You've got dry skin? You have been feeling like alligators are your best friends? You are not alone. Whether it's the sun, weather (hot or cold), stress, aging or else, when your skin is dehydrated, you've got dry skin. Dry skin does not only cause your skin appeared dry, dull and thirsty, but also other skin troubles like breakouts, peeling, acne, eczema and even wrinkles.
So what do we do? Drinking plenty of water throughout the day is one of things to do. Which is essential for basic survival and to meet bodily needs and functions and as a result, your skin will be fed from within. However, the process from within takes time, not fast enough that we need more rapid solutions. So we help this process by applying skincare from the outside.
Image source: google image
But isn't daily moisturizer enough?
It is the basic need. Our environments are full of harmful chemicals, air pollution and free radicals that are just floating around to bind onto your skin to break us apart (not literally). And that happy sun is actually sending us harmful UV rays all day long and every days of our lives. Top of that, time is against us. As we age, our skin not only contains less water but also loses the ability to retain moisture within. Quite sad, right? However, whatever that may sound, that's life and life is still worth living. So defend it!
Besides drinking plenty of water and applying basic daily moisturizer with SPF and night creams, if you are experiencing dry skin, you need to rehydrate it with intense moisturizing products to regain skin's natural moisture level then maintain it.
Thanks to recent rise of products that are designed to do so. Along the way, they've also realized that adding moisture to the skin isn't sufficient enough and treat the underlying causes - repairing the weakened and micro damages on our skin barriers that cause moisture leak and other skin issues. Therefore, hydrating without repairing skin barriers would be just like pouring water into a broken balloon.
Therefore remedy of dry skin is a two step process. Hydration and Repairing of Skin barriers. As we all know, number one ingredient used in skin hydration is Hyaluronic acid due to its known capacity of holding 1000 times of its weight in water. Another known ingredient is glycerin. As we know, it holds a great deal of water like jello and this is a common ingredient listed in those gel products. Then, depending on the skin conditions and goals, ingredients like Ceramides, Peptides and Essential Fatty Acids are added to work on repairing and renewing skin barrier damages and provide nutrients to restore skin back to its healthy and properly functioning state.
SO WHAT KIND OF PRODUCTS ARE OUT THERE FOR US TO TRY?
*We are not affiliated with any products/brands/web sites featured in this blog post.
HYDRATING & QUENCHING GELS/CREAMS
Currently, most new and popular intense hydrating products come in some type of gel/balm/serum forms which contained main ingredients that burst out for intense hydration and sensation, or hydra-gels that slowly and constantly release the actives onto the skin to provide all day long moisture effect. Textures of these products are viscose, creamy or even balmy like whipped creams or gels with the texture like aloe or glycerin gels and coat on your skin with a long staying power.
Givenchy Hydra Sparkling Velvet Luminescence Moisturizing Cream $60, givenchybeauty.com
This creamy cloudy like cream has 5 complex ingredients to effectively penetrate through skin layers with the sparkling water like effect and leaves your skin velvety soft while adding glowing and sparkling energy to your skin.
Peter Thomas Roth Cucumber De-Tox Bouncy Hydrating Gel $48, peterthomasroth.com
This water drenched gel uses bio-mesh technology that evenly goes over your skin like a mesh mask while intensely hydrating skin with Hyaluronic acid and de-toxifying antioxidants.
Fresh Rose Deep Hydration Face Cream $40, fresh.com
Fresh cosmetics are always soft, fine textured like boutique feel. This rose water infused gel-cream softly provides 24 hrs long hydration to your skin with gorgeous scents.
Aveda Botanical Kinetics Hydrating Soft Creme $42, aveda.com
This newly reformulated hydrating creams are still the favorites of many, contains Salicornia Herbacea plant extract which is known to improve skin hydration and lock in the moisture together with Cupuaçu butter. This is a rich creme that spreads a bit chalk paste on the skin then melts in, then you feel the moisture accumulation on the skin like you just washed your face.
SKIN BARRIER REPAIR CREAMS
These are the creams that not only hydrate but also strengthen the skin barrier by repairing damage to minimize future moisture loss. Besides the powerful hydrating ingredient Hyaluronic acid, these products contain ceramides, essential fatty acids and antioxidants that to work on skin renewal and rejuvenation.
This perfectly makes sense that, If you are skin is experiencing issues it has most likely been damaged and not functioning as it should be. So until you repair it, it will not function normally and you will continue experiencing problems.
Goodal Moisture Barrier Cream $24, amazon.com
This K-Beauty cult, balmy butter textured cream melts on contact and adds instant moisture burst to your skin with instant glow and bouncy feel. I am really a big fan of the product. It really helped me improve my dry winter skin. Fermented Mistletoe complex to help skin barrier function with UNESCO heritage pure water from Mt. Seorak. At the price point, this cream is a real deal.
Atopalm Real Barrier Extreme Cream $42 ($25.20), atopalm.com
This product is developed by a company that is specialized in eczema conditions and other skin concerns. This product really helped me on my long battling hand eczema, combination with using others, and because of that I am now eczema free! This product line is certainly designed for sensitive skins and promises to repair and "strengthen" the skin barrier while providing moisture. When your skin is damaged, it is sensitive and acts like wounded person, always in defense mode, hyper-reactive. Therefore, it flares, overreacts and never acts calm. Their MLE technology contains patented ceramide complex that mimic's skin's natural structure and compounds to cheat skin cells to think they are at healthy state so that it function normally not reactively, and finally recover to its normal state. The texture of this products are kind of like rich but soft cream and comfortable without fragrance. So if your skin is dry and sensitive, this cream is for you.
HYDRATING MASKS
Hydrating Masks are great way to revive and achieve that instant just out of the shower effect for your skin. Once or twice a week usage would provide spa like time to your skin, not to mention some great relaxation time you would have.
Saturday Skin Quench Intense Hydration Mask, $6 (1pk), $30 (5pk), sephora.com
A cooling biocellulose mask drenched in a high content of saccharomyces ferment and antioxidants for soothing hydration. Hyaluronic acid replenishes moisture, while watermelon and aloe naturally hydrate and refresh.
SKII Facial Treatment Mask 1, 6 or 10 pk, $17-$95, sk-ii.com
This long standing, cult following facial mask is worth the spurge and has been every fashion girls travel companion. This top award winning Japanese mask is filled with pierta complex that was developed after observing youthful hands of aged sake brewers which has a close resemblance of skin's Natural Moisturizing Factors and promises to promote crystal clear(?) skins. Fascinating. Isn't it?
Dr. Jart+ Hydration Lover Rubber Mask $12, sephora.com
Here comes the rubber mask. This mask comes with photo keratin complex ampule to apply on the face first then wear the algae derived rubber mask which seals in all the goodies, firms while it cools the skins.
Sleeping masks are the new kind and popular masks these days for the convenience plus utilizing the best time for it to work - you beauty rest/beauty sleep. You apply after your night beauty skincare routine before bed to seal the products in adding more hydration while you are sleeping. They do not smudge or stick to your pillow.
LANEIGE Water Sleeping Mask $25, laneige.com
This original sensation water sleeping mask is still the one of top sleeping masks. It really isn't a mask like sheets or mud masks, however it is applied after your regular night beauty routine to seal you products while sleeping. You get up hydrated and rejuvenated. You get the well rested look. It is also quite affordable.
Dr. Jart+ Water Infuse Sleeping Mask $48, sephora.com
Dr Jart+ is another brand that is known for their water infusion products. Their water drop BB creams used be one of my favorites for a while until they discontinued. This overnight beauty mask contains proprietary AquaMinerals complex, which directs waterflow and helps maintain balanced moisture levels, visibly boosting firmness and elasticity while you are resting and dreaming.
HYDRATING MIST
Besides the water bottle, hydrating mist seems to be one of purse essentials these days. A lot of portable ones are out there for you to carry around and spray throughout the day, at the gym and during your daily skin routine. But don't recommend the straight water spray. As you all know, straight water dries the skin more unless locked in. Therefore, choose hydrating mist with some type of non drying properties would be ideal.
Caudalie Grape Water $14-18, us.caudalie.com or sephora.com
Caudalie products come from believing in the powerful antioxidant and anti-aging properties of natural popyphenols, resveratrol in grape-seeds and grapes that is harvested in their family vinyard in France. Along with this grape water, their moisturizers are beautifully light but calming. This 100% organic grape water is known to instantly increased skin hydration 127%+ while calming and reduce skin redness by 61%.
Moisture Bound Skin Energy Hydration Delivery System $35, us.amorepacific.com or sephora.com
This one of K-beauty favorites has bamboo sap extract to improve skin's product absorption and defense against environmental aggressors while delivering optimal skin hydration. Spray through the day or as skin toner in your beauty routine.
DRINK, DRINK, DRINK WATER!
This is essential for our health not only for skin. Apparently standard suggested 8 glasses of 8 oz water recommendation is actually outdated, as this suggestion was established in 1945. Today's recommended daily water intake for adult woman is 11 glasses of 8 oz of water or more per day (15 glasses for men).
Not a water drinker(?)? Keeping a phone apps to remind you to drink is another way to discipline this. Add lemon, lime, mints and other fruits to make water more refreshing and tasteful.
Also remember, drinking water not only hydrates your skin. Water also processes and travel through your blood, cells and skins and flushes toxins out from your body. So for example, if you sweat, you need to drink more water to compensate the loss, not to mention take shower to wash off toxins off body.
Another way to increase your water intake for better body absorption and rapid rehydration is to drink water with electrolytes or vitamin water. However, stay away from those sports drinks with high sugar contents. You can also add electrolytes power/concentrate to your regular water to make your water electrolyte-enhanced.
Hi-Lyte Electrolyte Concentrate $19, amazon.com
Hope you enjoyed the blog. Happy hydrating, beautiful!