What It Means to Hydrate Your Skin

In the skincare world you hear a lot of different statements of why the client thinks their skin is reacting the way it is. But simply it could be because you are not using the right products for your skin type. Sometimes there could be a simple answer or there could be a longer answer, that’s why consulting with a skincare professional is beneficial for finding the right products for you. Here we will give you the simple the answer, your skin may just need to be more hydrated.

Hydrate that seems easy. You think water when you think hydration, right? Here is a breakdown of dehydrated skin.

What is dehydrated skin:

• Dehydrated skin lacks water
• Dehydrated skin looks dull and feels tight
• May have flaky patches on the skin
• Dehydrated skin can still be an oily skin type
• May show wrinkles more promptly
• Dehydrated skin needs more water content on the skin
• Most people have dehydrated skin

Simple answer, your skin is lacking water so what are ways that you can be hydrating your skin? Here is a break down;

Why does your skin need to be hydrated?

• Skin needs to be hydrated not only to look good but for it to function correctly
• Drinking water is the number one way to hydrate your skin
• Helps your skin from producing more sebum (oil) on the skin causing breakouts and more prominent fine lines and wrinkles

Besides not drinking enough H2O what else is causing your skin to be dehydrated?

• Alcohol
• Caffeine
• Sun exposure

Sometimes drinking water may not be enough for your skin. That’s why adding a hydrator to your skincare routine might be beneficial for you as well as consuming more water.

What is a Hydrator:

A hydrator can also be known as a “humectant” and what it does is it attracts and binds water and holds moisture in the upper layers of the skin

• Hydrator make your skin soft and supple but still needs assists from a moisturizer to stay that way
• Hyaluronic Acid (HA) is the gold standard of hydrating ingredients
• HA holds 1,000 times its weight in water
• HA binds moister from the atmosphere to help hydrate your skin.
• Hydrators have a lower lipid content then moisturizers
• Hydrator penetrates deeper into the skin then a moisturizer
• Hydrators typically looks like a gel, serum or toner
• Hydrators are designed to increase the water content in your skin
• Hydrating ingredients make the skin more receptive to absorbing all the beneficial ingredients offered by a moisturizer

How to use a hydrator:

• Apply hydrating products first and then moisturizers
• A good rule of thumb for skincare products is to use thinnest to thickest OR lightest to darkest in color

NWA Favorite Hydrating Products:

SkinMedica HA5 Rejuvenating Hydrator

A clinic favorite, this hydrator contains 5 different types of hyaluronic acid (HA). This product is on a time release capsule that gives hydration to your skin up to 8 hours every day! Helps plump the skin and hydrates.

IS Clinical Hydra Cool Serum

This is a light weight serum containing Hyaluronic Acid (HA) that helps bind moisture to the skin, penetrating the layers of the skin allowing other products to function optimally.