The Truth About Dry Skin
Oh no! So your skin is feeling dry? Why, oh why, you might ask.
Well, friends, dry skin is actually potentially two different conditions.
Dry skin is a skin type that lacks oil. When you have dry skin, oil aka sebum isn't produced as much as it is in other skin types. Your skin type is something you're born with. Dry skin is not a result of a lack of moisture.
Dehydrated skin (what most people are referring to when they say they have dry skin) occurs when skin doesn't retain sufficient moisture. This can happen as a result os frequent bathing/showering (especially when doing so in hot water), use of harsh soaps, aging, and even certain medications or medical conditions. Additionally, dehydrated skin can stem from (or be made worse in) cold, dry winter air in colder climates.
And unfortunately, dehydrated and dry skin peeps, dryness in the skin - whether genetically or induced by external factors - is just not great when it comes to aging. This means ensuring you use the right kind of products for your skin and do everything you can to prevent it from aging is incredibly necessary!
Let's dispel some myths about dry skin, so you can increase hydration in the right ways, create a healthier barrier and combat dry skin like a ninja. Shall we? Awesome. I knew I liked you!
MYTH #1: If your skin is dry, that means it’s also dehydrated
Although commonly confused, dry skin and dehydrated skin are not one and the same.
Again, dehydrated skin can happen to anyone when skin is lacking water. It can be caused by a variety of different lifestyle and environmental factors—not drinking enough water (drink your weight in ounces each day!), using a harsh foaming cleanser (no one should be using this type of cleanser; no matter what skin type!), a trip to the desert or other arid climate, showering or bathing in hot water and unprotected UV exposure (wear sunscreen!) to name a few.
Dry skin, on the other hand, is a skin type—people with this skin type produce a very low amount of oil naturally. Now... oil doesn't equal hydration (read about that here)... but it is important for the skin to maintain the natural oils that it does have because both the skin oil process and the skin hydration process are necessary for a healthy, optimal functioning skin barrier.
And a skin type, for those who need a refresher, is something you are naturally born with, just like oily or combination skin. That said, no matter what skin type you have, you should avoid the aforementioned lifestyle triggers that can strip your skin of its natural oils and cause dehydration.
Additionally, you can have dry and dehydrated skin simultaneously, but they are not the same.
MYTH #2: You shouldn’t exfoliate dry skin
Oh, au contraire mon ami!
You might think, I shouldn't be exfoliating because dry skin needs extra hydration and moisture. And while the latter is absolutely right, for moisturizers and other hydrating topicals to perform well, the top layer of dry, dead skin cells must be sufficiently sloughed off.
This is why exfoliation is so important for all skin types, dry skin included.
When you properly remove the surface layer of dead skin cells and build-up we all have, the active ingredients in your skincare products can reach the skin cells that need it. Therefore, your moisturizing products will be able to more effectively hydrate your skin.
Now, that also doesn't mean go overboard. Stick to a nourishing, chemical exfoliant, like the SkinScript Glycolic Cleanser, which has arbutin, malic acid and tartaric acid. Not only will it exfoliate your skin excellently, it will also help to even skin tone, stimulate collagen production and assist with anti-aging. Start by doing a 10 night sprint then drop it back to just one application per week. You can increase as necessary once your skin becomes accustomed to it.
MYTH #3: Dry skin only happens during the colder months of the year
Again, dry skin is a skin type—meaning that those who are prone to having dry skin can, and do, experience it all year round; even during rainy or humid seasons.
Although the colder outdoor temperatures and increased artificial indoor heating during fall and winter can definitely worsen dry and dehydrated skin symptoms, dry skin types still have to protect and hydrate their skin in the summer months.
MYTH #4: The thicker the moisturizer, the better
It depends. It’s really all about the ingredients. I truly believe that learning how to read ingredients lists and thoroughly understanding ingredients is a sure fire way to level up your skincare game.
With dry skin, you want a moisturizer to penetrate deeply and get to work, but it doesn't have to be heavy. Look for ingredients such as aloe, jojoba oil, and hyaluronic acid, —all of which are found in the ETHYST® Daily Ritual 24/7 Moisturizer. These ingredients are healing and jojoba oil is systemically made up like your skin’s natural oils. Additionally, they increase hydration and regulate oil without risking clogged pores.
MYTH #5: If you have dry skin, you’re not drinking enough water
Yes, adequate internal hydration is essential to maintaining healthy, hydrated skin, but as stated above, water consumption affects hydration levels not skin type.
Addressing dry skin from the inside out is a bit more complicated than this.
Of course, it's always a smart idea to keep track of your daily water intake and make sure that it’s sufficient, but tackling dry skin is also very much a topical issue.
In addition to monitoring your daily water intake, incorporating humectants such as hyaluronic acid into your routine - a molecule that’s naturally found in the skin and can hold up to 1,000 times its weight in water - can help to plump up the skin and help with the skin's barrier function in turn ensuring the skin holds onto the moisture it already has!
For dry skin, try applying the ETHYST®Daily Rtiual 24/7 Moisturizer onto slightly damp (not wet), freshly-cleansed skin, topped with the ETHYST® Holy Grail Facial Oil to lock that hydration and moisture in.
While dry skin can be a bummer, there is a lot we can do to hydrate, nourish and protect it. Find more helpful ways to maintain your dry skin here.
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