Has your skin been feeling a little tight lately? Flaky? Or even itchy? Is your makeup not sitting right? Well, it sounds like you’ve got a case of dry skin on your hands, bestie!
Skin concerns like pigmentation and uneven texture often shoot to the forefront of our minds, taking all our focus - so much so that it’s easy to overlook one of the most common culprits… dryness. Did you know that dry skin is actually often a catalyst for pigmentation and uneven texture? Well, now you do!
What does dehydrated skin look like?
As we mentioned before, dry skin is pretty common and we’re sure everyone has or will experience it at some point in their life. A fun fact you may not have known before is that our skin is actually made up of 64% water… shocking, right? The leftover 36% is made up of proteins, fats, and minerals.
What is the difference between dry and dehydrated skin?
First things first, we need to understand what makes dry and dehydrated skin different because believe it or not - these two are not the same thing.
What is dry skin?
Dry skin is actually a whole skin type in itself - meaning that your skin doesn’t naturally produce enough oil to stay hydrated. If you don’t then externally supply your skin with adequate hydration, it can cause a dull-looking complexion. Other signs to keep a look out for when deciding whether or not you’ve got dry skin include flaky or scaly skin, irritation, and redness.
What is dehydrated skin?
As opposed to constantly dry skin, dehydrated skin is a condition resulting from not drinking enough water and can target any skin type. If you thought you were safe… you’re not, we’re all in danger here! It often has the same symptoms as dry skin, so it’s pretty easy to confuse the two. However bestie, if you’re ever feeling dizzy, faint, or weak in your body as well as experiencing the skin conditions highlighted above - the signs are pointing towards dehydration, not dry skin.
What does dehydrated skin look like?
As mentioned before, dehydrated skin occurs when your skin is lacking water. A few telltale signs in the appearance of your skin include:
- Dry patches
- Itchiness
- Dullness in appearance
- Redness
- Inflamed skin
- Flaky or scaly
- Premature signs of ageing
- Dark under-eye circles
- Acne/breakouts
What causes dehydrated skin?
There are a few things that contribute to dehydrated skin, most of these being external. We love to think that we’re on our A-game when it comes to our skin, but it’s so easy to let something as simple as drinking enough water fall through the cracks. Our skin's hydration level is the starting point for so many other skin concerns. Here are eight things that can cause dehydration and a few things to look out for:
1. Not drinking enough water
Hydration… water… do I need to say more? If you haven’t put two and two together on this one, we’re setting you some homework and asking you to go and read this article on the importance of water intake and how you can increase it! Other than that, many health experts actually suggest using the 8x8 rule which is eight 8 ounce (or 236.588ml if you’re Aussie likes us!) glasses of water each day equalling about 2 litres total. A great bonus of making a habit of drinking significantly more water is that your skin will become bouncier and dewier pretty quickly.
2. Weather and seasonal changes
Our skin can change as the season changes - dry air draws out water from our skin, so you may feel a little drier during the autumn and winter months and want to apply more moisturiser during this time. In spring and summer, it gets a little confusing as we’re sweating more due to the higher temperature, so you may be thinking your skin is oily and has excess moisture - but because our bodies release more water through sweat, your skin can actually become dry despite all the humidity. Excess sun exposure and sunburn can also lead to dry skin, so here’s another reminder from us for you to wear your SPF every day.
If you’d like the full run down of how to take care of your skin during summer, read here.
As we’re sure you can tell, even though winter gets a lot of blame for dehydrated skin, there’s actually no real ‘safe zone’ when it comes to a particular season and dry skin, so you need to remain cautious and keep on top of it at all times, bestie.
3. Poor diet
The food you put into your body is the difference between whether your body gets its essential daily vitamins, minerals, and nutrients or it doesn’t. It’s pretty vital! . Dry skin can often be a result of a lack of vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, zinc, and selenium. Staying on top of your diet and making sure you consume an adequate amount of each vitamin or mineral each day can majorly help with the skin's hydration levels and the way the body absorbs them. For skin hydration, you may want to increase your intake of nuts and seeds like walnuts, almonds, Brazil nuts and sunflower or chia seeds - you’ll notice the difference.
4. Lack of sleep
Ahhh, don’t you love that sleep fixes everything? All you have to do is lay down and rest! These days it seems we're all so go, go, go that we often let some of the most important things fall through the cracks. Unfortunately, sleep is one of those things and it always seems to be a major cause of so many issues that arise. Every time you start to feel off and do a quick google search on how to fix it… there it is, staring you right in the face: “YOU NEED MORE SLEEP!” Everyone needs their beauty sleep, and this is the best way to allow your body some much-needed rest time. If your skin is feeling dry, it’s time to prioritise those zzz’s.
5. Heavy alcohol or caffeine intake
Alcohol and caffeine may not seem like something that's going to dry your skin out - but they sure can. Both drinks are actually diuretics, which means they cause your body to remove fluids from your blood. If you don’t drink enough water while drinking alcohol and caffeine, your skin and body will become dehydrated more quickly.
6. Sweating without rehydrating
It’s no secret that we sweat a lot while exercising and if you say you don’t sweat… you’re lying. Sweating is not the issue here, it's whether or not you’re drinking enough water while you’re sweating, to replace the fluids that are being released from the body. So, make sure you’re taking that water bottle with you each time you work out.
7. Dry eyes
Moving on to some signs of dehydration, dry eyes are actually a major red flag. If you think about it, your body produces tears for more than just crying, tears are also for lubricating and cleaning your eyes. So if you’re dehydrated, it means having dry eyes that are easily irritated.
8. Sugar cravings
When you start craving something sweet this is, surprisingly, also a sign of dehydration. Your body is so dehydrated that your liver is starting to struggle to break down glycogen and turn it into glucose, meaning that there’s less glucose in your blood.
Which leads us to the question on everybody's lips… how do we fix dehydrated skin?
What can I do for dehydrated skin? How can I rehydrate my skin?
There are a few things you can do, and we’re going to share all the tips and tricks with you to rehydrate your skin and make sure this doesn’t happen again - as well as share a killer hydrating skincare routine with you.
Moisturiser
This is probably going to be the easiest step you can take. Applying moisturiser to your face and any other dry parts of your body every day is a great way to increase hydration. The tbh skincare thirst trap moisturiser actually slows the rate of water loss from the skin. Moisturiser locks in the water that keeps your skin barrier in tip-top shape. If you didn't already know, your skin barrier is also a vital element of your skin's health (and you can read more about that here).
Water temperature
If you love to have steaming hot showers, you may be a little disappointed by what we’re about to say - keep the water temperature warm, not hot! Hot water disrupts the skin's natural moisture balance and causes inflammation due to the harsh temperature - while it may feel nice, your skin is screaming on the inside. Keep a low heat to allow the skin to retain more of its healthy oils.
Shaving
We all love the silky smooth feeling after shaving, but shaving can be quite drying to your skin. Make sure to apply some kind of lubricant, whether that be shaving cream, soap, or even conditioner to the area you’re shaving, and make sure to use a sharp razor so there is less irritation for the skin.
Drink lots of water
As we’ve already mentioned, drinking water is SO important when it comes to the skin's hydration levels. Without water, your skin is bound to become dehydrated and this is what we’re trying to avoid. A major tip is getting yourself a water bottle with recommended time stamps so that you can track how much you’ve already drank and if you’ve fallen behind on your intake for the day.
Catch some zzz’s
It's recommended that you get at least seven (if not more) hours of sleep each night. While this may seem impossible for some, it’s actually pretty easy. If you need to wake up for work at 6 am, you'll need to be going to bed at about 10:30 pm to allow yourself half an hour to fall asleep. The great news is, this bedtime still leaves plenty of time for you to watch a few Netflix shows before bed.
What to do for dehydrated skin?
We know you're wondering what this amazing routine is we’re talking about for dehydrated skin, so first up, let’s make sure you’ve got all the right products. Then we’ll talk about how to use them.
Dehydrated skin products
Gentle cleanser
A gentle cleanser is going to be the best option and will become your best friend. You want something that's going to allow your skin to hold onto its natural moisture, as well as give it a good clean. The tbh gentle cleanser cleanses your skin and removes congestion without stripping it. It hydrates your skin to leave it feeling soft and is also suited to sensitive and breakout-prone skin which is a major bonus!
Hydrating toner or mist
Implementing a toner or mist step creates a good base for the skin before applying the rest of your skincare products. A great option for a hydrating toner is the Paula’s Choice MOISTURE BOOST Essential Hydrating Toner. It’s a silky hydrating toner that includes antioxidants and is a moisture-rich liquid that soothes and hydrates the skin. It's also gentle enough to be used twice a day, WOOHOO!
Serums
The fun part of any skincare routine - using a hydrating serum. This is going to inject your skin with so much additional moisture and really give it the best opportunity to say bye-bye to dehydration. While you could be basic and use a plain old hyaluronic acid serum, we’re sure you want to be different and give your skin the best it deserves! Our rebound serum is literally unmatched when it comes to increasing the skin's hydration and it also supports the skin barrier as well, so why not kill two birds with one stone and do both? It hydrates and smooths the skin's texture, and rebound incorporates key ingredients included at the right concentration in one serum, so you don't have to buy five different bottles to reach your hydration and barrier support needs.
Moisturiser
We’ve already gone over this so we won’t repeat ourselves, tbh thirst trap. Problem solved.
SPF
Honestly, what would be the point in looking after your skin and stopping it from becoming dehydrated if you weren’t going to protect it from the sun? Sun causes dehydration - not to mention skin cancer and melanoma. Do yourself a favour and invest in tbh skin shady SPF50+. Not only is it free from a white cast, but it also sits super well under your makeup - so you’ve really got no excuses not to be using a daily SPF. It also nourishes and moisturises your skin with glycerin and Vitamin E, so it's perfect for dehydrated skin.
Skincare routine for dehydrated skin
Now you know the products, we’ll drop the full routine. We’ve also got a few more tips on the correct process of layering skincare products in case you decide to get creative and add a few extra things in here and there - you can read the full article here. It’s also very important to make sure you’re cleansing your skin correctly, which you can read more about here.
- Cleanse - tbh gentle cleanser
- Tone - Hydrating mist/ toner (of your choice)
- Target - tbh rebound serum
- Moisturiser - tbh thirst trap moisturiser
- Protect - tbh skin shady SPF50+
As always, healthy, hydrated skin is a reflection of good habits, staying on top of your water intake, and applying the right products to your skin. Among other things, this will really change the game if you’re experiencing dehydrated skin! If you find that your skin starts playing up, take a step back and remember the basics. Now enjoy that new routine and look forward to glowy, bouncy skin again!
