1. Watch how you wash.
It might seem a bit of a contradiction but your daily wash could be the very thing robbing your skin of moisture - that's because hot water can to strip skin of its natural protective oils causing it to dry out. So use warm water instead and cleanse skin with Clinique's Liquid Face Wash Regular Strength which gets skin clean without making it feel dry or tight. Afterwards, gently pat skin dry but not too dry - the next step is to apply moisturiser and that's best applied to skin that's still slightly damp.

2. Provide some protection.
Of all the steps you can take to protect your skin nothing is more important, nor as simple, as moisturising. Skin looses moisture all the time through washing, air conditioning and environmental factors and as it does it becomes prone to irritation, tightness and, in the long term, fine lines and wrinkles. Luckily, solving these problems is as simple as using a moisturiser like M Lotion or Maximum Hydrator. Used twice daily - in the morning and at night - they'll help keep skin plump, hydrated and supple around the clock. Just massage in with your fingertips, focussing on any particularly dry areas, and you're done. It's a simple as that.

Tip:
To maximise your moisturiser's effecivness exfolaite skin twice weekly with a litttle Face Scrub - if you remove dead surface skin cells it'll be better absorbed.

3. Hydrate from within.
The human body is 75% water so it stands to sense that when it's deprived of fluid it doesn't function as well as it should. Starve yourself of water and it isn't just your joints, muscles and internal organs that are affected though - your mood, concentration and mental agility are too as is your skin, which draws upon reserves from its lower levels to protect itself. And by the time you're thirsty it's already too late. So stay adequately hydrated aim to drink around 6-8 glasses of water a day and try avoid the chilled stuff - the body absorbs it more efficiently at room temperature.

Did you know...
Even oily skin needs moisturising. Because oil and water aren't the same thing skin can be greasy and dehydrated. To correct both problems at once use Clinique's Oil Control Hydrator.

Tip of the month:

Dry skin is often made worse by a poor diet, particularly one that's low in vitamins A and B so stock up on red, yellow and leafy veg and nutritious wholegrain foods. Upping your zinc intake helps too since it helps the skin's sebaceous glands to produce their protective oil. You can find it in chicken, eggs, whole grains and soya.

For last month's Grooming Guide click here