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How to Care for Dry & Dehydrated Skin
These two skin problems are often confused as the same thing but dehydrated skin and dry skin are actually different skin concerns. Dehydrated skin is lacking in water and is a temporary skin condition, whereas dry skin lacks natural oils and is a skin type.
Read on to learn more from our Doctors about the difference between dry and dehydrated skin and how to properly treat each one.
What is Dry Skin?
If you have a dry skin type, your skin produces less sebum (its own natural oils) than other skin types. Dry skin lacks oil in the skin's outer layer or stratum corneum. Your skin needs a healthy balance of its natural oils to function at its best. Oil helps hold and retain moisture in the skin and also keeps it smooth & supple.
When the skin doesn’t produce enough of its own natural oil, it can no longer hold onto moisture and this is when you will suffer from the effects of dry skin. The lack of the skin to be able to retain moisture will compromise the skin barrier so it will become more susceptible to sensitivity and damage without having a sufficient layer of natural protective oils.
What are the signs of dry skin?
Signs of dry skin include redness, irritation, rough or itchy skin. Your skin may be flaky, feel tight or have fine lines or wrinkles and appear as more fragile skin. People with dry skin types are also prone to inflammatory and very extreme dry skin concerns like dermatitis (eczema) characterised by redness, dry cracking skin, sometimes with inflammation, broken skin or blistering.
How to Look After Dry Skin
Caring for dry skin means using dermatologically formulated skincare products that help combat the natural lack of oil on the skin’s surface. This is why oil-based skin care is a great choice for dry skin types.
The right blends of plant oils can make a big difference for a dry, flaky complexion as they supplement the sebum your skin isn’t producing.
Some of the best plant oils for dry skin include:
Almond Oil: With a molecular structure close to your skin’s natural sebum, Almond oil is readily accepted by the skin and is an ideal facial oil. It helps strengthen the skin barrier, restore balance, and promote hydration without irritating the skin or blocking your skin's pores.
Avocado: Rich in antioxidant, emollient, and anti-inflammatory properties, avocado oil promotes skin hydration, soothes and fights free radical damage.
Rose Oil: Packed with omega-6’s and omega-3’s fatty acids, rose oil is revered for its moisturising and regenerative properties for dry, itchy, damaged skin. It’s also rapidly absorbed and creates a protective barrier on the skin to guard against moisture loss.
The best skincare products for dry skin
One of our best sellers and an excellent oil moisturiser for dry skin is Multi-Purpose Rose Oil Serum. This skincare serum helps to address dryness, dehydration, ageing, fine lines and wrinkles on the face, neck, décolletage, hands and body. The Skin O2 Multi-Purpose Rose Oil Serum is a regeneration elixir for hair, skin & nails with real rose petals, vitamins & minerals to deliver moisture, radiance & plumpness. This multi-purpose booster serum helps to protect, strengthen & restore your hair, skin and nails. This is the best skincare treatment oil for Dry skin as it contains a blend of Rose Flower Oil, Avocado Oil & Almond Oil (Omega 3, 6 & 9, Vitamin A, Vitamin E & Zinc).
Skin O2’s best dry skin moisturiser for the face is Collagen Moisture Filler. It contains key skin moisturising ingredients such as plant based Collagen, Shea Nut Butter, Plant Stem Cells, Nourishing Peptides & Natural Vitamins A, C & E to moisturise and plump and hydrate dry skin. Skin O2 ‘s best moisturiser for dry skin for the hands & body is our Face, Hand & Body Moisturiser Cream. This dry skin cream has all the key ingredients to help nourish and protect very dry skin. This Dry skin body cream contains dermatologically derived advanced ceramides, enriched with Rosehip Oil, Vitamin E, Niacinamide (B3).
For Dry skin It’s also important to avoid products with strong ingredients that remove moisture and oil leaving skin dry, flaky and tight. For example; Benzoyl Peroxide Salicylic acid, Alcohol,Witch hazel & Sodium lauryl sulfate from your skin or body routines. It is also good to avoid irritating dyes or fragrances or preservatives.
Skin O2’s best face cleanser for Dry skin is Hydrating Cream Cleanser. The best skincare cleanser for dry skin for the hands and body area is our Soap Free Hand & Body Wash as this soap free cleanser is super gentle on dry skin. If you prefer a Bar Soap, try Nourishing Wild Rose Bar Soap. This Moisturising Soap Bar is great for Dry skin because it is plant based with natural minerals and pure essential oils and 100% free from sodium lauryl sulphate, which are harsh skin stripping ingredients used in standard soaps.
What Is Dehydrated Skin?
While dry skin lacks oil, dehydrated skin lacks water and, unlike dry skin (which is a skin type), dehydration is a temporary skin condition that can happen to all skin types. Even oily ones!
What are the signs of dehydrated skin?
Skin feeling tight and uncomfortable - even after moisturising. It can appear a little red with slight inflammation or have , roughness or an oily, shiny complexion. Fine lines and wrinkles are more pronounced so the skin can look prematurely aged when it is mostly dehydrated. Dehydration is caused by external factors, such as weather, and lifestyle factors . Dehydration can be caused by extreme heat or cold climates, wind or sun exposure, smoking, drinking too much alcohol or not consuming enough water.
How to Look After Dehydrated Skin
Using skincare products with ingredients that replenish the skin’s water content is key for treating dehydrated skin.
The best ingredient to combat dehydration is hyaluronic acid. It delivers a mega hit of moisture to the skin thanks to its ability to hold 1000 times its weight in hydration. Hyaluronic acid is a humectant ingredient, which draws moisture from the air to the skin, plumping and rehydrating your skin cells from the inside out.
Using a serum containing hyaluronic acid is the quickest way to deliver moisture to a dehydrated complexion as serums are quickly and deeply absorbed into the skin.
The best skincare products for dehydrated skin
For dehydrated skin we recommend Hyaluronic Hydrating Serum. This water-based serum is the best skin hydrator because it's like a big drink of water for your skin containing triple molecular Hyaluronic Acid which instantly increases the skin's hydration and helps your skin make and retain it’s own Hyaluronic Acid. The Hydrating Hyaluronic serum contains (HA-A-C-C) 2% Hyaluronic Serum + 1% Vitamin A in the form of Retinol palmitate (RP), 2 % Vitamin C (SAP) & Collagen which work together to improve skin hydration and strengthen the skin's natural barrier.
For dehydrated skin always pre hydrate skin before using a Hyaluronic Hydrating Serum! When you use any hyaluronic serum which attracts water in your skin cells you should always prehydrate the skin with a hydrating toner or apply it straight out the shower. Skin O2’s best hydrating toner is Hydrating Spritz Toner. This hydrating mist will prehydrate your skin to ensure your hyaluronic serum pulls the water and moisture into your skin instead of pushing it out. It will leave your skin youthful, plump and freshly hydrated. You can use the hydrating serum as part of your morning and night time routine and also to refresh and hydrate your skin throughout the day. This is especially good if you work in air conditioning or for flight travel.
The hydrating serum isn’t a moisturiser and needs to be followed by a moisturiser or face oil on top to lock in the hydration for best results. We recommend following with Multi Vitamin Moisturiser Retinol Cream or Multi-Purpose Rose Oil Serum.
Take a holistic approach to treating dehydrated skin
Combating dehydration isn’t only about using the right dehydrated skin care products. For the best results, you may need to make lifestyle changes too. Try eating more water-rich foods like watermelon and less processed or salty ones as salt dehydrates the skin. Try increasing your water intake and reducing caffeine and alcohol as well!
To see more skincare options for dry or dehydrated skin try our FREE Doctors Skin Quiz or Shop by Concern.
