Dry VS Dehydrated skin. What’s the difference?
When you hear someone mention dry or dehydrated skin, you probably paint the same picture in your head: a dull, rough, tight and red appearance. While both, dry and dehydrated skin, have very similar symptoms they have very different root causes and need to be addressed differently.
What is dry skin?
Dry skin is a skin type (as opposed to a skin condition) which tends to be more permanent. With dry skin, your skin isn’t producing enough oil which means that the lipids in the skin aren’t getting enough moisture. Lipids are natural fats that strengthen the skin barrier and protect the skin from environmental aggressors. This can cause your skin to appear flaky, dry and rough. Just because it’s a skin type; however, doesn’t mean your skin will always be dry. External factors, such as applying harmful products to your skin, taking hot showers, travelling in airplanes can all contribute to dry skin and worsen your symptoms.
How to identify dry skin?
If your skin feels rough, flaky, maybe itchy, your skin is probably dry. You may even notice patches of roughness and dryness on your skin. Dry skin can also show up on your body, so it’s important that you’re looking out for these symptoms everywhere.
How to treat dry skin?
While you can’t specifically treat dry skin, you can improve the appearance. First of all, you should always use a gentle moisturiser that contains hydrating ingredients. We recommend a moisturiser like our Nourishing Cream which contains Apricot Oil and Aloe Vera to nourish and moisturise your skin throughout the day. It’s also best to avoid harsh cleanser that strip oils from your skin. Our Foaming Face Wash is a gentle, yet effective cleanser which leaves your skin feeling fresh + clean!
You can check out our whole dry skin range here.
What is dehydrated skin?
Unlike dry skin, dehydrated skin is a condition and it means that your skin lacks water, which is vital in making skin look plump and healthy. Dehydrated skin can happen to anyone at any moment – in fact, even oily and combination skin types can get dehydrated skin. When your skin lacks water, fine lines become more apparent, blemishes pop up and skin appears duller (that’s why all our products push hydration!).
Dehydrated skin can be caused by various factors: in winter, the cold air can dehydrate your skin, the sun can also do the same, and pollution can affect hydration levels too.
How to identify dehydrated skin?
A great way of finding out if your skin is dehydrated is by doing the pinch test. Pinch small parts of your skin for 3-4 seconds and if it bounces back to normal when you let go, then your skin is probably hydrated. If it takes a few seconds to respond or it’s wrinkling up, then you’re likely to be dehydrated.
As well as this, if your fine lines are more noticeable, you’re lacking glow and you seem to be having more blemishes than usual, then these are clear signs that your skin is dehydrated.
How to treat dehydrated skin?
To hydrate your skin, you’ll want to look for water-based ingredients that replenish moisture and gives your skin that bounce back.
At Herbal Essentials, we’ve harnessed the power of pure Himalayan spring water in all of our skincare products, so you can enjoy the numerous benefits of water for your skin. Our water is rich in natural minerals and antioxidants, including Calcium, Magnesium and Potassium, all of which help to support skin cell renewal, calm the skin from redness and irritation and strengthen the skin barrier.
Our clinical trials produced outstanding results and our Himalayan water has been shown to increase hydration by up to 184%. This, combined with powerful plant-based actives, will help you maintain healthy, glowing and confident skin all year round.
Check out our full range of products here.