There has been lots of chat lately about what is the difference between hydrating and moisturizing is. First, it’s important to define what dehydrated skin is vs. what dry skin is. Confused? We’re going to break it down for you!

Not only is it important to use products that support our body’s natural functions but dehydration is also caused by our diet and environmental stressors.  Topically, you want to use products that won’t strip your skin of your natural oils and help work synergistically with your body to create healthy, happy, hydrated skin. We are wonderful, powerful beings and we must work WITH our bodies, because they know what they are doing. Let’s support them!

Dehydrated skin lacks water, dry skin lacks naturals oils (also called sebum). It’s sometimes really hard to tell the difference because both can make your skin look flaky, dull, tight, itchy, sensitive, or even oily. Studies have shown that dehydrated skin can speed up the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, so we can all conclude hydration is KEY (in all aspects of life really). 

Let’s dig a little deeper.

DRY SKIN

What to look for: Scaly appearance, white flakes, redness or irritation, increased incidence of eczema. 

What it needs: Moisture 

Using a conventional body wash is one thing that can really dry out your skin and strip your skin of its natural oils. People sometimes associate that tight, squeaky feeling on the skin after cleansing with being clean, but in actuality it’s just your skin stripped away of all its natural oils. It has become more dry.

We create our Eucalyptus Coco Body Wash the traditional castile way so it’s 100% pure soap and 100% natural (no added synthetic cleansers or foaming agents). We add ingredients like cocoa butter, aloe, and avocado oil to make it extra nourishing. We use coconut oil in the saponification process to create a rich and luxurious lather (one you can feel good about lathering up again and again).  Our formulation allows it to both cleanse and moisturize.

When it comes to dry skin you want to look for lipid-rich ingredients such as phytoactives (plant oils), shea/cocoa butter, or ceramides – and you want to amp up your antioxidants and reduce the number of acids in your routine. 

DEHYDRATED SKIN 

What to look for: Tired eye appearance, itchiness, skin dullness, more sensitive fine lines and wrinkles. 

What it needs: Hydration

Dehydrated skin needs water-rich products for more hydration – so think hyaluronic acid, cucumber, and algae. To hydrate the skin from the outside in, aim for adding a hydrating serum to your routine. Your skin naturally produces hyaluronic acid (HA), but supplementing via skin care is key for addressing dehydration and supporting the skin function. Having the correct formulation using HA is also very important (more on that in our next article). HA is definitely the trendiest ingredient in terms of hydration but there are also other powerhouse ingredients like squalane and saccharide isomerate (which I like to call HA boosters) that will provide that long lasting hydration that is more effective long term. 

When we created our All-Over Skin Dew we had all this in mind – it absorbs quickly and leaves the skin with a deeply nourished, hydrated, and buoyant feel.  There are no filler ingredients and it is 100% natural making your skin feel incredibility soft (and hydrated, of course).  

Lastly, we can’t end off without a mention of drinking water! We need to also be well hydrated from within – drinking water or eating foods with high water content will help both dry and dehydrated skin. The skin is the last organ in our bodies to get the water, so make sure you drink up. 

With love and gratitude,

Michelle + Fate