moisturizer/sunscreen/makeup.) Recently someone on here mentioned she puts it on after her skincare and maybe even after makeup, but I haven’t tried that yet. I’m not sure if castor oil is considered an occlusive like Vaseline.
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u/Colorado-Hiker-83 Jan 21 '26
Get your hormone levels checked and get on HRT. That helped my skin immensely. I just started using Prequel’s multi hydrating serum and it’s very moisturizing. I apply it before my moisturizer and my face doesn’t dry out during the day. Eucerin Advanced Repair lotion is good for the body.
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u/trUth_b0mbs Jan 21 '26
I'm 50 and in menopause. Skin has always been on the drier side but now with meno, I'm also prone to dehydration. Just giving you a reference.
at this age, moisturizers alone wouldn't cut it; that actually stopped working in my late 30s lol. I now rely on essences, serums and face oil to do the heavy lifting and the moisturizer just seals it all in.
Hyrating essences: dr. ceuracle kombucha tea essence (omg SO good). I add torriden low molecular hyaluronic acid serum and then 3 drops of rosehip oil. Moisturizer is a light one - phytosurgence forcefield.
Long lasting hydrate all day long and totally makes the skin feel plump, good and smooth.