With winter in full swing, are you experiencing dry skin? How many of you find it hard to keep your skin from getting dry? My guess is all of you! You know why? Two reasons.
One, water evaporates from skin constantly. In the winter, there is less humidity outdoors. And indoors, the dry heat from a heater sucks out the moisture from skin.
The second reason? Most people don’t understand the true underlying cause of dryness, and therefore treat it incorrectly.
Why Is My Skin Dry?
A feeling of dryness can be due to dry skin or dehydrated skin. There is a big difference.
Dry skin lacks OIL. Dehydrated skin lacks WATER.
Both can leave skin feeling dry and tight.
Treating Dry vs Dehydrated Skin
Treating dehydrated skin is entirely different from treating dry skin.
For dehydrated skin, you need to add water to skin and keep it there. Hydration is achieved by using skin care products containing humectants, which hold water, and occlusive ingredients, which prevent water from being evaporated.
For dry skin, you need to add oil to skin. Skin care products containing lipids add oil and strengthen the skin’s barrier function. With a strong barrier function, you are less likely to experience dry, flaky, itchy skin.
