When it comes to achieving smooth, supple skin, hydration is the name of the game. We’ve got all the information you need to achieve skin hydration perfection, from drinking enough water to choosing the right skincare products.
What Makes Skin Lose Hydration?
Our bodies naturally lose hydration throughout the day, and for many people, this is the leading cause of dehydrated skin. Typically, women lose about two quarts of water daily from regular activity, and men lose up to three quarts.
There are many other common reasons for dehydrated skin, including:
- A diet high in salt or sugar
- Drinking too much alcohol
- Intense activity
- Hot weather
- Illness
- Prolonged hot showers
How to Keep the Skin Hydrated - 8 Best Practices for Skin Hydration
It’s time to rescue your skin from the side effects of dehydration. Below are eight best practices to keep your skin hydrated and looking its best.
1. Drink enough water
The most essential step in staving off dehydration is also the simplest: Drink enough water. Our bodies are between 50-70% water, so proper hydration is critical to the function of every organ. Skin is the largest organ, so it’s no surprise that it immediately shows the negative effects of dehydration. Drinking eight cups of water a day is a good baseline to aim for to keep your skin hydrated.
2. Pay attention to your diet
You can make many easy dietary changes to help keep your skin hydrated. Including more water-rich foods is one of the best ways to offset natural hydration loss. They provide a healthy dose of H2O, as well as the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to help your body use it efficiently.
Consider adding more of these to your diet to supplement your water intake:
- Fruits such as melons, strawberries, peaches, and oranges
- Broths and soups
- Cucumbers
- Zucchini
- Lettuce
- Tomatoes
- Celery
3. Limit hot showers and baths
Showering or bathing in hot water can cause your skin to dry out. Hot water can strip away the natural oils that keep your skin lubricated, and it can cause you to sweat. As the hot water raises your body’s temperature, you naturally start to sweat as a way to cool off, which can deplete your hydration level quickly.
If the idea of a cold shower or bath fills you with dread, we have good news for you. You can mitigate the skin-drying effects of a hot shower or bath by keeping them short. If you’re in and out before you begin to sweat, you won’t lose any water. You can also combat the loss of moisture-retaining natural oils by keeping the water lukewarm rather than steaming hot.
4. Avoid overwashing
Overwashing can strip away important natural oils that help seal in your skin’s hydration, eventually causing it to dry out. It’s best to wash your face and body no more than twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. If your skin is especially dry, just wash it once at night so you can clear away the day’s dirt and bacteria.
It’s more difficult to avoid overwashing your hands. Because your hands touch so many potentially germy things throughout the day, it’s essential to wash them often. You can reduce the drying effects of overwashing your hands by choosing a gentle soap and always applying a moisturizing lotion afterward.
5. Use a gentle cleanser
Many cleansers contain drying chemicals such as sulfates, alcohol, and harsh surfactants that can remove the natural oils that help protect your skin from dehydration. A gentle cleanser will remove dirt and unwanted oil without causing an imbalance in your natural moisture levels.
To choose a gentle cleanser, pick a gel- or cream-based option labeled “pH balanced.” Avoid foaming cleansers and ones that contain skin-drying sulfates, parabens, and phthalates.
6. Seek out hydrating skincare ingredients
In addition to avoiding harsh cleansers, it’s important to look for skincare products that increase hydration. There’s a big difference between moisturizing products and hydrating products. Moisturizing products help prevent moisture loss by essentially sealing it into your skin. Hydrating products increase your skin’s moisture level by coaxing water from the innermost layer to move outwards.
Humectants are the key ingredients in hydrating skincare products. The most popular humectant right now is hyaluronic acid, which can hold 1,000 times its weight in water. Aloe, alpha hydroxy acids, and glycerin are other useful humectants to look for in the ingredients list.
7. Use extra moisturizing products overnight
Skin goes into repair mode as you sleep, focusing on collagen production and cell regeneration. This makes it the perfect time to add extra moisturizing products to your skin. Look for a product with moisturizing ingredients such as ceramides, silicones, and occlusives (e.g., cocoa butter, castor oil, lanolin). These all help prevent trans-epidermal water loss, which will help your skin stay healthy and moisturized.
8. Protect your skin from the elements
The elements can also do a number on your skin’s hydration level. As humidity levels drop in winter, so does your skin’s moisture content. You may also experience a big drop in your body’s thirst response, making you more likely to skimp on your daily water intake. In the heat or when you’re bundled up against the cold, your body can lose significant amounts of water as you sweat.
Your biggest weapon against dehydration from the elements is to increase your water intake. You can also limit your time outdoors when it’s sweltering and get a humidifier to use inside during winter.
9. Treat your skin to hydrating spa treatments
Your at-home skin care routine may not be enough to treat dehydrated skin, especially when you’re combating severe weather or environmental factors. Spas and estheticians offer a range of hydrating skincare treatments using specialized techniques, technology and ingredients to get results that you simply can’t achieve at home.
Hydrating facial treatments, mud masks, and gentle scrubs are great options. Geneo facial treatments provide deep, lasting hydration, increase oxygenation, gently exfoliate, and promote skin cell turnover to bring healthy, hydrated cells to the surface.
Even better-Geneo facial treatments can be used just about anywhere on the body, so you can have healthy, hydrated, glowing skin from head to toe. Check out all of our customized treatments here, and find a Geneo facial provider near you.
Try a Facial for Dehydrated Skin with Geneo Today
Hydration is the key to banishing flaky, dry skin and maintaining a beautiful complexion. You can improve your skin’s hydration in many ways, from drinking plenty of water to optimizing your skincare routine. Implement the tips above, and you’ll be well on your way to smoother, younger-looking skin.
For even more hydration, treat yourself to a Geneo facial treatment. All of our facials provide excellent skin hydration benefits, and our Hydrate facial treatment goes above and beyond. Find a Geneo provider near you today!
Are you a professional interested in offering Geneo facials to your clients? Click here to learn more about becoming a Geneo provider today.
