Balanced healthy skin is clean, hydrated & moisturized. Missing one of these steps can impact skin's health. Even people without “sensitive” skin still have sensitive skin- why? Because skin is sensitive in that it is responsive. Skin responds to & reflects all that we do. Talk about pressure, ha! Let’s bring some clarity to some of the basics of healthy skin.
I often hear hydration & moisturization used interchangeably. While they are both necessary for healthy skin, they are not the same.
Hydration is water. Skin requires hydration to be healthy. You should hydrate skin internally & externally. Drink plenty of water, and use hydrating topical skincare. My favorite hydrating product is the Earth Essence Botanical Face Mist, as it contains botanical hydrating elements that not only provide you with instant hydration, but preps skin to retain that hydration.
Moisturization is oil. Skin also requires oils to be healthy. There is a common misconception that face oils will make your skin oily. There is a face oil for every skin type, and finding one that provides you with moisture without building up on skin is key. (All of the oils we use in house are non-comedogenic). Even oily skin requires moisturization. Depending on your skin’s natural constitution (dry, normal, oily), it will require a different level of moisturization. Oils restore & protect your skin barrier, and improve water retention over time. 5th Dimension’s moisturizers are : Sub Rosa Serum, Midnight Oil, Botanical Butter, & Blossom Balm.
Dry Skin or Dehydrated Skin?
Skin lacking hydration is dehydrated
Skin lacking moisture is dry.
Dehydrated skin can feel tight & irritated. If you notice an influx of breakouts but skin is still shiny & flaky, you are likely dehydrated. If you go to a humid place and notice your skin improves, you likely have dehydrated skin- not dry skin.
If, like me, your complexion doesn’t seem to improve much with humidity, you likely have dry skin. If you rarely have excess oil, and you feel like you can never apply enough face oil & moisturizers- you likely have dry skin. Dry skin, sigh, can also feel tight & irritated. I know, I know… it does get a bit confusing. Dry skin requires moisture from oils to soothe & protect the tissue states. Properly moisturized skin is less likely to become dehydrated.
And yep. Just to further muddy the waters, skin can be both dry & dehydrated. Hydration & moisture levels impact one another. Just like our mental, physical, emotional bodies- our skin requires daily care & attention to maintain a healthy balanced complexion. Because skin is impacted by many variables (diet, stress, environmental factors, seasons, hormones. To name a few), it should come as no surprise that routines should shift to care for skin. Oftentimes this looks like subbing in a face mist, adding additional moisture by subbing in a butter for an oil, or changing what time of day you use what.
The symptoms of both conditions are similar, so don’t stress if you feel confused about what your skin might be asking for.
If you are unsure if your skin is dehydrated or dry or both, start by adding more hydration into your routine. Mist with Earth Essence Mist multiple times a day, which is highly hydrating. Start off with a lighter weight oil like Sub Rosa Serum to seal in the hydration.
If your skin doesn’t see much of a shift from increasing hydration, you likely have dry skin, which requires deeper nourishing oils such as Midnight Oil, Botanical Butter or Blossom Balm. Dry skin doesn’t create enough sebum to protect and balance the skin, which is why additional oil based moisturizers are necessary.
Learning how our skin operates and what it needs for optimal function is the first step in making great choices for our skin!