Dehydrated vs Dry Skin: What’s the Difference?

You turn the shower off and it immediately hits you. The contrast between the piping hot water of the shower and the cool air of the bathroom is vast and you instantly reach for your towel. As you wrap it around your body, you take a look at your skin in the mirror. Your fine lines are looking more prominent, and you can’t help but wonder why your eyes are looking so sunken. You haven’t been sleeping very well lately but is that really why your skin is so dull and itchy?

What is dehydrated skin?

Dehydration is defined as the loss or removal of water, so your body is considered dehydrated if it’s losing more water than it’s taking in. Dehydrated skin lacks water, which causes:

• Dullness
• Dark circles under the eyes
• Itching
• Increased appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
• Shadowy patches on the face

Beauty Kin's Hydrating body bar is the perfect drink for dehydrated skin. It uses a natural emollient, squalane, to restore moisture and suppleness to skin that desperately needs it.

The difference between dry skin and dehydrated skin

Dehydrated skin and dry skin are often talked about synonymously, but they are actually quite different. While dehydrated skin is a condition that is triggered when the skin doesn’t have enough water, dry skin is a skin type that lacks natural oils.

Dry skin can look:

• Scaly
• Red
• Irritated
• Flaky

Your skin type can change as you age and with the seasons and dry skin in particular can be caused by hormonal conditions, which isn’t the case for dehydrated skin.

What causes dehydrated skin?

There are several potential causes for dehydrated skin but luckily, they are all easily avoidable. Dehydrated skin is often the result of:

• Not drinking enough water
• Urinating frequently by drinking caffeine or diuretics
• Excess sweating
• Taking hot showers or baths
• Sun exposure
• Spending time in air-conditioned rooms
• Insufficient skin care

Many popular soaps are too harsh for our skin, which is why Beauty Kin’s body bars are soap-free and much gentler. Simply lather up our Hydrating body bar  and treat your poor dehydrated skin to some much-needed nourishment.

How to treat dehydrated skin

Dehydrated skin is simple to treat but it does require a little bit of care and consideration. These measures are vital to getting dehydrated skin back to looking and feeling its best:

• Drink enough water. It goes without saying that drinking enough water throughout the day is essential for hydrating the whole body. However, it really does go a long way to getting your skin looking moist, supple and at its healthiest.
• Cut the caffeine. Limiting your caffeine intake has multiple benefits for your health but dropping that extra cup of coffee in the afternoon will prevent that extra toilet trip. Less urination means more hydration for your skin!
• Avoid excessive sweating. Ensuring that you wear cool, breathable fabrics during warm weather and when exercising. Always top up your body with water and remember to shower after intense workouts.
• Make sure that shower isn’t too hot! Hot water can dehydrate the skin, so stick to short baths and showers with warm water. The same can be said for hard water, which contains limestone that can remove water from the skin.
• Use sufficient sun protection. Sunlight contains UVA, which can accelerate the aging process and thoroughly dehydrate the skin. Stay inside or in the shade during the sun’s peak hours and be sure to wear suntan lotion with a minimum of SPF 30 throughout the day.
• Turn down the air-con. Although it might feel heavenly on a hot summer day, air-conditioning only exacerbates the effects of dry and dehydrated skin. Do your best to avoid air-conditioned rooms for long periods of time and find alternative ways of staying cool and comfortable.
• Step up your skin care. Adopting a good, daily skin care routine is vital to treating dehydrated skin. Get an effective moisturiser, ditch the harsh soaps and grab a Hydrating body bar - your skin will love it!

Hydrate with Beauty Kin

We know that dehydrated skin can make you look and feel anything but your best. That’s why our body bars are dedicated to nourishing and restoring dehydrated and dry skin.

Using the natural emollient, squalane, our Hydrating body bar is the perfect solution for skin that is crying out for a sip of moisture. Tomato seed works on improving the skin’s elasticity while jojoba soothes and hydrates. It’s topped off with the spicy, floral scent of bergamot.

Dehydrated skin doesn’t have to be a condition that you and your skin simply endure. With a few simple lifestyle changes, your skin can get back to being its beautiful, glowing self in no time!