It's hard enough keeping track of your skin type. After-all, it literally changes DAILY, as we shed old skin cells and reveal newer, fresher skin cells, MONTHLY, with the fluctuation of hormones, and YEARLY, as our skin changes with age due to environmental and physical factors.
I always thought I had dry skin, then the dermatologist told me I had oily skin, which was great, because I found out oily skin ages at the slowest rate, but now I would say my skin type is pretty normal. Apart from some severe hormonal breakouts in my early 40's, I've never had any issues with my skin.
As a result, I wasn't concerned about the difference between hydration and moisturizing until the more recent past. Before 40, my skincare routine consisted of a quick splash of water on my face after brushing my teeth in the mornings, and maybe another quick splash before bedtime. Every now and then, I would apply moisturizer, because, well, THEY said moisturizing is essential in a skincare routine.
It turns out, THEY were right. Moisturizing is essential, but so is hydrating. Do you know what the difference is between the two? No? Well let me explain:
Moisturizing relates to applying an oil based product to the skin, which helps to seal in hydration. Essentially, it aids in reducing water loss, while working with the natural sebum created by your body to keep your skin plump, and glowing.
Hydrating is applying a water based product to the skin to maintain or improve its water content. That is, keeping the skin's water content at an optimal level.
Our bodies are made up of up to 75% water, according to some sources. The estimates fall somewhere between 45% to 75%, depending on the source. It's safe to say our skin can suffer from dehydration just as much as our bodies can. With that said, the cure for dry skin is to MOISTURIZE, and the cure for dehydrated skin is to HYDRATE.
But, how do you know if you are suffering from dry skin or dehydrated skin? It's important to note that dry skin is a SKIN TYPE (you are born with it), while dehydrated skin is a SKIN CONDITION, that any skin type can suffer from. Dry skin is skin that doesn't want to be bothered with creating the appropriate amount of sebum to keep the skin properly moisturized. It's possible to have different skin types not only on different parts of the body, but different parts of the face. This leads to combination skin, which can be any combination of the 4 main skin types (dry, normal, oily, sensitive), creating a 5th skin type.
Dehydrated skin can present in ways similar to dry skin. You can know the difference when, after applying an oil based product, it doesn't result in the glowing, fresh, soft skin you are aiming for. Think of it like adding oil on top of dry sponge, as opposed to a wet sponge. Some of the oil will definitely get in there, but it definitely won't feel the same as the wet sponge.
The hallmark of hydrated and moisturized skin is, skin that has a natural glow, without being overly greasy, and shiny, nor dry, flaky and dull.
Now that you know the difference, how do you treat them? Apply light oil/oil based product, such as the KIINI Facial Oil. It absorbs quickly and easily, without leaving a greasy residue, making it great for all skin types. It is a good practice to always have a hydrating step in your skincare routine. Use a naturally hydrating face mist such as the KIINI Face Mist (containing hydrating ingredients such as Aloe and Rosewater) immediately after cleansing or masking, followed by the KIINI Facial Oil to seal in the hydration.
The answer to the question, therefore, is to do both. All skin types can benefit from Hydration and Moisturizing.
Karibu Tip:
Spritz your face with the KIINI Face Mist periodically to maintain fresh, dewy, hydrated skin throughout the day, or after a work out. It's also helpful with cooling down experiencing hot flashes.
Let me if this information was helpful, and how you are working on keeping your skin balanced.
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