How To Hydrate Skin

If you're hoping to maintain a youthful, glowing complexion for years to come, hydrating your skin should be a top priority.

In this post, we'll cover everything you need to know about maintaining your skin's hydration levels. We'll answer key questions about everything from skin sensitivity to breakouts to the foods that can help your skin lock in moisture.

And, of course, we'll make sure to fill you in on how IV wellness therapy can provide your body with the hydration it needs — which can help nurture dehydrated skin, too.

How Do I Know If My Skin Is Dehydrated?

There are a few different ways to determine whether your skin is dehydrated. Below are some of the most important factors to consider when you're trying to figure out if your skin needs more moisture and hydration.

• Are you getting breakouts? If you're dealing with whiteheads, blackheads, or other types of zits, it may be a sign that your skin needs more moisture. The reason? Dryness and lack of water can cause your skin to produce excess sebum (oil), which in turn can clog your pores and lead to breakouts. A combination of sebum and dead skin cells is a recipe for disaster when it comes to acne.
• What about signs of aging? Wrinkles, fine lines, and other hallmarks of the aging process are natural parts of life. However, signs of aging can appear more prominently when your skin is dried out because of the role that your skin's water content plays in reducing the appearance of wrinkles and lines. The more hydrated your skin is, the less likely you are to notice stubborn wrinkles.
• What's your skin type? Everyone can experience dry skin, but it's more likely to be a recurring issue if you have sensitive skin that doesn't produce much oil. People with the oily skin type are far less likely to experience frequent bouts of dryness, as their skin's natural oils can provide lubrication and moisture. People with dry or sensitive skin, however, need a lot more support to help keep skin plump and nourished.

Does Dry Skin Cause Itching?

In many cases, the best way to determine whether your skin needs more moisture is if you're experiencing symptoms like itchiness and irritation. Itchy skin can be irritating, but it's also a sign that your body is trying to tell you that it needs something. In this case, that something is water!

When your skin gets dry, it may start to itch due to the absence of proper hydration. For people who live in an environment with a dry climate, low humidity, or high sun exposure, a common everyday concern is likely dry, irritated, and itchy skin.

Is Dry Skin a Sign of Overall Dehydration?

If your skin is getting dry and irritated on a regular basis, it may be a sign that your entire body needs to be hydrated.

Drinking plenty of water and adding foods with high water content to your diet can help to keep dehydration at bay, all while making a major difference for your skin, too.

Will Drinking More Water Help Hydrate My Skin?

If you're suffering from the symptoms of dehydration, the best thing to do is to drink more water. Getting your body's fluid levels restored is a must when dehydration is making you feel sluggish, nauseous, and fatigued.

If whole-body dehydration is making your skin dry and irritated, drinking enough water may be the most helpful step to take towards relief.

When you need fast and effective rehydration, there's no better way to go than our at-home IV therapy treatments. These wellness therapies are specially formulated with a rehydrating saline or LR solution that works hard to get your body re-hydrated as fast as possible.

At-home IV therapy for rehydration is also an effective choice for anyone who's feeling sick, exhausted, or just a little under the weather.

It's also an excellent remedy for the dehydration caused by a hangover after a night on the town. Hangovers, after all, are primarily caused by dehydration, so restoring your body's much-needed fluids is the best way to get the relief that you need from those uncomfortable symptoms.

How To Rehydrate Your Skin

Restoring your skin's hydration levels doesn't have to be hard. All it takes is a combination of good habits and well-chosen products.

In the sections below, we'll walk you through the steps to take to get your skin back to its natural, fully-hydrated state by making small changes to your lifestyle, diet, and skincare routine.

Wash Your Face With Warm (Not Hot) Water

Hot water feels amazing on your skin, but all those hot showers and steamy sinks might not be doing you any favors. Unfortunately, hot water has a reputation for making your skin dry and irritated. The high temperature has the potential to strip your skin of its natural oils, which can lead to issues like itchiness and breakouts.

If you're thinking you'll need to take freezing-cold showers for the rest of your life to keep your skin hydrated, think again. You don't have to turn the temperature way down to avoid drying out your skin – instead, simply reduce the heat of your water until it's warm, not hot.

Warm water is gentler on skin and less likely to cause dryness and irritation – and it won't make your showers miserable.

However, there is some merit to taking cold, or at least cool, showers if your skin is dry and irritated. A cold shower is less likely than a hot one to cause itchiness and dryness, and it's also an excellent way to calm inflammation in the skin. In addition, many sufferers of acne swear by cold showers as one of the steps they take to avoid breakouts.

Opt for Gentle Cleansers Over Stripping Chemicals

While it might sound backward, some of the products that you're using to take care of your skin might be hurting more than they're helping. Creams, lotions, cleansers, and other skincare products that are formulated with harsh chemicals can strip your skin of its natural oils and leave you feeling itchy, irritated, and uncomfortable.

Because harsh chemicals can be common ingredients in skincare products, it's especially important to read the ingredients on any product you use carefully.

If you have problem- skin that frequently breaks out or gets very dry on a regular basis, you'll want to steer clear of any products that contain artificial scents or dyes, as well as sulfates and preservatives.

These ingredients are commonly found in lower-end skincare products, but that doesn't mean you'll need to break the bank to find alternatives that are better for sensitive skin. There are plenty of skincare brands available at your local drug store that avoid using synthetic fragrances, dyes, and other harsh ingredients in their products.

Do Not Over-Cleanse Your Face

When skin hydration is a top priority, it's important to avoid washing your face too much.

While using a gentle cleanser twice daily – once in the morning and once at night – with warm water can play a key role in building a solid skincare routine, overdoing your use of your cleanser can end up working against your goals for your skin.

Over-cleansing has a tendency to weaken skin barrier function by reducing the amount of oil on the surface of your skin. In excessive amounts, that oil can lead to breakouts and other issues, but too little of it can cause irritation and dryness.

Maintaining the balance of your skin's oil levels is a combination of cleansing just enough – but not too much – and using hydrating products like moisturizers and serums.

Choose a Moisturizer With Ultra-Hydrating Ingredients

Your moisturizer is one of the most important products in your entire skincare regimen, and it's also one product that you don't have to worry about using often. Moisturizers are typically formulated with hydrating ingredients that help your skin lock in moisture, preventing dryness, irritation, and breakouts in the process. However, not all moisturizers are created equal! Some contain higher-quality ingredients than others.

When looking for a moisturizer, we highly recommend opting for one that contains hyaluronic acid as a main ingredient.

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is naturally produced by your skin and helps your skin cells retain their water content. By using a hyaluronic acid-based moisturizer, you can transform your skin from the inside out and significantly reduce the amount of dryness and irritation that you experience.

Use an Overnight Hydrating Serum

Serums are highly concentrated skincare products that contain just a few simple ingredients. Most serums have a main ingredient that serves a specific purpose in your beauty routine. When hydration is your main goal, using an overnight hydrating serum can make an excellent addition to your beauty routine.

Overnight hydrating serums usually contain ingredients like hyaluronic acid, antioxidants like vitamin E, and oils like jojoba or coconut.

These ingredients boost the nutrient levels of your skin and help to keep moisture levels optimal.

Use a Humidifier

If you live in an area where humidity levels are low, a humidifier just might be a game-changer for your skin’s moisture levels. Humidifiers release moisture into the air, helping to keep your skin and nasal passages properly moisturized and lubricated.

In addition to helping to reduce skin dryness and irritation, humidifiers also have a glowing reputation among allergy sufferers.

Do Certain Foods Help Soothe Dry Skin?

What you eat definitely has a major impact on your body as a whole – including your skin. Below, we’ll cover a few foods and food groups that you’ll definitely want to emphasize if your skin gets dry.

Fruits and Vegetables With High Water Content

In addition to drinking plenty of water, eating high-water fruits and vegetables can have a major positive impact on dry skin. Fruits like oranges, melons, and apples are all high in water, as are vegetables like celery and lettuce. These foods are nutrient-dense and low in calories, and they provide your body with plenty of valuable vitamins and minerals.

Fatty Fish

Many types of fish, including salmon, cod, and tilapia, are excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Your skin needs those fatty acids to stay nourished and hydrated, so add some fish to your weekly menu – or try taking an omega-3 supplement.

Nuts and Seeds

High in antioxidants and packed with healthy fats, nuts and seeds are fantastic for your skin. There’s a wide variety to choose from, and all of them have a unique nutritional profile.

How Long Does It Take To Rehydrate Your Skin?

The process of rehydrating your skin can take time, but it’s much quicker when you make the right decisions. Adding IV hydration therapy to your weekly routine can make a major difference in how quickly you see changes to your skin’s health– and your health as a whole. In addition, the habits that you form in terms of diet and skincare can have a significant impact as well.

IV Therapy Works For More Than Just Skin

If you’re ready to take whole-body hydration and nourishment to the next level, check out our at-home IV therapy treatment options.

Visit our treatment page for more information about how IV therapy sessions can help you keep your body – and your skin – hydrated and nourished so you can look and feel your best.

Sources:

Acne - Symptoms and causes | Mayo Clinic

The Effect of Cold Showering on Health and Work: A Randomized Controlled Trial | NCBI

Omega-3 Fatty Acids - Consumer | ODS