My.SkiN.FeeLs.LikE.A.DesErt...DrY.oR.DeHyDraTed?

A constant problem I hear from my customers would be that they have dry skin. And this is not just one or two of them saying this, its many. However I believe about only 25-30% of people have dry skin. What everyone actually should be concerned with is dehydration. More chances than none, the two are confused. So are you a dry skin or a dehydrated skin? 

Many people misdiagnose their own skin when they experience tightness, roughness, uncomfortable or flakiness of the skin. What's important is to know that dry skin and dehydrated skin are not the same at all. A person with true dry skin is lacking oils in the skin and a person with dehydrated skin is lacking water in the skin. Yet it is necessary to have both oil and water in the skin to achieve a healthy and radiant glow.

How are each caused?
Dry skin is caused partly by genetics, but usually the main factor is using products that are too harsh for the skin. They strip the skin of the essential natural oils that act as a natural moisturizer. You should never leave your skin feeling dry for a long period or the problem will get harder to treat. The skin will begin to become weak and it will lose water, causing a rough feeling and making it harder to absorb oils.
Dehydrated skin is caused by many factors such as the elements(wind/sun), air conditioners and heaters. It can also be caused by pollution, illness, smoking, drinking alcohol or coffee. The moisture in the skin begins to evaporated very quickly and you may experience tightness, fines lines, loss of radiance and loss of elasticity. If the skin becomes dehydrated then it can no long protect itself from environmental damage. I'd say 9/10 people are dehydrated.

How do we treat them?
Using a product specified for dry skin will help to maintain a balance of enough oils on the skin as well as respect the fragile state of a dry skin. I also recommend using a balancing oil for the skin as this will ensure there is enough oils on the skin to prevent any tightness. Try to not take hot showers and make sure to use a toner.
For a dehydrated skin you should try a serum specialized for dehydration as this is easily added to any skin care routine. You can add the serum under any moisturizer. I also recommend drinking enough water. You will definitely see a difference in the skin between times you do drink enough and times that you do not. When you drink alcohol it is especially important to drink more water or drink something with electrolytes to replenish moisture. Balancing oils for dehydrated skin are also fantastic for anyone.

Making sure to follow a daily skin care routine fit for your skin type will definitely ensure healthy and radiant skin. 
A few products I have found to be effective are:
Dry skin -
La Roche Posay Nutritic transforming care for dry skin (moisturizer), it contains Biolipids which are oil encapsulated in water to deeply hydrate the skin. It was tested in the cold winters or eastern Canada.
Clarins Face treatment oil for dry or extra dry skin - Huile Santal, this is  an oil that you use after toner at night time to replenish the skin of oils.
Clarins HydraQuench Cream for Normal to Dry skin, it is a moisturizer that my store constantly sells out of because it is so good for hydrating dry skin as well as dehydrated skin. AND YES YOU CAN BE BOTH DRY AND DEHYDRATED!
Dehydrated skin -
Guerlain Super aqua serum, it hydrates the skin deeply using desert rose, basically it comes from a rose that can live even in the desert. Cool huh?
Vichy Aqualia Thermal fortifying & soothing 24h hydrating concentrate, this is one of the most popular hydrating serums my store sells. It's light weight and great for all skin types, the technology they put in was that they wanted to hydrate the skin for 24 hours just like contact lenses.
Clarins HydraQuench Cream, it is a moisturizer that my store constantly sells out of because it is so good for hydrating dry skin as well as dehydrated skin. AND YES YOU CAN BE BOTH DRY AND DEHYDRATED!

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EeewW, DiD.yOu.SeE.HoW.OiLy.hEr.sKiN.iS?.IT's.LiKE.ShE.rUbS.VaSoLiNe.oN.iT.oR.sOmEtHiNg....i.cAn.sEe.mY.ReFLeCtiOn.iN.HeR.BuTtErFaCe.

Everyone and anyone can experience a little oil on their skin at some point or time, but what if it gets to be a nuisance? What can we do to control it or get rid of it? Read on...

If you are like 85% of the population who has combination to oily skin or oily skin you may feel like you are always fighting a battle that you cannot win. We can blame our genes for a huge part of this. Also hormone levels that are changing such as puberty and changes during our 20's can often cause oily skin and even trigger those nasty outbreaks of acne. But women and men of all ages can suffer from oily skin, especially woman around our "time of the month", pregnancy or even at menopause. And did you know? that certain kinds of birth control pills can increase oil production on the skin.

So what are we to do? Well we have to understand what is going on first:

This is a healthy normal skin.

This is an oily skin with over productive sebaceous glands.You can notice that the sebaceous gland(where the oil on your skin comes from) is larger. You can also notice on the skin there is oil and sweat, which creates the hydro-lipidic film(the skins natural moisturizer).

Covered In What?

Did you know that the outermost layer of your skin is composed entirely of dead skin cells and oil? It's called the stratum corneum, and it protects the living skin cells underneath it by lubricating the skin and trapping in moisture [source: University of Iowa].

I recommend a lot of products on a daily basis to customers for their oily skin and for their acne. Here are some solutions that I've found that have been effective.

1. First things first, make sure that you are cleansing, toning and moisturizing every morning and night. Having a regular skin care routine is a must for clear skin. And please don't cleanse your face more than twice a day, cleansing repetitively will actually trigger your sebaceous glands to produce more oil. Equalling oilier skin. Ew!
2. Using a balancing oil on you skin will actually control oil. (YES, I said oil!) Your skin needs oil on it. Good oil! If your face has a balancing oil on it, it will actually know not to produce more oil.

3. Using blotting papers, primers and oil controlling products do help. Just don't OVER do it.
4. Using makeup that is oil controlling or that has a matte finish. Generally powders are best for an oily skin.


I have an oily/combination skin and this is my daily routine. 
Morning - Cleanse with Clarins gentle foaming cleanser for oily combination skin, Tone my skin with Clarins toning lotion for oily/combination skin, mosturize my skin with Biotherm Biopur SOS normalizer. I then like to start my makeup with a primer from Smashbox (photo finish light) and an eye lid primer from Smashbox (photo finish lid primer) and continue with my regular makeup routine.

Night - Cleanse with Clarins gentle foaming cleanser for oily combination skin, use my Tanda Clear, Tone my skin with Clarins toning lotion for oily/combination skin, use Clarins Lotus treatment oil for oily skin, mosturize my skin with Biotherm Biopur SOS normalizer. 

I also highly recommend using the Smashbox Anti shine, it works wonders and truly controls oil. It's great under makeup or over(comes in a travel compact). 










The truth is you can't get rid of oily skin, you just have to live with it and control it. Try not to disturb it and take care of it. I've heard it's also best to have an oilier skin as it does not show signs of aging as fast.



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