While quality skincare can help your skin look and feel great, without combining proper nutrition, prioritizing sleep, proper makeup habits, managing stress and maintaining optimal hydration, your skin won't reach its max capacity to glow inside out.
Common characteristics of dehydrated skin:
Dehydrated skin essentially means lacking water. Skin types like oily skin can experience dehydration. The skin appears sallow, tired, and can be oily with dry patches. It is actually more prone to breakouts because, in attempting to hydrate itself, it creates more oil. Dehydrated skin can be a result of weather or seasonal changes (ie. you live in cool dry areas or places with minimal rainfall), incorrect or misused skincare products, heat/air conditioning, pollution in your home area, diet (such as alcohol and caffeine), and the list goes on. In many cases, drinking water may be the biggest yet easiest step to account for these signs 😉
Common characteristics of dry skin:
Dry skin simply is the lack of oil in the skin. In this skin type, your skin does not have active oil production going on. Dry skin, unlike oily skin, tends to have smaller if not tiny pores all over the face and may appear smooth in texture. For this, skin is naturally matte looking, but may also be flakey or itchy to even irritated or pink due to dryness. For some people, dry skin may be a constant thing year round and may suddenly become worse in cold weather. For myself, I have normal to dry skin, so I notice I have drier than usual skin when it is winter time because of the lack of humidity, coldness, wind but also the sudden temperature adjustment when I go out from my heated home to the extreme minus weather outside. For others, dry skin not only shows on their face but also all over their scalp and body.
Infographic credit @babeandbeauty, a Holistic Esthetician based in San Diego
The importance of water for skin, body, and mind:
Drinking water ensures cells are hydrated, prevents plumpness and structure loss. The minimum amount of water to drink daily is 1.5 qt which equates to 6 cups/day. Water helps flush out toxins and cleanse the kidneys, dissolve minerals for better absorption, act as a delivery system for nutrients, act as a lubricant and also plays a role in regulating body temperature. Some of the physiological symptoms of dehydration are the occurrence of headaches, lethargy, mental confusion, and even constipation. Sometimes, the thirst reflex is actually mistaken for hunger. This happens when 1-2% of body water is lost, and if it continues to be ignored (up to 3%), it poses more serious mental and physical concerns. When this happens, be sure to drink a cup or two of water when you feel “hungry”. After 15-20 minutes, gauge your appetite from there.
To ensure skin is well oiled from inside out, you can simply incorporate essential fatty acids in your diet such as fish, nuts, seeds, and plant oils. The reason why these are essential is that the body needs them but cannot produce them. So, the only way to get them is through the food we eat or through quality supplements. Essential fatty acids are in particular beneficial for dry skin because it under-produces oil (called sebum, which is your body’s way of naturally moisturizing itself).
Factors to consider when you have dry skin are as follows:
essential fatty acid (EFAs) deficiency
poor intake of water
lack of vitamin A
Diet should consider implementing:
1) high-quality EFAs and fats that have not been cooked over high heat
ie. chia seeds, flax seeds, salmon, sardines, shellfish, plant oils like avocado oil, untoasted sesame oil, coconut oil
2) low saturated fats
ie. grass-fed organic butter, ghee, coconut oil, fish and shellfish, chicken, turkey, lean meats, beans and legumes
3) drink at least 6 glasses of water daily (depending on lifestyle)
other hydrating drinks include coconut water, kombucha, fresh pure vegetable juice (highly recommend any organic cold-pressed juice from Village Juicery), lemon water or simply infuse water with fruits + herbs
4) limit alcohol and stimulants
ie. energy drinks, coffee, caffeinated sugary teas & lattes (think Starbucks)
5) eating water-rich foods
ie. cucumbers, melons, citrus fruits, lettuce
Supplements to consider adding (refer to a well-versed expert like a nutritional practitioner or holistic esthetician to help you select what is best for your health and concerns):
EFAs like flax oil, borage oil, evening primrose oil, omega 3s
Vitamin A
Vitamin E
Astaxanthin or krill oil
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