Dry and dehydrated skin may look and even feel like one in the same, but the truth is they’re very different from each other. That’s why in order to properly care for your skin, it’s important to know what sets these two apart and which one relates to you. Follow along as we explain what dry and dehydrated skin is, what causes each and the best way to treat them for a healthy, glowing complexion.
What is dry skin?
Just like combination or oily skin, dry skin is a specific skin type that you’re born with. If you have this, your skin is lacking oil, so you’ll likely experience dry skin everywhere on your body — such as your hands, scalp and legs. Those with this skin type regularly see their skin flaking or cracking, and their skin will often feel tight or itchy. Dry skin is typically due to genetics, but can be worsened by internal or external factors like the weather, hormones and medical conditions.
What is dehydrated skin?
Dehydrated skin is a skin condition. In other words, it’s what’s happening directly to your skin at that moment — like acne or irritation. Skin conditions can happen to anyone and may be temporary or even permanent. With dehydrated skin, though, there’s a lack of water. This can be the result of a damaged skin barrier, not enough water in your diet or harsh cold temperatures. When the skin is dehydrated, you may notice a lack in elasticity, increased dullness and more prominent fine lines.
Can you have both dry and dehydrated skin?
Yes! This is extremely common. In fact, those with dry skin may be more likely to also have dehydrated skin, as the skin’s natural oils play a big part in retaining water.
How do you treat dry and dehydrated skin?
The top way to treat both dry and dehydrated skin is with vegan probiotic skincare. Vegan probiotics help nourish, strengthen and protect your delicate microbiome, or skin barrier. If this barrier is damaged, it could lead to water loss, which in turn can cause dehydrated skin. Vegan probiotics help retain water, too, so that your skin stays thoroughly hydrated. As our signature ingredient, we include vegan probiotics in all of our glowoasis skincare products. You can shop our entire skincare collection here.
Besides this, you can treat dry and dehydrated skin by moisturizing. Face moisturizers offer deep hydration to replenish and restore your skin back to its healthiest state. This is especially important during the winter months. Between hot, steamy showers, low indoor humidity and the dry indoor heat, facial moisturizers are key for helping your skin hold water. Our glowoasis hello hydration kit even features the glowburst intense hydration boosting cream and glowshot supercharged hydrating serum to provide total at-home relief for dry and dehydrated skin.
Also, don’t forget to exfoliate. Not only does it buff away any dead skin, but it helps hydrating skincare products absorb better, as well. Our powderporfect powder-to-foam enzyme cleanser is ultra-gentle, yet still so effective. It purifies your pores and leaves the skin looking and feeling silky soft and smooth. For optimal results, we recommend exfoliating at least once a week.
The facial cleansers you choose can make an impact, too. Certain face cleansers may damage the skin barrier or strip the skin of its moisture and natural oils. That’s not the case at glowoasis. Here, our makeupmelt cleansing balm and cloudcleanse cloud-whipped foam cleanser are both made with non-stripping formulas. They’ll cleanse away makeup, dirt, sweat, SPF and more without ever overdrying your skin.
Now that we know the difference between these two terms, be honest. Have you ever described your skin as dry before when it was really just dehydrated? You’re not alone! But, with this information you’ll be able to easily spot the difference, so you can best help your skin thrive.