Dry Flaky Skin on Body: Causes + How to Fix It Fast
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If you’ve ever stepped out of the shower and noticed white flakes all over your legs, welcome to the club. I dealt with scaly body skin for years, and it drove me crazy because nobody else in my family had this problem. So I knew it had to be something I was doing wrong.
Turns out, I was doing a lot of things wrong. Hot showers felt amazing but destroyed my skin. I’d moisturize, but at completely the wrong time. And don’t even get me started on the harsh soaps I used just because they smelled good.
Here’s what finally worked: It wasn’t fancy products or drinking gallons of water (though that doesn’t hurt). It was fixing a few simple habits and using products that actually repair your skin barrier instead of just coating it with something that feels nice for five minutes.
In this guide, I’m sharing what actually fixed my dry, flaky skin – including the one timing mistake that was sabotaging everything.
Understanding Dry Skin
When people talk about dry skin, the first piece of advice you often hear is to drink more water. While staying hydrated is important, it’s not a cure-all for dry skin, especially if the underlying causes are not addressed. Dry skin is typically due to a lack of oil, whereas dehydrated skin lacks water. Even with ample hydration and a diet rich in fluids, your skin may still appear dry if the root cause isn’t treated properly. Learn “the difference between dry and dehydrated skin”
Here’s a quick way to tell: Dry skin lacks oil and feels rough or flaky. Dehydrated skin lacks water but might still be oily in some areas. If you have flaky body skin, you’re almost definitely dealing with dry skin (lipid deficiency), which is what this guide addresses.
Causes Of Dry Skin On Body
The skin naturally produces lipids, such as ceramides, free fatty acids, and cholesterol, that help maintain moisture. In people with dry skin, these lipids—especially ceramides—are often deficient, leading to increased water loss and a compromised skin barrier. Here are some common causes of dry skin:
Causes Of Dry Skin
1. Weather
Any change in weather conditions that causes humidity to be very low worsens dry skin. Most especially during the cold or dry season. The skin would want to compensate for this low humidity in the weather by drawing out water from the dermis to hydrate the skin. This leads to increased epidermal water loss which results in skin dryness and worsens the existing skin condition.
2. Frequent bathing and Cleansing soaps
Frequent bathing or showering, especially with hot water, depletes the skin of its natural lipid leading to epidermal water loss. You may also experience skin dryness after swimming in a chlorinated pool. Aside from bathing with hot water, using bar soap or detergent that is harsh to the skin will strip the skin of its lipids leading to moisture loss. Examples of such soaps are bar soap with a PH ranging from 7 to 12. The continuous use of these soaps will damage the skin barrier function in the long run.
3. Sun Exposure
Frequent exposure to the sun without wearing sunscreens results in skin barrier damage. The radiation from the sun goes deep into the dermis where collagen and elastin are broken down leading to saggy or wrinkled skin. A sun-damaged skin usually appears dry.
4. Aging
As we get older/wiser, our skin produces less natural oil and fewer ceramides – those are the good guys that keep moisture locked in. So if your body skin was fine in your 20s but started getting drier in your 30s and beyond, that’s why. The good news is the right products can make up for what your skin isn’t producing anymore.
How to Get Rid of Dry Flaky Skin on Your Body
People with dry skin often have tight sensitive skin, especially after bathing or swimming. The skin starts to look rough, with fine lines or looks dehydrated then itching occurs. The more the itch, the more the skin barrier damages causing more infection to the affected area. Dry skin may be mild, moderate or severe. Severe cases would require a visit to the dermatologist to help the underlying problem. Here are some effective solutions:
1. Use the Right Cleansers and Soaps
The first part of cleansing is during showers or bathing. For people with dry skin, a brief shower of fewer than 10 minutes is required using cold or lukewarm water. Also, it is important to avoid or cautiously use shower gels and washes that include fragrance. Dry skin is known to be sensitive and fragrance will increase more sensitivity which will exacerbate the problem.
In addition to that, if you are the type of person that uses bar soap, use a bar soap that is closer to the skin PH. A lot of people don’t mind the type of bar soap they are using so far it lathers. The truth is bar soaps are important, many bar soaps are too alkaline (PH 9 to 10) and they cause an imbalance of the skin PH which drys out and sensitizes your skin. Unfortunately, a lot of these bar soaps manufacturers do not mention their PH level
These soaps are my top Amazon recommendations because they are known as Syndet bars and not the normal soap bars. These bar cleansers are formulated within the normal skin flora which means they are within the PH of the skin. The PH of the skin is between 4.75 to 5.75. Therefore, the use of a cleansing bar within the skin PH is relevant to prevent skin dryness.
2. If You Prefer Liquid Body Washes:
I switched to body washes because I find them easier to control – you use less product and they rinse off more completely. Here’s what works:
- Cetaphil Ultra Gentle Body Wash (has aloe vera and and vitamin B5, fragrance-free)
- Dove Deep Moisture Body Wash (budget-friendly, really gentle)
- La Roche-Posay Lipikar Wash AP+ (for very dry or eczema-prone skin)
Quick tip: Don’t pour body wash directly on your skin. Put it on a washcloth or in your hands with water first, then lather. Way more gentle that way.
2. Try Cleansing Milk
Have you ever tried cleansing milk for your skin? They are simply amazing. Not only do they cleanse the skin, but they are also mild, gently moisturising.
Cleansing milk is great at removing makeup and any specks of dirt off the skin. Also, they moisturize the skin. I have carefully selected products that are free of fragrance such as The Bioderma Sensibio Cleansing Milk, Clinique Take the Day Off, Andalou Naturals and COSRX. However, the only con in this selection is that COSRX contains witch hazel and bergamot oil which may be irritating for dry skin types.
Just FYI – cleansing milks are mainly for your face, but I sometimes use them on extra-dry spots like elbows and knees. For full-body cleansing, stick with the gentle body washes above.
3. Exfoliate with Care
The next step to cleansing is to exfoliate which is to remove dead skin cells. When it comes to dry skin, exfoliation cannot be stressed enough. The skin normally exfoliates every 28 to 30 days. However, for dry skin cells, there is a disturbance in the skin turnover rate. It is either the skin cells that are producing too many dead skin cells or the cell turnover rate is simply too low resulting in the accumulation of dead skin cells on the skin surface. This is where you see scales, roughness, and dryness on the skin layer.
The kind of exfoliants to use for dry skin type are those that contain Lactic acid. Lactic acid is an AHA and it is present in the skin’s natural moisturizing factor. They also help to produce more ceramides to the skin surface. Exfoliation should be done once or twice weekly to avoid over-exfoliation. Check out for the signs of over-exfoliation
AmLactin Daily Moisturizing Lotion – 12% lactic acid, this is my favorite for rough legs. It exfoliates while it moisturizes CeraVe SA Lotion for Rough & Bumpy Skin – Has salicylic acid, works great for those little bumps on arms First Aid Beauty KP Bump Eraser Body Scrub – Combination of physical and chemical exfoliation
4. Moisturizer Effectively
Not all moisturizers are created equal, and what works for someone with mildly dry skin won’t cut it if you’re dealing with actual scales and roughness.
If your skin is just a bit dry: Try CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion or Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion first. They’re lightweight, absorb quickly, and work for most people. If you hate the feeling of heavy creams, start here.
If you’ve got visible flakes and roughness: This is where I landed. I needed something thicker. Eucerin Advanced Repair Cream became my go-to because it has urea and ceramides, which actually help repair your skin barrier instead of just sitting on top. CeraVe Moisturizing Cream (the one in the tub) also works really well if you don’t mind the thicker texture.
If your skin is extremely dry with rough patches: You might need something with exfoliating acids. AmLactin Daily Moisturizing Lotion has 12% lactic acid, so it exfoliates and moisturizes at the same time. I use this on my legs 2-3 times a week. Fair warning: it can sting a tiny bit if you have any cracks or irritation, but it works.
For really stubborn spots like elbows and heels, I use Aquaphor Healing Ointment at night. It’s thick and greasy, but it gets the job done.
If you’re on a budget: Vaseline Intensive Care Advanced Repair Lotion is pretty affordable and honestly works better than some expensive options I’ve tried. Don’t sleep on drugstore products.
If your dry skin is also itchy: CeraVe Hydrocortisone Cream – it has ceramides plus 1% hydrocortisone for the itch. Just don’t use it for more than a week or two without talking to a doctor.
5. Seal In The Moisture With Natural Oils
After moisturizing, apply a natural oil to lock in moisture. Different skin types benefit from different oils. For dry skin, oils like jojoba, argan, or rosehip are excellent choices. For more information on choosing the right oil, check out my post on natural oils for different skin types.
What Actually Fixed My Dry Skin
Look, I could give you a fancy 12-step routine, but honestly? These are the things that made the real difference:
The 3-minute rule changed everything. I used to shower, dry off completely, maybe check my phone, get dressed, and then moisturize like 20 minutes later. Turns out that’s basically the worst thing you can do. Now I apply moisturizer within 3 minutes of getting out of the shower while my skin is still slightly damp. The difference was noticeable within two days.
I stopped taking hot showers. This one hurt. I love hot showers. But lukewarm water doesn’t strip your skin the way hot water does. I compromised – I start with warm and gradually lower the temperature. Still not as satisfying, but my skin stopped looking like a reptile.
I layered products on the worst areas. My shins and elbows were always the driest. So after applying my regular body lotion, I’d add a thicker cream or even Aquaphor on just those spots. It sounds like overkill, but it worked when nothing else did.
I actually stuck with it. The first couple days, I didn’t see massive improvement and almost gave up. But by day 4 or 5, my skin felt completely different. Sometimes you just have to be patient and consistent.
Conclusion
The biggest lesson I learned: dry, flaky skin isn’t about finding one miracle product. It’s about fixing the habits that are working against you – hot showers, harsh soaps, moisturizing at the wrong time.
For me, the game-changers were switching to lukewarm water, using gentle cleansers, and moisturizing within 3 minutes of showering on damp skin. The right products helped, but the routine matters just as much.
If you’re dealing with dry skin right now, start with those three changes before you spend a fortune on creams. Sometimes the simplest fixes make the biggest difference.
What’s worked for your dry skin? Or what are you still struggling with? Let me know in the comments.
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FAQ
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Thanks for helping me figure out why I have dry skin. 🤗💜
Thank you for reading 💜
This was super informative – I’ve heard the water issue too and didn’t realize the difference. Thanks for the scoop
You are welcome ☺️
Great post! Will share with closed ones that have dry skin as this info is very insightful and helpful😊 https://angiewaves.com/
Thank you so much 💜
Thank you for sharing this! Your posts are very informative, I’ve learned so much from you 😊
Omg I actually really needed this! My hands have been really dry lately
Great post. I am prone to dry skin on my lower legs and treat it with exfoliating and moisturiser.
My skin is always dry in thee winter. I started exfoliating my face more (thanks to you) but apparently I didn’t think to do my body as well. I have tons of recipes on Pinterest for DIY scrubs but I haven’t gotten back to that. Well girl, today is the DAY! As always, thank you for your help. By the end of quarantine I’m going to have a serious “glow up” thanks to you. lol
Yessss!!! Go girl. I’m so glad you are doing this💜. Thank you ☺️
That was very informative and helpful! Deffo going to share it to my friends who suffer form dry skin!
That’s awesome… thank you so much 💜
Though my skin is mostly oily, when the seasons change it goes through dry periods, so I love your tips and tricks! Cleansing milk caught my eye; I definitely want to try it. I love exfoliating; it leaves my skin feeling so fresh. 🙂
Cleansing milk are just amazing, you should try it. Thank you for reading ❤️
Thank you for another informative post! I did use to get dry skin, but I think that was because I didn’t drink enough water, but I’ve changed that now. I’m really trying to improve my skin care though, particularly as i’m at home now and really have no excuse. Thanks for sharing – I look forward to the next one!
Thank you so much for reading 💜
Such a helpful post. I’ve recently been suffering from dry skin and having never had that problem before, I didn’t know how to tackle it.
I love the sound of a cleansing milk so I’m definitely going to try out some of your recommendations
I’m so glad you are trying out cleansing milk, thank you💜
Thank you so much for making this post! I’m not sure what happened honestly. I only started having really drying skin during high school. I’ve tried a lot of different things, and I’ve tried drinking a lot more water too. Which is good for my body but still didn’t make a difference to my skin. Its mostly just my legs though. I will try some of the products you mentioned though!
That’s great… thank you 💜
This is helpful as I have dry skin. I stay under the sun very often due to sports, I swim in the pool and regularly freedive. My skin is hating me right? My skin dryness gets worse when I go to the US. Glad you recommended products that can help me.
I get dry skin on my hands, especially in cold weather. It’s made worse when I am washing them a lot! I put moisturising hand cream on my hands every night and this usually keeps them from getting too dry and cracked. Thank you for all your tips and information!
I don’t have dry skin but my stepmum does. I’ll be sure to share this post with her!
Thank you so much ☺️
Thanks for sharing! So interesting to know☺️
My hands are forehead have suffered this winter, I have been able to adapt my skincare to soothe it. A fab post and some great tips and recommendations thank you!
Sarah x
http://Www.simplysarahjayneloves.com
Thank you for reading 💜
My skin is really dry and it’s always annoying! This will surely help!
Yes! ☺️. Thank you
This post is so informative and helpful! I tend to get dry skin around my face often so I will try to implement these tips on how to get rid of it! Thanks for sharing!
I’m glad it was helpful 💜
I’ve always had a bit of a dry skin problem, but I’ve noticed that it has gotten much worse recently. That being said, I’ve been skipping out on the care that usually keeps it at bay – namely my moisturizer routine. I need to get back on that! My legs, in particular, have been SO dry and itchy lately!
I’m happy to remind you to get back to your moisturizer, it is very important ❤️. Thank you for reading
I’m quite lucky that I don’t have a dry skin but my girls are prone to dry skin. I can see it on their legs already. Do I follow the same process for them?
For kids, I suggest you skip the exfoliation and cleansing milk part and just moisturize. After moisturizing, you can add natural oils to seal in the moisture
Great post. Very helpful in order to get rid of a dry skin. Thank you for sharing!
Regards,
Akshay Toshniwal
https://technoitworld.com
This is a very helpful post! Thank you for sharing! 😊
This is such an informative post! I’ve started ro-accutane, so I keep getting really random dry patches everywhere that no amount of water will fix – bookmarked this post to come back to! xx
Thank you so much, glad you found it helpful
Thanks for the fab and informative post!
Thanks lots for the info!
Stay wonderful!
Louna | burstsofautumn
Thank you so much for reading 💜
Ooh thank you so much for this! I get eczema really badly on my face, especially around my eyes, but it’s been a lot better since I’ve used CeraVue so I was happy to see that included on this post.
This post is so helpful! Thank you for sharing the information! I’ve been struggling with dry skin for quite some time now.
Antonia || Sweet Passions
I’ve been using the same soap forever now because my boyfriend has incredibly sensitive skin and seems to only be able to use one specific kind although after looking into it after reading this it doesn’t look like it’s the best one for me and my dry skin. May have to look into getting some for myself to use and see if I can get this tackled. Thanks for the tips!
Good tips! I get a lot of dry skin in my T zone, and I think it’s because I’m terrible about moisturizing.
Good post and information sharing. My skin is the combination type too, and also face dry skin problem sometimes. I used aloe Vera gel. It’s good for my skin. Thank you for sharing this post.
Aloe Vera Gel has lots of benefits, I’m glad you are using it and it’s working for you. 💜
I have this problem especially in the cold, winter months. I just can’t bring myself to take cold or lukewarm showers. I like really hot water. You are right though. I need to turn down the heat, exfoliate, and use lotion more.
Haha yes I get it. It is honestly super cold and it’s so hard to not use hot water to bath. What I usually do is to moisturize immediately after and use jojoba oil. It helps. Thank you for reading 💜
Really informative post. I’ve never suffered hugely from dry skin, until now with the constant hand washing! My hand are awful x
Hand washing can be drying, so sorry about that. I have a blog post about hand washing if you would like to check it out. I think you would find it helpful 💜. Thank you for reading
I found this post really helpful. My skin is always really dry. At the moment I’m using the Body Shop Hemp Shower Oil which has helped a lot. I’m going to try some of the cleansing milks that you suggested. I always love reading your content. x
Thank you for reading 💜
So helpful! I never knew that not drinking enough water could cause dry skin. Love how informative this article is. Thank you!
Thank you 💜
Great post! I’ve been trying to find products to help with dry skin so it’s super useful to see some of your product suggestions to help deal with it 🙂 x
https://www.femaleoriginal.com
I’m so glad you found it helpful, thank you ☺️
I have textbook very dry skin with just about every symptom you’ve listed here. Unfortunately, my skin just doesn’t produce much/ any oil, no external factors are causing it. It takes a lot of oil to keep my skin from looking flaky. I’m a huge fan of lactic acids too, my skin is really sensitive and I find lactic causes less irritation than other chemical exfoliants x
Sophie
Oh thank you very much, so good to the points being validated from a textbook. If no external factor is the cause of your dry skin, then maybe it could stem from the inside. I’m writing about internal factors next, I hope that resonates with you
Super educational! My skin has been quite dry this season and honestly this helped me think about it differently, thank you!
Thank you, so glad you found it helpful ☺️
I only started dealing with dry skin last summer. And it was a nightmare. I struggled with acne before that. I felt like I was a teenager again. It took me a while to figure out what worked. Thanks for breaking it down and recommending products!
I’ve wanted to try a good cleansing milk! I need to find one that I like! Although since I’ve popped this little one out, my dryness has done a 360 and I’m back with oily skin again! Which is fine with me! Dry skin I feel like was way worse! Thanks for the suggestions! I always look forward to your posts!
This is so interesting, I always thought dehydration was the main cause of dry skin, turns out there are many other factors. My hands are so dry at the moment because of all the washing I have to do, as well as wearing gloves all day for my job. Now I know how to re-hydrate them!
Thanks for sharing!
Aimsy xoxo
Aimsy’s Antics
This is such a great and informative post. I usually suffer from dry skin too so I will have to implement some of these recommendations to my routine in order to improve it
Great product recommendations! I have really dry skin but I also don’t help myself as I love hot baths and showers.
Lauren | https://www.laurenyloves.co.uk/
I always use my moisturizer daily. I would say I have average dry skin but every once and a while (usually weather related) it becomes relaly dry especially on my nose!!! Then I have all these little dead skin flakes which are obviously very attractive.
Casey Anne
I have the opposite problem- oily skin! I do get dry hands a LOT though, and I found that the only way to help it is to use a rich hand cream after washing my hands.
I have a combination skin, too! This post was so helpful for me as I suffer from extreme dryness during winter! 🙁 Cerave lotions are honestly life-saver! Thank you so much for sharing your tips x Penny / whatdidshetype.com