Phoenix gets about eight inches of rain a year. On a June afternoon, the humidity can sit in the single digits while it's 115°F outside. Then winter comes, and the air gets colder and somehow drier. If your skin feels tight here, you're not imagining it.
This is the routine we'd give a friend who just moved to the desert.
Why desert air is hard on skin
Skin holds on to water better when the air around it is humid. When the air is very dry, water leaves skin faster. Add air conditioning in summer, heaters in winter, hard water, and long hot showers, and you get skin that feels tight by lunchtime.
You don't need more products to fix it, just a few good habits and the right timing.
1. Shorten and cool your shower
Hot water feels great and leaves skin feeling tighter afterward. Keep showers warm, not hot, and closer to five minutes than fifteen. Pat dry instead of rubbing.
2. Moisturize within three minutes
The best time to moisturize is right after a shower, while skin is still a little damp. Balm or lotion spreads thinner on damp skin, so you use less and it feels lighter.
Keep the jar in the bathroom so it's the first thing you see.
3. Use a balm on the spots that stay dry
Lotion is fine for big areas. For the places that dry out first, like knuckles, hands, elbows, heels, and the sides of your nose, a balm does more with less. It has no water, so it stays put longer. (Here's the difference between balm and lotion.)
A pea-sized amount covers both hands. Warm it between your fingertips and press it in.
4. Keep a small jar in your bag, not your car
A 50 g jar in a bag or desk drawer means you'll actually use it after washing your hands. Don't leave it in a parked car in summer. Interior temperatures in Phoenix can pass 150°F, and no balm stays solid through that.
5. Adjust the amount, not the product
A good balm works in July too. The trick is less of it: in summer, a thin layer is plenty, and a balm that settles to a satin finish won't leave you shiny. If your face runs oily, a few drops of a light, fast-drying oil may be all it wants. In winter, use a little more, or mix the two: one drop of oil into a little balm.
6. Don't forget sunscreen
Desert sun is strong year-round, even in January. Moisturizer first, let it settle for a minute, then sunscreen. (We don't make sunscreen. Use one you like and will actually reapply.)
7. Run a humidifier at night in winter
If your skin feels tight when you wake up, a small humidifier in the bedroom helps more than any product. Clean it weekly.
The whole routine, on a sticky note
- Warm, short showers.
- Moisturize within three minutes, on damp skin.
- Balm on the dry spots, all year. Less in summer, more in winter.
- Sunscreen every morning.
- Humidifier at night in winter.
Everything we make is made in Phoenix, and our balm has been through a real Arizona summer.