Aveeno® are experts in dry skin and what it needs. With over 70 years of skincare experience, Aveeno® body products contain colloidal oatmeal and extracts. Dry skin is one of the most common skin complaints in Ireland and can affect nearly everyone at some point. Dry skin is a spectrum, and managing it correctly means choosing the right products for your needs, whether your skin is normal to dry, or very irritable and prone to eczema.

We’ve been featuring Personal Skincare Stories over the past few months, showing how oats can help boost both skin, hair and lifestyle – see more here. Now find how to achieve your own best skin – wherever you are on the dry skin spectrum – with a little help from Aveeno®:

1 It’s all about balance. As skin health expert for Aveeno® Rebecca Bennett explains: “The key is to take a holistic approach to skincare – what we put on our skin is really important but it’s not 100 per cent of the story: it’s also about the way we feel about ourselves and the way that’s reflected in what we eat, what we drink, how we exercise and the lifestyle we lead. The 80/20 rule is good – even if you spend 80 per cent doing the right things. So keep in mind that skincare is really important but it’s not the whole picture – you need to treat your whole self properly as well for the best benefits.” WE RECOMMEND: Get into a porridge habit, to sustain you through the morning – see food blogger Nicola Halloran’s advice and recipes here. And consider yoga stretches throughout the day – Maura Rath has some good simple suggestions here.

2 Solving dry skin starts in the shower. “One thing I think people with dry skin may sometimes do wrong is that they may be very assiduous in applying a moisturiser but then they’ll use some really strong fragranced shower gel. But if you have got dry skin, skincare should start in the shower.” WE RECOMMEND: Moisturise your skin (for up to 48 hours) with Aveeno® Daily Moisturising After Shower Mist: simply spray and go – it sinks in immediately, with lasting benefits.

3 The power of oats. “We’ve worked with oats for over 70 years, investigating them and discovering the aspects that are most beneficial to the skin,” says Rebecca Bennett. “Oats are obviously not a new ingredient – they’ve long been known as a soothing and moisturising ingredient in skincare, even going back to Egyptian times. And the work Aveeno® has done has meant we can really drill down and find the best bits of the oats – for example, the finely ground oatmeal, the oil and the special compound found only in oats.

Colloidal oatmeal, the backbone of Aveeno®, is essentially very, very finely ground oats, oat powder. The oatmeal is so finely ground that it offers the best exposure for the benefits of the oats. WE RECOMMEND: When your skin is feeling very dry and tight, perhaps after very hot weather, try Aveeno® Skin Relief Moisturising Lotion, with a Triple Oat Complex, to nourish, soothe and protect very dry and sensitive skin (from €6.12).

4 A common complaint. “Eczema should always be diagnosed by a physician. And it’s very common: it’s estimated that one in five children, and one in ten to twelve adults experience eczema,” says Rebecca Bennett. “Emollients can help to prevent flare-ups, and with better awareness and treatments now, it is very possible to manage as a condition, with the help of pharmacists.”

5 Don’t forget your scalp. Scalps get dry too, and that’s worth remembering when you’re thinking of skin health. Using a gentle shampoo such as Aveeno® Skin Relief Soothing Shampoo (€10.06), designed for very dry and irritable skin, can help to soothe itchiness or dryness on the scalp, and so hair is left looking soft and beautifully shiny.

To find the right AVEENO® product for you, visit www.Aveeno.ie.