Dehydrated skin

A few weeks back I made a very important realisation that is bound to change my life forever. I have dehydrated skin! Now let me clarify, because I am sure that a lot of people are confused on the subject as I was.

The most important thing to remember is that dehydrated skin does not equal dry skin. Dehydration can happen to all skin types: oily, dry or combination (like me). The key difference between dehydrated and dry skin is that the first means your skin needs water and the other that it needs oil. Both these things help keep your skin moisturised. It's just that oil acts as a guard to lock in the water. So, you might have enough oil in your skin but if there is not enough water, there is nothing for the oil to actually shield. 

Both dehydration and dryness make your skin appear flake-y, red and itchy. The thing is that they are treated differently. Here are some tips and some products that will help you deal with dehydrated skin!


1. Water

See how happy this girl looks? :P

Drink more water! I cannot say this enough but if your body is not moisturised from the inside, it will definitely show on the outside. Water is really good for you in general, so try to drink 8-10 glasses daily. I promise it makes a difference! I have a water bottle that holds 600ml and I try to fill it up four times a day. Otherwise I forget. Try something similar and it might help you stay on track.

2. Serums

Serums are very beneficial for your skin as they are a concentrated version of several vitamins and antioxidants that your skin needs. They can help with dehydration as well, if you specifically choose a hydrating one (you need different serums for different skin issues). Using a heavier moisturiser does nothing for my skin except make it feel more congested. What I do is use a lighter moisturiser (aimed at my combination skin) with a hydrating serum underneath.

Caudalie   /   Clarins   /   Apivita

I have tried the APIVITA natural serums (the hydration and the radiance) and they are amazing! The hydration one helps put moisture back in your skin and the radiance one gives your skin an amazing glow! I now use the hydration one every night under my moisturiser and it does a great job! 

I have also heard great things about the Clarins Hydra Quench Intensive Serum and the Caudalie Vinosource S.O.S. Thirst Quenching Serum, but I haven't tried them yet.

3. Masks

Another thing that helps with dehydration are hydrating masks. These are not your typical masks that dry on your skin and make you unable to move your face (those include clay and are meant to purify your skin). Hydrating masks are like a thick moisturiser in consistency. You apply them all over your skin, leave them on according to instructions and then wash them off. They do a great job at hydrating your skin and I personally use them 1-2 times per week, depending on how much my skin needs them. There are also overnight masks that you apply before you go to bed, leave on for 10-15 minutes, wipe off the excess and sleep with them on. When you wake up your skin will feel really soft and plump!

Origins   /   Dermalogica   /   Apivita

I personally love the APIVITA express beauty face masks, one example being the Aloe Vera one. Cult products that I have yet to try include Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight mask (I am so buying this when I visit the UK in a week or so) and Dermalogica skin hydrating mask.

4. Oils

Oils are another product known to help with dehydration. You can mix a couple of drops in with your moisturiser or use them on their own. I have never actually tried any, but while looking around the web I found some that are said to do a great job. 

Bio-Oil (amazon, boots)   /   Clarins

You can use something like Clarins Blue Orchid face treatment oil, Bio oil or opt for something cheaper and all natural like jojoba oil, coconut oil, grape seed oil or almond oil.


Gina's tip: Brands that have a variety of hydrating products (including moisturisers, masks etc) are Clarins, Vichy, La Roche Posay, Dermalogica and Kate Somerville. 

I have been doing a lot of research on these things these past couple of weeks, so if you need me to do a post on a specific category just let me know! All questions are more than welcome! :)

Talk to you soon.

Gina ♥