Is Your Skin Dry or Dehydrated?

As I’ve said before, I’m not an expert by any means of the word; however, I am a self-proclaimed skincare junkie. And I notice a lot of my friends come to me with skincare questions and concerns. Because of that, I’ve done a lot of research and feel I’ve learned a few things along the way.

The most popular concerns I hear are: my oily girls not moisturizing, my dry girls need help treating irritations, and my other girls thinking they’re dry but get shiny during the day. We’re going to tackle two of those concerns today by answering one question. Is my skin dry or dehydrated?

Today I’m going to talk briefly about the difference between dry and dehydrated skin and how to select the best products for your specific needs. Let’s begin with a basic rundown of hydration vs. moisture.

Hydration

Hydration is measured based on the amount of water in your skin. The higher the hydration concentration, the more plump, smooth, and healthy looking complexion. Visualize a grape versus a raisin. My guess is you are leaning toward the grape, right? When your skin is properly hydrated, fine lines and wrinkles are kept at bay, the skin looks more youthful, and the skin cells remain hydrated and function properly.

How do we keep our skin hydrated? Since hydration is water content, drinking a lot of water will help wonders. But since our skin is the last organ to absorb water, using hydrating products topically is beneficial as well. Ingredients like aloe, glycerin, honey, sodium hyaluronate, and hyaluronic acid are called humectants. Humectants bind and retain moisture, making them great for hydrating the skin.

Moisture

Moisture on the other hand refers to oil on the skin. Attached to our hair follicles are sebaceous glands that produce sebum, an oily substance that helps protect, lubricate, and nourish the skin and prevent it from drying out. If you have oily skin and clogged pores, you may be overproducing sebum, while those with dry skin are lacking sebum production.

Regardless of your skin type, moisturizing is an important part of the skincare process. Oily girls, you hear that? Keep moisturizing. Without proper moisture, your skin can sometimes produce more oil to compensate.

Dry Skin

If your skin is dry, it lacks lipid contents or moisture. This typically results in dry, rough, and flaky skin. If this sounds like you, I have some tips.

Try using a beauty oil. I love them for so many reasons, but one reason is because they penetrate deep into the skin. Instead of creating a barrier on your skin like many lotions do, they allow your skin to breathe.

Dehydrated Skin

Dehydrated skin lacks water and tends to look dull and feel tight, even if you’re properly moisturizing. I recently noticed my skin becoming extremely dehydrated, so I began using hydrating serums. Look for the humectant ingredients I mentioned above.

After cleansing and toning, apply a hydrating serum. After, I’d apply a beauty oil to help lock in the hydration and move it further into the skin cells.

The Bottom Line

Dehydrated skin lacks water and looks dull and tight, even when moisturized. Dry skin lacks oil and appears flaky, rough, and dry.

Your skin type (dry, oily, normal) is something you’re born with. Your skin condition (dehydrated, redness, acne) can be caused by your skin type or outside factors. So you could be dry AND dehydrated or oily AND dehydrated. Knowing the difference between dryness and dehydrated will help your determine your skin needs.

 

If you’d like me to delve deeper into my favorite beauty oils, or answer any other skincare questions, let me know below in the comments (: Give your skin the drink it needs this summer.