I have dehydrated skin. Sensitive dehydrated skin to be precise.
A more common skin issue in our society than you would expect.
When do you have dehydrated skin?
Dehydrated skin lacks water not fat!
This is one of the things I learned very early on as I first started to put together my skincare regime.
Just none of the moisturizers that are titled for sensitive dry skin or even sensitive combination or acneic skin worked for me. Believe me- I have years and years of testing the latest creams on the market... :/
Especially the dry skin moisturizers are not the right ones for dehydrated skin, simply, because they contain fatty ingredients, because this is what dry skin needs to maintain the lower skin layers' balance and to look healthy.
They made my facial skin full of pimples and gave me bad breakouts.
The combination/acne moisturizers on the other hand, contain a lot of acid.
This can more be an issue if you have sensitive, dehydrated skin like me.
These moisturizers were far to drying for me. What they do on sensitive skin is, that they irritate the upper skin layers so that the barrier layer can not hold water and fat that well.
This is why some people with dehydrated skin suspect that they have combination skin when they have not- because the oils come to the surface and create the nowadays unwanted sheen.
Additionally, especially on the cheeks and around the eye or maybe chin area, the skin can be dry or even flaky.
This is when it is time to change the skincare regime!
Which product ingredients do work for dehydrated skin best?
Product ingredients that work well for myself are:
- Aloe Vera (contains more water and is great when you have rosacea)
- Water
- Glycerin (even dehydrated skin needs a little bit of fat)
- Algae/Marine ingredients
Product ingredients that I heard work great:
- Cucumber extract
- Hyaluronic Acid (I cannot support the hype!)
What regime would I recommend for dehydrated skin?
It depends how dehydrated your skin really is and how well the products work for you.
Remember, we are all unique and so are our skin layers.
To me a basic regime for dehydrated skin would look like that.
1. cleanser
2. (water spray)
3. moisturizer (especially jelly or serum formulas are great)
4. water spray (if you need it)
What about peelings and masks?
I personally am in love with the idea of masks and peelings. It is nice to treat yourself and your skin to a wellness and spa day. But I rarely use them. I believe that if you have the right regime there is no need for such treatments. However, from time to time, about every 2-3 month I use a mask, too.
Another tipp?
For my skin raw and natural ingredients, free of any complicated chemicals, work best.
That is why I often speak about 'green beauty'.
Of course there are some skin types who do not cope that well with natural ingredients.
My skin is very sensitive and this is an issue I know very very well.
But the recommended ingredients above work. Especially Aloe Vera is my hero ingredient!
When I search for 'green' products I try to find a product with very few ingredients, because then the ingredients can work better for themselves and one does not cancel the effectiveness of the other.
If you use natural products from a shop like Boots or DM (in Germany), then most of them are even very friendly to your money purse. But it is important to look at the ingredient list first.
Most companies even those titled natural might use micro-plastic etc.
I have already written about this.
If you want to know more, then click here.