The Best Moisturisers for Dry and Dehydrated Skin

Moisturisation is an essential element of skincare—this everybody knows.

But do they live up to their reputation?

Are they great in theory but better at sitting on your vanity table?

There are many ways to lock in moisture, so what is the correct answer?

In this article, we’re going to look at what is the best moisturizer for dry skin.

And how you can make your dry skin a thing of the past.

Understanding Dry Skin

Skin becomes dry when it lacks sebum or oil and cannot retain moisture.

The barrier function becomes impaired, meaning it is less able to protect against external aggressors.

Your skin becomes flaky, sensitive and, on occasion, itchy.

The most affected areas on your face are typically around the eyebrows, the corners of your nose and mouth.

The common trouble areas on your body include the inside of your arms, neck, and thighs.

Many factors can cause your skin to become dry, including genetics, environmental pollutants, UV rays, diet, medication, excess alcohol and caffeine consumption.

Are you Dry or Dehydrated?

It is essential to understand that dry skin is a type, and dehydrated skin is a condition.

They are both very different dry skin lacks oil, whilst dehydrated skin lacks water; this is why in some cases, you can have an oily complexion but still have dehydrated skin.

A test that we recommend to our clients to do is to pinch their cheek; if it wrinkles with pressure instead of holding its shape, this is a good indication that your skin cells lack water.

Common signs of dehydrated skin include redness, congestion, and inflammation. Your skin can also feel tight, and you may notice more lines in places where you don’t remember having them.

Dehydration can also cause exaggerated dark circles beneath your eyes.

Best Moisturizer Ingredients for Dry Skin

To understand how moisturizers work, it is essential to understand the different classes of ingredients:

Occlusives are one of the best moisturizer ingredients for dry skin; they create a protective barrier and improve the texture, giving skin a soft, smooth feel. Occlusive ingredients include waxes, butters, petroleum jelly, and even silicones fall into this category.

Emollients are lipids that settle between the gaps in your protective barrier to heal it and prevent water from escaping from your skin.

Emollient ingredients include ceramides, cholesterol and fatty acids. Ceramide barrier repair balm is full of essential emollients that will help to rebuild your skin if it is impaired.

Lipids have a protective role on your skin, improving the barrier function; they patch up gaps between the cell walls.

Fortify barrier repair cream is an example of the best moisturizer for dry skin; it contains the exact ratio of lipids, ceramides, and cholesterol found naturally within your skin.

This research (1) looked at the best moisturizers for dry skin, their ingredients and how the participants overcame their dry skin and associated conditions by interrupting the dry skin cycle while maintaining skin softness.

This study (2) found that dry skin was significantly more moisturized when a product was applied with ingredients that mimicked the skin’s natural moisture barrier.

Best Moisturizer for Dehydrated Skin

This article would not be complete without touching upon the best moisturizer for dehydrated skin.

Think hydration, hydration, hydration. It’s that simple, folks.

The primary role of humectants is to form hydrogen bonds containing water molecules that absorb water from the air.

Humectants attract water to your skin’s top layers; these include sodium PCA, hyaluronic acid, glycerin, sorbitol, and urea.

When treating dry skin, we recommend layering, which keeps your skin well moisturized and hydrated, which is the key to returning your once dull, dry skin to a healthy, youthful glow.

What is the Role of Moisturizers

• protecting
• hydrating
• repairing
• balancing
• softening
• smoothing
• replenishing
• barrier repairing

To Conclude. The naked truth

As you can see, dry skin is complicated to treat, and the best moisturizer for dry skin must be a well-thought-out formula.

If you are keen to learn about a good skincare routine that will take your skin from dull to dewy, our 10-step skincare routine for dry skin is a great read.

Your dry skin should not be confused with dehydration, which lacks water, whereas dry skin lacks oil. However, it is important to note that both of these conditions can be present in your skin simultaneously.

Ingredients to look out for are skin-identical ingredients like ceramides, lipids and cholesterol that deplete with age, which is the basis of many ingredients in our range.

All of these ingredients keep your barrier function intact, your pH balanced, and your skin well moisturized,

So that you can have healthy, plump, supple skin for now and many years to come.

References

1. The Role of Moisturizers in Addressing Various Kinds of Dermatitis: A Review

2. Skin hydration is significantly increased by a cream formulated to mimic the skin’s natural moisturizing systems.