Photo by Joanna Kosinska on Unsplash
What’s the difference between dry vs. dehydrated skin? It’s a common skincare question. It’s also one you should know the answer to before treating your skin. We talk about it briefly in this video but let’s get into it!
Dry vs. Dehydrated Skin
The problem is that both ailments feel the same because they both feel dry. Which might lead you to assume you have dry skin. But dehydrated skin is actually more common!
A simple way to think about this is to remember dry skin lacks oil and dehydrated skin lacks water. Also, dry skin is a skin type and dehydration is a skin condition.
Dehydrated Skin
Dehydrated skin feels tight, looks dull, and your pores may appear to be smaller. You may also notice the appearance of more fine lines in dehydrated skin. I read somewhere that having dehydrated skin looks like someone turned the lights off underneath it.
Another way to tell is to pinch the skin on the back of your hand. If it doesn’t sink back very quickly, it’s dehydrated.
If you think you have dehydrated skin, this is when I feel obligated to ask you if you’re drinking enough water. You knew I was going to ask! It’s also important to note that your skin is the last organ to receive the water you ingest so make sure you getting plenty of it so there is enough to go around.
Often dehydration comes and goes due to changes in your diet, environmental changes, or because you’re using the wrong products. Assuming you are drinking enough and eating water-rich foods, dehydration can be caused by colder weather and dry heat indoors. If you’re combating dehydration, you need water-based products. You might be dumping on oil, assuming that it will tackle your issues, but you’re addressing the issue with the wrong thing.
Dry Skin
Dry skin is a skin type people are born with, meaning this won’t be a temporary problem you’re dealing with all of the sudden. It could be because you naturally produce less oil or you’ve pulled oil from your skin because you’ve been using the wrong products over a long period of time.
Dry skin feels tight, itchy, may look red or splotchy, and lacks oil. You also may experience flakiness.
The remedy for dry skin is to add more moisture with oil, like a facial oil. You also need to protect the outer layer of your skin so that you don’t lose more oil. This is especially important when you go outside in the winter.
Your Skincare Plan
Recently my skin looked kind of lackluster. I could see more fine lines and wanted some plump added back in. I’d been using a great balm for my face but it wasn’t giving me enough hydration.
Becky, from Take Care Shop, suggested I add a toner and a moisturizer back to my skincare routine. In terms of products, you want to cleanse, tone, hydrate, then moisturize.
Now, after washing my face at night, I’ve been using my favorite Josh Rosebrook Hydrating Accelerator. I’m not really sure why I got away from it in the first place because I love it. Then I added a moisturizer I had on hand and I’ve been topping it with the balm.
In the mornings, I tone then hydrate then I top with my tinted moisturizer.
What about you? What kind of skin do you have? Does this explanation help? What other questions do you have about dry vs. dehydrated skin?