When your skin is waving a red flag for help and you’re as dry as the Sahara, it’s time to bring in your barrier bodyguards.

An impaired skin barrier often presents as dryness, flakiness, and redness, making your skin feel sensitive and irritated. You might notice rough patches, increased breakouts, or a tight sensation, as if your skin is crying out for moisture. It’s like your skin has thrown up a “do not disturb” sign, signalling that it needs some serious TLC.

There are several sneaky culprits behind a compromised skin barrier. Harsh ingredients in products, extreme weather conditions, and over-exfoliation can all strip away essential oils and moisture. Stress and a poor diet can also contribute, weakening the skin’s natural defences.

A strong, juicy barrier routine can undo the damage and build up your base to make skin more resilient to environmental stressors.

1. Wash.

Great bodycare routines begin in the shower. Make sure the water isn’t too hot, lather up with a ceramide-packed body wash like my new one, and don’t hang around in the shower for too long.

2. Serum.

Like all good skincare routines, applying your serum is your first step after cleansing. This should be a hyaluronic acid serum to layer in the hydration while the skin is still damp. My Hyaluronic Acid Body Serum has skin-juicing ingredients and smells like peaches.

3. Moisturise.

Duh. But make sure it’s leaving out the acids and subbing in the skin-loving ingredients like niacinamide, panthenol, and ceramides. My new Barrier Body Creme is a rich hydrator to drench dry skin and deeply hydrate. Apply this everywhere after my serum for a full body slugging in the evening, or just apply to specific areas for a juicy treatment during the day.

Repeat this routine in between your scrubbing days or acid use for a balanced bodycare routine.