When skin is irritated, dull, sensitive or even oily, there is a good chance dehydration is at play. Often mistaken for being dry, (yes they are two completely different conditions), dehydrated skin is frequently triggered by our diet, harsh products and even seasonal changes.
In order to get a better understanding of the rules of caring for and avoiding parched skin, we spoke with Trudi Jayne, the General Manager of Retreatment Botanics. Trudi is a skin care expert, facialist, reflexologist, and nutrition and wellness counsellor, who recently co-founded her skin care line with Olivia Newton John (talk about credentials). . Lucky for us, she’s happy to share her knowledge…
What is the difference between dry and dehydrated skin?
“The two are commonly confused so it’s good to know the difference. Dry skin is an inherent skin type that has less natural oil glands, and may be more susceptible with ageing or certain health issues,” Trudi told beautyheaven. “Dehydrated skin, on the other hand, is usually temporary and means your skin is lacking in water (not oil). Oily skin types can even suffer from dehydration with high sebum levels but low water content.”
What are tell-tale signs of a dehydrated complexion?
When identifying a dehydrated complexion, Trudi says to look for dull or lacklustre skin. She also notes that, “fine lines and dark under-eye circles may become more visible and the skin may become more inflamed, flakey and itchy in certain areas”.
Luckily for anyone experiencing these signs or symptoms, Trudi reveals that all dehydrated complexions can be entirely reversed with the tweaking of a few lifestyle changes.
Here are her five top tips for soothing a dehydrated complexion
1. Lock in your moisture
“Sealing your skin [should be] the last step of your skin care ritual. After applying your serums, a nourishing moisturiser will lock in all the moisture and goodness,” explains Trudi.
“For normal to dry skin, I recommend our vitamin intensive Ultra Rich Moisturiser ($89, Retreatment Botanics).” This pick contains hyaluronic acid and natural ingredients such as mountain pepper berry, Kakadu plum and sea buckthorn.
If your skin sits more on the oily side of the spectrum, Trudi recommends seeking out something lighter like the Light Hydrating Moisturiser ($89, Retreatment Botanics).
We also love the NEUTROGENA ® HYDRO BOOST Water Gel ($26.99, Chemist Warehouse) to hydrate oilier skin types without causing congestion.
2. Find hydration within your diet
“It’s important to hydrate yourself from the inside out too,” says Trudi.
The most effective way to do this? “Boost your diet with water-rich foods such as leafy greens and veggies, papaya, avocado, celery, cucumber, organic berries and hydrating soups. Remember, if you’re dehydrated internally, your skin will be too!”
3. Limit your intake of particular beverages
“Ensure you’re limiting your alcohol, coffee and caffeinated tea consumption to a minimum (as they are dehydrating), and instead hydrate your body with herbal teas and plenty of pure filtered water.” A gentle warning that couldn’t come at a better time as we approach the holiday season.
4. Introduce these two hydrating ingredients
Hyaluronic acid: “Provides deep hydration to the skin for all skin types. This miracle molecule holds 1000 times its weight in water so immediately plumps and hydrates the skin.”
Plant-derived squalane: “Another super hydrator. This lightweight ingredient mimics our skin’s natural moisture making it feel supple and silky smooth.”
5. Be cautious of harsh ingredients
One of the major triggers of dehydrated skin can be overly abrasive or harsh ingredients, which can lead to inflammation and persistent moisture loss in the skin. According to Trudi, it’s important to be mindful of “strong acids, abrasive scrubs, detergents, and frequent, overly intensive treatments [that] can strip away our precious moisture barrier.”
Understanding our attraction to these seemingly effective products, Trudi warns “while you might experience a quick fix, overtime you’ll likely notice your skin becomes more dehydrated and damaged.”
Instead, she recommends opting for “effective, hydrating skin care that nurtures your moisture barrier which will see your skin quickly transform from dehydrated to dewy and instantly luminous.” Examples include the Retreatment Botanics Refining Face Polish ($55, Retreatment Botanics), which has been formulated with aloe vera and green papaya enzymes to deeply cleanse while maintaining the integrity of our skin’s delicate barrier.
Main image credit: @courteneycox
Do you have dehydrated skin? If so, what do you do to try and hydrate it?
Harsh cleansers do the most damage. Everything else helps but getting rid of gel and “balancing” and switching to balms and creamy cleansers helped.
A very useful and informative article. I should reduce the amount of coffee and tea I drink each day, but they keep me sane and relaxed. I do however make up for it by drinking a lot of water as well.
I’m the same S-P. Without my coffee I would go crazy. And I love my water also.
Good to know! My skin is oily but I keep it hydrated with lightweight serums
Not sure why my comment didn’t post
My skin is oily but I like to use a lightweight serum to keep it hydrated
Same! CAn not post!
Me too! What’s the problem?
When I notice my skin is particularly dehydrated I always try to increase my water intake I do struggle in the cooler months but glad to read your diet with foods like avocado and cucumber also combat this I will be keeping that in mind.
yes and herbal teas are good to0
I have dehydrated skin. I manage it with regular exfoliation and HA.
I don’t bother with filtered water. Tap water is fine by me.
Yes I agree,, tap water all the time. Do sometimes use bottled water when travelling.
I agree with this where I live but I have visited some townships around Australia where the water is disgusting.
In my area water smells very bad and had beige residue. Distilling is a must!
I can’t stand the taste of tap water. I drink buckets of water each day: I’ve been using a filter jug for decades because the water tastes beautiful.
I can’t stand it either but I only drink bottle water.
I don’t know why my comment didn’t post. I dislike the taste of tap water, so I’ve used a filter jug for decades.
I hate the taste and smell of tap water so I only drink bottled water.
Same with me. It tastes so much cleaner.
Great article. I agree I do have dehydrated skin. I can see it is because I drink caffeinated drinks. Bugger.
Just using Retreatment Botanics moisturizer and kakadu plum serum, love both! Looove packaging, so pretty.. Yes, all true what she said: water rich food like ALL raw fruit and all raw veg, no to caffeinated drinks and alcohol etc.
Ooh yes Olivia Newton Johns range, it does look nice
I didn’t know she had a skin care range!
Just using Retreatment Botanics moisturizer and kakadu plum serum, love both! Love packaging, so pretty. Yes, all true what she said: water rich food like ALL raw fruit and all raw veg, no to caffeinated drinks and alcohol etc.
Just using Retreatment Botanics moisturizer and kakadu plum serum, love both!
Kakadu plum serum sounds nice! I love using native ingredients in my skincare and diet when I can
This isn’t a duplicate comment. I don’t think i’ve ever said these words before ever!!! Kakadu plum serum sounds nice! I love using native ingredients in my skincare and diet when I can
I say that and then it writes up both my comments. Oops!
A glitch maybe?
The site’s really playing silly buggers & won’t let me post. There’s a serum & moisturiser that I love, but I can’t say which ones!
Great article
I am trying to look after my skin now Im getting old.
Great hints and tips…
I really loved reading this article. I will take these tips on board
Sounds like I have a bit of work to do because my dark under-eye circles have become more visible lately.
yes and when i pop on my foundation, my skin looks so dry and dull
Dry skin can be tricky and tedious to take care of. The wrong skincare regime or products can lead to your skin drying out even more. Staying hydrated, limiting caffeine intake, and eating nutritious foods may help your skin retain water. Lucere Skin is the trusted source of skin care and dermatology services. They are offering skin treatments such as Acne scarring, skin tightening,redness solutions, tattoo removal, skin resurfacing etc.
Drinking more water helps but the climate certainly affects the skin too
Drinking more water helps but climate certainly plays a part in causing dehydrated skin too.
I am only cleansing my skin once a day now.
Good tips there.
I drink quite a bit of water, but a couple of coffees a day too, maybe they cancel each other out?
I have dehydrated skin. It tolerates actives well, as long as I keep it well hydrated
Fortunately I don’t and I attribute that to a good and regular nighttime skincare routine and I also drink lots of water and eat water bearing fruits and vegetables. What goes into your body is just as important, if not more important, that what you put on your body.
My skin isn’t dehydrated. I drink plenty of water and I think that has a lot to do with it.
The Retreatment Botanics does look lovely
I try to drink lots of water.I strongly believe inside hydration is the key for clear skin.
Good read
Interesting article, thank you.