Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Dry vs. Dehydrated Skin

Before I went to get my facial, I just thought I had combination skin, where I was dry in some areas and oily in others. Well I found out that my skin was actually dehydrated, and I also learned that dehydrated skin and dry skin are two different skin issues! I'm not a dermatologist or anything, so all of this information is the result of what I've gathered from my facialist, research, and person experience. Warning: post may be long.


That chart pretty much sums it up for you lazies, so that you don't have to read multiple paragraphs trying to figure out what I'm saying. Basically, any skin type can become dehydrated, including oily skin. It's caused by external factors, where dry skin IS your skin type, and that's just the way it is.

Before I got this facial, I noticed that my skin gets somewhat oily throughout the day, like normal, but random dry patches were showing up on my face. I would get dry around my nose, mouth, eyebrows, and hair line. I think the cause of my dehydration was the cleanser I was using (Yes to Cucumbers Calming Facial Cleansing Gel), because I switched over from the Yes to Carrots Daily Cream Facial Cleanser and did not have a problem with dryness at all.


Exfoliating is essential. You can moisturize all you want, but if you don't get rid of the dead skin cells, your moisturizing will only help the dryness on the surface.

If your skin gets dehydrated often, it might be good to invest in a good facial hydrator, which is something you either mix in or put on before your apply your moisturizer. The hydrator will help replenish nutrients in the skin and pull your moisturizer deeper into your skin so you get maximum moisture. The only one I've tried is the SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Gel, and it worked amazingly for me but I'm sure there are cheaper alternatives.

Drink a lot of water. Probably didn't need to be said.

Stop using any facial products that may be harsh on your skin. Look especially for products with hyaluronic acid in them, which will help the water bind with your skin. I started using CeraVe's Hydrating Cleanser with hyaluronic acid and it's definitely helped to keep my skin hydrated throughout the day. Look for other products such a moisturizers or skin boosters that contain hyaluronic acid.

I hope this helped clear up some confusion! Has your skin ever been dehydrated? What products do you use to keep you flake-free?

8 comments:

Emily said...

I really loved this post! I have normal skin but sometimes I can get dry and sometimes I get oily.. it really depends. I totally agree that you should exfoliate even if your skin is dry and dehydrated!
Check out my blog! http://bloomwithbeauty.blogspot.com/ Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Great article Gracey! I've had both dehydrated and dry, but I would like to point out that anything besides "normal" skin does NOT have to be a permanent skin type. It is possible to find the right products to balance your skin out and rarely have those problems again. :)

Gracey the Giant said...

Hello, not sure how I stumbled on your blog, but I have to say that I have NEVER met another Gracey who spelled her name the same way I do!

Anyway, of course I had to stop by. And tell you that I love your name. lol.

Savannah said...

I'm in camp combination skin. Sadly it's not because mine is dehydrated! Only on the sides of my nose is it actually dry though, so at least it isn't my whole face! And my t-zone gets oily during the day, but that's normal. This was a great post!


xxx

Caitlin @ Candyfloss & Persie said...

I never was told the difference between the two! That's awesome to know now. I realize my skin is dehydrated often...

I love the tips except I can't exfoliate, my face gets uber sensitive to it and swells massively!

JanandJill.com said...

I hope one day I can find a really good facial place, this info was really helpful because I've had a lot of skin issues. Glad you found out the differences too and shared, because I didn't know these.

xoDale
www.savvyspice.blogspot.com

Safe in the Steep Cliffs said...

it never occurred to me that there is a difference between dry and dehydrated! i think mine is def dehydrated though. i battled with acne in high school and it totally sucked the life out of me!

i remember once my aunt walked into the room and asked "what happened to your face!?" uhhh... acne happened! lol!

-robots in trouble

Gemma-Louise said...

Thankyou for this great post Gracey it's really imformative and really helpful I will definitely use this advice.

GemmaLouise-xo