How To Use Glycerin For Dry Skin

My experience using glycerin for dry skin on my body

When I first started using glycerin on my body to treat dry skin, I used it straight out of the bottle. I didn’t mix it with anything.

The first time I used it, I was surprised just how easy it was to apply, and how little you need to cover your entire body. You need a lot less than you would an oil.

The consistency is quite unique. It reminds me a little bit of a dry oil, without it making your skin shiny or greasy. Other humectants can sometimes be sticky or tacky, or when they dry down, they can make your skin feel tight. Glycerin doesn’t quite do that. Once it’s absorbed, it makes your skin hydrated and soft.

The first few weeks using glycerin, I was using it once a day. I applied it right after showering on damp skin.

When you apply it to your skin, at first it feels a little warm (not in an irritating way). When you touch your skin after applying it, your skin feels slightly damp, as if there is a film of water coating your skin. Eventually after a good 10-20 minutes it will absorb. I never had a problem with it rubbing off on my cloths or linens, but it did feel different than anything I’ve used before. It’s not greasy or thick, but it makes your skin quite moist and takes a while to absorb, especially if your skin is damp or wet when you apply it.

I noticed when I applied it to dry skin, it absorbs much faster. There’s also a lot less residue on the surface of your skin. But, it was less hydrating than when using it on damp skin.

After using it daily for 2 weeks, my skin was looking and feeling better, much better than using an oil or cream.

After the second week, a crazy thing started to happen. All the dry skin on my arms began to peel! The peeling wasn’t like sun burn surface peeling, but rather, a thicker shedding of layers of dry skin and build up. If I rubbed my skin, all this dead skin would start coming off, revealing softer and healthier skin underneath.

I believe this happened because the glycerin was attracting a lot of moisture to my skin, which loosened up all the build up on the surface of my skin. All that build up could be what was keeping my skin so dry, not allowing anything to penetrate through it.

It was interesting to me because I regularly use a dry skin brush and body scrubs to exfoliate my skin. But evidently there was still a heavy layer that needed to come off. The glycerin was the only thing that could get through it.

It was only my arms that peeled. My legs and the rest of my body never peeled. But once the peeling passed (after a few days), my skin on my entire body was no longer dry, scaly, chalky or flaky.

After about a month, I started decreasing the frequency of use to every other day, and mixed in a few drops of body oil with the glycerin. I wanted to see if adding oil would boost the moisturization, which it did. I also didn’t need to moisturize with anything on the days that I didn’t use the glycerin. My skin was perfectly hydrated and soft on its own. As time went by, I continued to lower the frequency of use.

It’s now been about 5-6 months since I started using glycerin to treat my dry skin. I’m now only using it once a week, or once every two weeks, with a few drops of oil mixed in. That’s all I need, and my skin is perfectly balanced and hydrated on its own.

I love how soft it’s made my skin. I especially love how little product I need to use. Before, I always felt like I was going through body oils and body butters so quickly, nothing seemed to last beyond a few weeks. Now that I’m using the glycerin combined with a few drops of my favourite body oil, my beloved products last much longer.

I’m so happy I no longer have dry skin. When I do use the glycerin, it’s more for maintenance and not because my skin is flaking or showing signs of getting dry or scaly.