Are you buying the right products for your skin?
When it comes to moisturising vs hydrating, you may have found yourself ask, do I need to hydrate or moisturise my skin? Which products are hydrating and which products are moisturising? Is moisturing the skin the same as hydrating the skin?.....
It can be very confusing so here’s a short post to help you
Simply put:
Moisture = Oil
Hydration = Water
If your skin is dehydrated, your skin needs more water
If your skin is dry, your skin needs more moisture
How about the oil based products that promise to hydrate your skin?
Unfortunately, these are false claims
I have seen so many oil-based products, being advertised as hydrating for the skin. This is not true. Oil does not hydrate the skin.
Oils can help retain the water content, however if your skin is dehydrated, then there will not be enough water there to retain so applying an oil will not help
With that said, how do you tell the difference between dehydrated skin and dry skin?
Dehydrated Skin
A popular test you can do is, take a small portion of your skin around the cheek area and squeeze gently. If you notice any wrinkling and if your skin does not bounce back when you let go, then your skin may be dehydrated.
What does dehydrated skin look like?
Have you ever noticed your skin is dull, or you have dark circles under your eyes? Can see your fine lines more than usual, or is your skin itchy? If yes, then these are all signs, that your skin could be dehydrated.
For me the only time my skin shows the above dehydration signs is the day after I have had one too many wines! I try my best to hydrate my body by drinking lots of water, but quite frankly I'm more interested in Lucozade and a bacon sandwich, so the hydrating normally comes the day after I have recovered.
Which products should I use for dehydrated skin?
If your skin is dehydrated, I would suggest you hydrate your body from the inside by drinking water.
You can also use a water-based cream. If you look at the ingredients label just look for something where the first ingredient is 'Aqua'.
You can use an oil based product as well but you will probably benefit from having a water based product applied first. If you do like using oil-based products only, apply them when the skin is still damp
All of the products I make and sell are anhydrous, meaning they do not contain water. The moment you add water to a product you need to preserve it, and all of our products are free from preservatives and synthetic ingredients. Our facemasks for example are sold in powder form for you to add the water at home. This means we can make and sell 100% organic and natural products and keep them fresh.
Dry Skin
When you have dry skin, it normally means your sebaceous glands don’t produce enough natural oils.
What does dry skin look like?
Signs of dry skin can include, flakes, redness, scaly or irritation. If your skin shows these signs, then it may be dry and in need of moisture
Which products should I use for dehydrated skin?
Use oil-based products such as body butters, balms, and facial oils.
If you have Eczema or Psoriasis, I suggest going with a body butter or balm that has anti-inflammatory properties such as Unrefined Shea Butter.
I use our Mama's Body Butter is great for helping dry skin, eczema, psoriasis and stretch marks. It's made with 100% Organic ingredients and has seen some amazing results. It is great for use all over the body. It has Organic Rosehip Oil and Organic Sweet Orange Oil so you will get a beautiful natural glow!
My daughter gets small patches of dry skin, and she used to have eczema when she was a baby, so for her I use our Organic Calendula Balm. It's great for small patches of dry skin, eczema and psoriasis and can also be used on rashes, cuts, and grazes. It can be used anywhere on the body and can be used on all ages above 3 months old.
If you want to have a go at making your own body butters, then check out our DIY Body Butter Blog
If you have dry skin but, you didn't fancy any of our products and you don't like the idea of making your own then I would suggest getting yourself some Unrefined Shea Butter or a product that uses it as a base. I use it as a base in the products that I make as it has so many fantastic qualities
I will write a post in the future about other ingredients to look out for, but hopefully this has helped you with the difference between hydration and moisture.
Let me know in the comments, what you like to use on your skin, and if you have any skincare tips or questions......
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