"Top moisturizing and hydrating ingredients for dry and dehydrated skin"

One of the most important aspects of skin care is moisturizing and hydrating.We all know that toners,serums and moisturizers help to control sebum production for oily skin which helps fight acne and breakouts.Deeply nourished dry skin prevent early signs of fine lines and aging and creates a strong and healthy barrier to protect us from the environment.Having moisturized and hydrated skin is not as simple as just finding the right moisturizers, it's more about how the different products work differently on skin and how layering products can help us achieve healthy, plump and glowing skin.

In this blog we're going to dive a little deeper on the topic of moisturizing and hydrating. Let's see  the difference between the two,what natural and synthetic ingredients to look out for or avoid for optimal moisture and hydration and simple tips on how to take care of dry and eczema prone skin and some recommendations for ingredients to look for in your serums and moisturizers to get that juicy and supple skin.

We will discuss the dry and dehydrated and combo skin type.Some of us are forever epically parched and in need of moisture and deep hydration.

Moisturizing And Hydrating your skin:

A lot of times moisturizing and hydrating are used interchangeably and for good reason because they both mean to make sure the skin is getting all the water it needs so that we don't experience dryness,dehydration, premature fine lines and environmental damages to the skin.The difference between the two is really how you choose to define them.

➡Dry skin needs oil moisture because your skin is lacking natural oils and lipids which is what's causing your skin to be dry, on the other hand dehydrated skin needs water or hydration because there's a lack of water in the top layer of your skin, the way we see it is that hydration and skin care means that it increases the water content within the skin cells and moisturizing is sealing it all in to prevent  epidermal water loss which is water evaporating from the skin surface.

➡One thing to keep in mind is that hydration comes before moisturizing, so let's get started with hydrating. Let's break it down when we talk about hydration, it's natural to think of water when we get thirsty we need to drink and increase our water content, same goes for our skin like we just mentioned hydration adds water to the skin which makes the skin cell swell up which helps reflect light and make your complexion look more radiant and fancy.Skin cells becoming fuller and more juicy will reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles because of the plumping effect of hydration. The fun fact about water is that  a lot goes on inside our bodies when we drink water for it to eventually lead to healthy and hydrated skin.

The idea that drinking water directly helps your skin is a little misunderstood when, if it first goes to other organs like the kidneys, bladder and liver first which then helps flush out toxins inside the body which then helps to clear skin from the inside and out,now when there's a decrease in water content within our skin cells they become dehydrated and shriveled which leave up to dull skin.Imagine our cells are like green grapes still fresh on the vine when it's healthy and filled with high water content its juicy plump and once was sweet but when grapes lose their water content and gets dried out under the Sun they become raisins, this is how our cells work as well.

Best ways to get hydrated and moisturized skin:

▶The best way to get hydrated skin is using serums in your skincare routine. In a nutshell serums are topical hydrators when your skin is dehydrated its protective barrier is compromised and weakened so serums are key to repairing that damage because serums are jam-packed with moisturizing and active ingredients, it's able to penetrate the skin far more effectively.

▶The key takeaway when it comes to hydration is that you're essentially fusing your cells with water and improving your skin's ability to absorb moisture and nutrients which is why you'll see a lot of skincare brands like built their products around thermal spring water as their key ingredient as it's all got to do with that fresh h2o.

▶Moving on to moisture those with dry skin naturally produce less oils compared to those with oily skin this is genetics and not something we can change.When it comes to moisturizing, for dry and dehydrated skin it's all about trapping moisture into seal build and protect the skin's protective barrier. In summary moisturizers can be a humectant,occlusive or emollients.You can think of it as delivering hydration, softening the skin all the while sealing all that moisture and water content in the skin to stop it from evaporating. A simple moisturizer that forms a barrier over your skin that water can't penetrate and the moisture gets trapped in under your skin can do wonders.

▶Skin emollients are a more popular form of moisturizers and are used interchangeably to refer to products that softens,protect moisturize and lubricate the skin like a conditioner for your hair but it's for your skin.

▶Humectants are moisturizers that help encourage young cells to emerge the surface of the skin and reduce any flakiness and dry skin.

Now the question is: 

Do I need more hydration or moisturization or both in my life?

Dehydrated skin tends to look dull and feel tight even when it's properly moisturized, this is why serums are to be applied first as the most hydrating treatment.Serums contain humectants and once you get that layer of hydration on you want to seal it all in with a moisturizer and often times facial oil to prevent dry skin from being rough and flaky.This combination creates a healthy balance.

Let's look at some specific ingredients you should focus on and again we will be focusing on dry and dehydrated skin.

The ingredients for dry skin:

For dry skin or actually any skin type you'll need products that draw water to the cells to hydrate without making it oily this can be achieved by using natural and synthetic humectants. Natural humectants will help your skin hydrate itself so look for products that contain hyaluronic acid which is a naturally occurring substance that our body makes but also a really hydrating ingredient in skin care that's safe for every skin type.

Studies have shown that aloe vera extract has shown to increase the water content significantly on the skin.

Honey is super hydrating and an anti-inflammatory ingredient that also helps fight acne.

Alpha hydroxy acids are a gentle exfoliator like lactic acid , mandelic acid or glycolic acid that can be found in a lot of fruits like papaya,apple and even apple cider vinegar.

There's also algae and marine extract.Algae is a deeply hydrating ingredient that stores  moisture.

Other more natural ingredient to look out for for dry skin is colloidal oatmeal which is a skin protectant that relieves itchy or dry skin and minor irritation caused by eczema rashes and other skin conditions.

There's also shea butter and coconut oil but  they should be used with caution because it's only for people with super dry skin as they can easily clog pores and lastly there are ceramides.

So these moisturizing ingredients repair and protect the skin and relieve itching and irritation.

Some more examples of synthetic humectants that also help to bind and draw hydration to the cells is glycerin which is naturally occurring and can be synthetic depending on the product, it's easily absorbed by the skin and holds water really well because it works by finding the balance between the water content in the air and in the skin.In general you'll see these in most of your serums and moisturizers because they're a mixture of naturally derived and synthetic humectants these ingredients are water-soluble and won't clog your pores. The most important thing when looking for skin care is to choose products with ingredients to offer long lasting benefits.A synthetic hydrator is definitely safe to use and helps your skin look and feel soft.

Here's what you'll need to stay away from:

➡Kaolin clay or charcoal, high levels of salicylic acid or PHA a little is fine but not too much.

➡Also tea tree and witch hazel which and fragrance or perfumes in your products all of these ingredients work to absorb the skin's natural oils and can very easily over dry.

If the skin is already dry these ingredients can strip the top layer of the epidermis resulting in a weakened skin barrier which then leads to redness and inflammation.The things that we don't want especially if we have dry skin.

Things to look for in your skincare products for hydration and moisturizing:

Now moving on to things what you guys should look out in your skincare products,for hydration and moisturizing let's start with hydration so for the most part hydrating ingredients usually come in gel form or serum form or toner and the main ingredients that you should find in them are: glycerin, sodium, hyaluronic as well as hyaluronic acid both of these are very  hydrating ingredients and there's also vitamin B5 which stabilizes the skin barrier which reduces the amount of water that is lost through the skin and this helps to improve skin softness and elasticity .This combination is perfect for the winter.

There are many products out there for dry and very parched skin like you can find an essence that can be for oily and combo and for dry andvcombo skin and it can be good too with people having  dehydrated skin, it works really well.

Most products for dry skin  have water as a first ingredient but many of these essences and toners have milk extract filled with antioxidants and is anti-inflammatory and this type of products can quickly absorbs to hydrate and strengthen the skin.

There are products like  hyaluronic acid, as well as fruit extracts to help you make your skin nice,supple and beautiful.

Moving on to moisturizers for your face you can look for repair creams that have oatmeal extracts, it can prevent flaking and dryness and has antioxidants to protect against free radical damage alert when to soothe irritation.Eucalyptus oil is another ingredient  to look for in the product because it can help with inflammation.

Botanical oils, ceramides, Arctic raspberry extract,sodium hyaluronic, hyaluronic acid can help a lot in coping with dry skin issues.

Hyaluronic acid has different molecular size,hyaluronic acid targets and is able to penetrate different layers of your skin,this is perfect for very dry skin.

Some lifestyle tips for dry and eczema prone skin:

➡The first thing is to avoid long showers , hot showers tend to strip away much more other skins natural oils which can make dry and sensitive skin even worse and even more drying and this doesn't just apply to the skin but also your hair, if you feel like your hair is always frizzy and brittle. Hot water doesn't help with this so keep temperatures moderately warm and don't take too long in the shower. 

➡It's important to moisturize immediately after when the skin is still damp because moisturizer seals the water in the skin. It is very important to seal the moisture in while skin is still wet.

➡Also be mindful of clothing and stay away from materials that can irritate your skin, it's best to wear breathable materials like cotton and silk.Make sure to wear an undershirt or something under your sweater that's either silk or cotton to help form a little protective barrier between your skin and the sweaters.Hydration and diet is really important.To stay hydrated from the inside so you can be hydrated on the outside.

Also read:

Things to know about the anatomy of lips and how to look after them.

Natural anti-aging secrets.

Hyaluronic Acid "A great hydration support".