HOW TO IMPROVE SKIN HYDRATION

A clear, glowing complexion starts with healthy and hydrated skin. Some of us are just genetically dry-skinned, while others might experience thirsty skin intermittently. If you’re not sure what the difference is or how to manage the look and feel of dry and/or dehydrated skin, we’ve got you covered! We’ve put together some of our favourite tips for hydrating skin from the inside out. While there is no single quick-fix solution to skin hydration, if we take an external and internal approach using a combination of moisture-retaining skincare products and small lifestyle adjustments, we can improve our overall skin hydration.

Skin dehydration vs. dryness

It’s easy to mistake skin ‘dehydration’ and ‘dryness’ for the same thing, but there’s a few key differences between the two. Skin hydration refers to your skin’s water content and dehydrated skin points to a lack of water, often because of lifestyle changes. On the flip side, dry skin types have fewer natural oils, so they experience a lack of moisture on the skin’s surface.

Let’s see if we can spot the differences on our own skin:

• Dry skin is typically tight, flaky and even red in appearance. While we can work to hydrate skin by increasing our water intake and adjusting our diet, we often need the help of hydrating skincare to bring moisture to the skin.
• Dehydrated skin is quite dull in appearance and can draw unwanted attention to dark under eye circles and fine lines. Dehydrated skin can also affect all skin types – even oily ones.

How to hydrate your skin

There are a number of internal and external factors that can cause our skin hydration levels to drop:

• A decrease in water consumption (we’re all guilty of this at times!).
• Weather conditions: extreme heat and sun exposure can lead to increased dehydration, while lower levels of humidity can dehydrate the skin.
• Diet and lifestyle factors including the consumption of dehydrating beverages (like your beloved iced coffee or Friday night wine).

While it’s impossible to control certain external dehydrators, like weather fluctuation, for instance, we do have control over our responses to these elements. As for the other dehydrators, with just a few incremental changes and lifestyle adjustments, we can work towards enhancing skin hydration.

In learning how to hydrate skin and understanding what separates dehydration from dryness, there are several different skincare and lifestyle strategies we can implement for hydrating skin vs. moisturising skin. Let’s delve a little deeper.

Use hydrating skincare

Even if you are targeting your skin hydration levels from the inside, incorporating hydrating skincare into your beauty regime is like taking out extra insurance out on your skin. This is the time to seek out moisture-boosting ingredients like hyaluronic acid and ceramides.

There are many benefits of hyaluronic acid for dehydrated or dry skin because it has water-binding properties to draw moisture into the skin. Apply a few drops of the IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Lines Hyaluronic Acid Face Serum between cleansing and moisturising to seal in hydration and re-plump the skin’s surface.

Supplementing skin dehydration with a versatile moisturiser will help combat water loss on the skin. Reach for a heavy hitter like the Confidence In A Cream Supercharged Hydrating Moisturiser which is formulated with hydrating skin favourites hyaluronic acid, squalene and ceramides. For those with oily, dehydrated skin, don’t skip this important skincare step – instead opt for an oil-free moisturiser that still packs a hydrating punch like the Confidence In A Gel Moisturiser.

Hydrate from the inside

Of course, improving skin hydration involves more than a hydrating skincare regimen, and should be bolstered by good internal hydration habits. Increasing your water intake is a natural entry point, so aim to drink at least two litres each day and eat water-rich foods like fruit and vegetables. This conscious effort to hydrate can be undone by the consumption of known skin dehydrators like caffeine, alcohol and nicotine, so try and cut back where possible.

Be gentle with your skin

You might feel compelled to overload your skin with products when it’s feeling dehydrated or dry. But, before you reach for an exfoliator to eliminate flaky, dull skin, we recommend that you don’t overcomplicate your skincare with products that may rob the skin of its natural moisture. At times, this can lead to a compromised skin moisture barrier and trigger other skin concerns that work against skin hydration. Gently cleanse the skin with lukewarm water twice daily using a hydrating, soap-free cleanser like the Confidence In A Cleanser. If you feel that your skin isn’t getting quite enough hydration during the day, keep that moisture locked in overnight with the Confidence in Your Beauty Sleep Night Cream with Ceramides.

Weather protection

Changes in weather are a common culprit for dehydrated skin, however, we do have some tips to hydrate skin to protect against seasonal conditions. Broad spectrum UVA/UVB is always your best friend, but even more so during warmer seasons where the risk of sun exposure (and dehydration) is higher. In winter, humidity levels are lower which naturally dries out the skin. Indoor heaters and excessively showers exacerbate this problem, so try to avoid this where you can. We also suggest investing in a humidifier to help combat moisture loss.

If you enjoyed this guide and want to take your skin hydration to the next level, take a look at some of the benefits of ceramides in skincare.