Is My Skin Dry or Dehydrated?

To most people, the terms "dry skin" and "dehydrated skin" sound the same. However, when it comes to skin care, these are totally different concepts! For starters, dry skin is one among the three major skin types (normal, oily and dry). While dehydrated skin is skin that lacks moisture/water. "Dehydrated" is a skin condition, not a skin type.

To determine which products or skin care routine you should follow, it is important to determine first whether your skin is dry or dehydrated. So let's find out how and what skin care routine and products are suitable for them.

Dry Skin
This skin type is among the three broad categories of skin types. Dry skin is skin that lacks oil/sebum. According to experts, it has a lesser number of oil-producing glands. Hence, it lacks shine, feels rough to touch, feels stretchy, and experiences the appearance of lines, wrinkles, & tell-tale signs of aging more rapidly as compared to normal or oily skin types.

Dehydrated Skin
On the other hand, dehydrated skin lacks water or moisture content in its top layer or stratum corneum. Dehydrated skin feel stretchy & rough to touch just like dry skin. In addition, it becomes scaly, has deep wrinkles & fine lines, is very sensitive, and in case of older women, tends to sag more. Another tell-tale sign of dehydrated skin is that it has lots of redness and inflammation.

This indicates that even people with oily skin can have dehydrated skin, as dehydration indicates the lack of moisture not oil. This is a new type of combination skin, oily & dehydrated.

Now that you have identified whether your skin is dry or dehydrated, here's how you can care for it:

Care for Dry Skin
1) Dry skin requires the regular use of moisturizers during the day as well as night with ingredients such as natural oils (pomegranate seed oil, grape seed oil, amla oil, almond oil, sesame oil, jojoba oil, etc.), body butters (clarified butter, kokum butter, mango butter, etc.), and lanolin, vitamin E, among others.
2) In addition, it requires regular cleansing with face washes and cleansers that are meant for dry skin, which will not strip the skin of natural oils.
3) Exfoliation is recommended once a week with a face scrub to eliminate dead skin and buildup, and ensure the effective absorption of moisturizers and other skin care ingredients.

Care for Dehydrated Skin
Dehydrated skin requires the regular use of appropriate products, as well as lifestyle changes, which will ensure that your skin will continue to remain hydrated at all times. Here are some methods with which one can prevent as well as cure dehydrated skin.

1) The regular usage of moisturizers and other skin care products with ingredients such as aloe vera, vitamin E, pomegranate, orange, and rose water.
2) Drinking enough water throughout the day.
3) Consuming fruits and vegetables that have a high water content, which include oranges, watermelons, cucumbers, kiwi, grapes, etc.
4) Ensuring appropriate sun protection when outdoors, which includes the usage of sunscreen creams.
5) The application of face mist twice a day. It can be either a home-made or store-bought face mist, which contains ingredients such as aloe vera and rose water.
6) Last but not the least, the consumption of a balanced diet goes a long long way in ensuring the health of your skin!

We hope this article will help you not only identify whether your skin is dry or dehydrated, but also take appropriate care of it.