Dehydration of dry skin, how to prevent it

Ten ways to prevent dry skin from dehydration?

Many people think that dry skin and dehydrated skin are the same things, but they are two totally different skin conditions. Dry skin occurs when there is not enough natural oil present in the skin and it is usually persistent problem. Dehydrated skin, however, tends to come and go, and it is when the skin lacks moisture under the surface of the skin. A good way to look at the difference between the two is that dry skin is a skin type whereas dehydrated skin is a temporary skin condition. If your skin is dehydrated, it will feel tight and look rough on the surface. If this keeps happening to your skin, here are ten ways that you can prevent your skin dehydrating.

1. Go easy with exfoliating

If your skin becomes dehydrated, it may have been caused by the product that you are using for exfoliation. Switch from using harsh, chemical based scrubs to more natural exfoliators, like olive oil and ground coffee. Try cutting down how often you exfoliate and be gentle when you do exfoliate; massage your skin gently in circular motions, instead of rubbing it harshly.

2. Stay out of the pool

One of the common reasons that people’s skin gets dehydrated is that they go swimming in chlorinated swimming pools too often. The chlorine in pools is very harsh on your skin and, if you spend a lot a time swimming in it, it will dehydrate your skin and leave it feeling tight and dry. If you think that’s what’s happening to you, sorry, but the only way to avoid it is to cut down the amount of time you spend in the pool.

3. Wrap up in the cold weather

Cold, dry winter winds can quickly dehydrate your skin, so wrap up warm when you go outdoors in the winter. Some people are more prone to skin dehydration than others so, if you do tend to get dry, chapped hands in the winter, wear gloves whenever you go out. Start covering up as soon the weather turns cold, don’t leave it until you already have dried out skin.

4. Use a humidifier at home

The central heating in your home can dry out the air, and that could be what is causing your dehydrated skin. The easiest way to remedy this is to invest in a humidifier for your bedroom. That will put some of the moisture back into the air and help stop your skin drying out. You might want to consider turning the temperature setting on your heating too.

5. Change to gentler soaps

If you are using harsh soaps when you wash, then they will take the moisture of your skin. If your skin feels tight, straight after you have washed your face or taken a shower, try switching to gentle cleanser instead of soap.

6. Don’t use harsh astringents

Because dry skin and dehydrated skin are two different things, you can have the situation where your skin is oily and dehydrated at the same time. If your skin feels oily on the surface, but dehydrated underneath, avoid using alcohol based astringents to combat the oiliness, because that will make the dehydration worse. Use a gentle toner instead and, over time, that will help to balance out your skin and reduce both the oiliness and the dehydration.

7. Avoid highly fragranced skin care products

When you are buying any kind of skin care product, look for those that only contain 100% natural, organic ingredients, because they will be much gentler on your skin. If you are prone to dehydrated skin, it would be advisable to steer clear of any products that are highly scented. Fragrances, both natural and synthetic, are quite likely to cause skin dehydration.

8. Stay out of the sun

The sun will dry out your skin, so stay in the shade when you can and always use sunscreen to protect your skin. We all know how the sun can damage skin and cause premature ageing, but unfortunately, if you are prone to skin dehydration, it’s also going to aggravate that condition.

9. Reduce shower time and turn down the heat

When your skin is dehydrated, standing in the shower for a long time might seem like a good idea, but it will make your skin problems worse. Reduce the length of time you spend in the shower and turn down the temperature to lukewarm. Long hot showers will strip moisture out of your skin and it could be one of the reasons that you suffer with dehydrated skin.

10. Moisturise

When your skin is dehydrated underneath, it can feel oily in the surface, but you still need to moisturise. Use an oil free moisturiser after every shower and that will help put some of the moisture back into your skin without making it oilier. If you have very badly dehydrated skin, you could also try using an emulsifying moisturiser, which will lock moisture into your skin.