Why Flaky Skin Happens and What It’s Telling You
Flaky, tight, or itchy skin isn’t just a surface issue. It’s your body signaling that your skin barrier, the thin lipid layer that locks in moisture and keeps irritants out, needs repair. When the barrier weakens from cold weather, over-cleansing, or harsh ingredients, your skin loses water, becomes inflamed, and loses elasticity.
The good news: with consistent, non-toxic care, your skin can bounce back quickly.
1️. Exfoliate Weekly
Dead cells act like a barrier, preventing hydration from penetrating. Regular but gentle exfoliation sweeps away those dull layers and encourages cell turnover.
- Use a physical exfoliator mitt like the Elan Pure Exfoliating Mitt once a week.
- Avoid micro-tears by skipping harsh scrubs or chemical peels.
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After exfoliating, always replenish moisture to protect new skin cells.
Pro Tip: Exfoliate 24 hours before applying self-tanner to ensure an even glow.
2️. Hydrate Deeply; Feed Your Skin from Within
Hydration is the foundation of elasticity. Without enough moisture, collagen fibers become brittle, leading to roughness and fine lines.
Choose skincare powered by humectants, ingredients that draw water into the skin:
- Glycerin locks in hydration by attracting moisture from the air.
- Hyaluronic Acid acts like a sponge, holding up to 1,000× its weight in water.
- Aloe Vera soothes irritation while adding natural hydration.
Elan Pure’s Glow + Treatment formulas in the self-tan and face mist combine these powerhouse ingredients that hydrate and repair while delivering a natural glow.
3️. Protect Your Barrier
After hydrating, you need to lock it in. Lightweight natural oils like argan, jojoba, or rosehip mimic your skin’s natural lipids, sealing moisture inside and restoring suppleness.
Why it matters: When your barrier is healthy, your skin feels smoother, looks plumper, and resists environmental stress better.
Stick to cold-pressed oils without synthetic fragrance or silicones. They can irritate already sensitive winter skin.
4️. Eat for Skin Health; Glow Starts from the Inside
Nutrition plays a huge role in how your skin looks and feels. Build your meals around collagen-supporting foods:
- Omega-3 fats (from salmon, sardines, walnuts) keep your skin cells flexible.
- Bone broth and lean protein supply amino acids for collagen synthesis.
- Vitamin C-rich produce (citrus, berries, peppers) helps collagen form and repair.
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Zinc and silica (from pumpkin seeds and leafy greens) aid cell renewal.
Hydration and nutrition together are the ultimate elasticity boosters.
5️. Use Skincare-Grade Self-Tanning for Hydration + Protection
Most traditional self-tanners contain drying alcohols and synthetic dyes that worsen flakiness. Elan Pure reimagined the category with a Self-Tan Glow + Treatment that acts as a moisturizer and tan in one. While the self-tan face mist also hydrates your face, neck and hands while giving the most healthy, natural glow.
What Makes It Different
- Glycerin + Hyaluronic Acid draw and lock moisture deep into skin.
- Aloe Vera soothes and protects against free radicals.
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No fragrance, no parabens, no toxic dyes; just clean ingredients that support your skin’s natural functions.
Apply the self-tanner or face mist once or twice a week (it's buildable) to hydrate, protect, and maintain a natural glow through the cold months.
Flaky skin isn’t something you have to accept every winter. By pairing gentle exfoliation (try the Elan Pure's full body exfoliation mitt) deep hydration, and non-toxic ingredients, you can keep your skin supple, hydrated, and glowing year-round.
Elan Pure’s Glow + Treatment formulas does more than tan; it treats, hydrates, and protects, for skin that looks and feels healthy from the inside out.
