16 Dec
Blog

4 Signs Your Skin Is Dehydrated & How To Fix It

Does your skin feel more flaky and sensitive than usual? Has your natural glow been zapped by your complexion? If this sounds like the condition of your skin, it may be dehydrated. Here are the top signs of dehydrated skin and our recommendations on how to fix them.

What is the difference between dry and dehydrated skin? | 4 signs of dehydrated skin | How to fix dehydrated skin

What is the difference between dry and dehydrated skin?

Dry and dehydrated skin have many of the same signs and symptoms, but they're actually quite different. Here's a quick breakdown of how these two skin care problems differ:

Dry skin

Dry skin is classified as a skin type and is inherited through your genetics. Skin Inc defines dry skin type as one that is prone to insufficient production of the skin's natural oils. Dry skin can also be associated with hormonal imbalances or an underactive thyroid. This can slow down your skin's production of sebum and contribute to a dry and dull complexion. While your dry skin type cannot be genetically modified, adding oily products to your skin care routine can improve its appearance.

Dry skin

Dehydrated skin, on the other hand, is a skin condition. It is caused by external influences (weather and seasonal changes), unhealthy diet (lack of fresh produce) and lifestyle choices (alcohol or caffeine consumption). All of these factors reduce the water content of your skin, which leads to a less supple appearance. One important finding is that dehydration is characterized by a lack of water – not oil; even oily skin types can dry out. Fortunately, dehydrated skin is temporary and can be alleviated through a combination of topical treatments and lifestyle changes.

4 signs of dehydrated skin

Not sure if you are dealing with dryness or dehydration? Here are four tell-tale signs that you have dehydrated skin:

1. Itchy skin

Have you ever returned from a ski vacation or a day at the beach and felt the relentless need to scratch yourselves? External elements such as wind and extreme temperature changes can draw moisture away from the outer layer of the skin and cause a tense, itchy feeling. This is often accompanied by peeling, regardless of the amount of oil on the surface of your skin.

2. Increased sensitivity

One of the biggest consequences of dehydrated skin is an increase in sensitivity. If the moisture barrier of your skin is disturbed, it cannot protect itself properly against external environmental influences. As a result, irritants such as bacteria and pollution can penetrate the outermost layer, making symptoms such as redness, itching, and irritation worse.

3. Matte skin

Overall, does your skin look dull and tired? Dehydration affects your skin's ability to perform important functions such as cell turnover. Without adequate hydration, your skin will not lose its outermost layer often enough and dead cells will build up on its surface. This contributes to clogged pores, congestion, and a dull complexion.

4. Fine lines & wrinkles

“Gently pinch the skin on your cheek. If it looks like you have fine lines, you are dehydrated, ”advises skin care professional Joanna Vargas. Dehydrated skin often shows accelerated signs of aging; In contrast to laugh lines or crow's feet, however, these wrinkles appear as a network of tiny, triangular folds.

How to fix dehydrated skin

Before we outline a skin care routine, let's first explore some other lifestyle tips that might help you.

1. Avoid caffeine and alcohol

Caffeine and alcohol are two of the worst culprits for dehydrated skin. Both substances are diuretics that affect the health of your skin by breaking down the water content. And alcohol doubles in size by inhibiting the production of the hormone vasopressin, which is essential for rehydration. If you can't imagine getting through the day without your morning latte, don't be afraid: one to two cups of coffee a day and a glass of alcohol in the evening are generally accepted.

2. Best products for dehydrated skin

To repair dehydrated skin, you need to address your skin care routine and overall health. This means hydrating from the inside out as well as treating the dehydration topically.

3. Buy a humidifier

You may need to add moisture to the air and turn off the air conditioner. Humidifiers are usually very quiet and work in the background by evaporating water through a heating element. They create steam that is released into the air, creating moisture and moisture to help people with dehydrated skin.

4. Skip harsh facial scrubs

Exfoliating is a safe way to lighten dull, dehydrated complexions, but if you have dehydrated skin, we recommend avoiding gritty scrubs, which could irritate the skin. Healthy skin takes 25 days to naturally renew itself, and dehydrated skin takes longer. Proper exfoliation speeds up skin cell turnover by removing dead cells from the surface to reveal the new, healthy cells underneath. We've recommended a gentler skin care exfoliating option below.

A routine for dehydrated skin

To repair dehydrated skin, you need to address your skin care routine and overall health. This means hydrating from the inside out as well as treating the dehydration topically.

1. Wash with a gentle detergent and lukewarm water

The best way to cleanse dehydrated skin is with a gentle cleanser and lukewarm water. Choose detergents that are free from harsh chemical additives and artificial fragrances that can draw soothing moisture out of the skin and increase sensitivity. At Eminence Organics, we select only the best organic ingredients and keep our skin care products free of harmful chemicals such as parabens, petrolatum, mineral oils, propylene glycol and sodium lauryl sulfate. To cleanse dehydrated skin, we recommend using a product like Wildflower Cleansing Balm or Stone Crop Cleansing Oil, which gently melt away impurities, moisturize the skin and leave no residue.

2. Apply an essence

Skin care that you shouldn't do without – especially for dehydrated skin – is an essence. This K-Beauty staple maximizes hydration, replenishing moisture, and protecting skin from the drying effects of environmental stressors. Facial essences are packed with deeply moisturizing and antioxidant ingredients that work wonders on dehydrated skin. Take our birch water cleansing essence as an example. This light essence contains snow and reishi mushrooms to moisturize the skin and neutralize the drying and aging effects of free radicals.

3. Use a hyaluronic acid serum

Hyaluronic acid is extremely effective in replenishing dehydrated skin. As a humectant, this miracle active ingredient helps to bind and store moisture and keeps the skin soft and cozy. According to ELLE, hyaluronic acid has the ability to hold up to six liters of water and "acts like a magnet for moisture, helping your cells to store as much of it as possible so your skin feels and appears hydrated, plump and healthy". At Eminence Organics, we infuse botanical hyaluronic acid into deeply moisturizing serums like our Strawberry Rhabarb Hyaluronic Serum and Firm Skin Acai Booster Serum.

4. Use a gentle scrub

As mentioned earlier, avoid harsh peels that contain pearls or sugar. Instead, opt for a gentle scrub like our strawberry-rhubarb dermafoliant, which uses rice and chickpea flour to gently remove flakes and dead skin. Strawberry is a natural detergent and astringent that contains salicylic acid. Salicylic acid exfoliates and removes impurities to lighten the appearance of the skin and shrink the appearance of pores.

5. Protect the outer layer of your skin

The judges aren't sure if drinking eight glasses of water a day will dramatically improve the hydration of your skin. Dermatologist Joel Schlessinger Explains Reader's Digest, "Drinking water all day is great for your body, but that moisture doesn't really reach your skin unless you're extremely dehydrated." The key is to keep water from leaving your skin by keeping the moisture barrier intact and healthy. One of the best ways to achieve this is with a topical treatment like our Marine Flower Peptide Night Cream. This rich formula contains botanical peptides (from rice protein) which means that it is plant-based and naturally derived. Jojoba oil locks in moisture and prevents transepidermal water loss so you can expect a change in your skin with a more hydrated, firmer look.

We also recommend our Lotus Detoxifying Overnight Treatment, which uses jojoba oil to lock in moisture and prevent transepidermal water loss.

Is your skin dry or dehydrated? We'd love to hear your lifestyle or skin care tips and tricks to keep your skin looking its best. Let us know in the comments below and join the conversation on social media.

This post was originally published in March 2016.

11 Feb
Blog

5 Signs That Sugar Is Aging Your Face

Do you have a sugary donut in hand? Here's some news to get you off the pastries and walk away: Sugar ages you. While there are many factors that ruin your skin, sugar is probably one of the worst culprits for the total aging of your face and body. Not only should you avoid sugar for dietary reasons (U.S. health guidelines recommend that you trim far back), you now have the added incentive to protect your looks from the aging ravages of sugar. Here's a closer look at how sugar ages your face.

The effects of sugar on your skin

Sugar damages your skin through a natural process called glycation. The sugars in your bloodstream bind to proteins and produce harmful free radicals known as Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs). When AGEs build up (the more sugar you eat, the more they develop), they damage the proteins around them.

1. Damage collagen & elastin

The proteins most susceptible to damage are the ones that act as building blocks for your skin: collagen and elastin. These proteins keep the skin firm and elastic and are responsible for the plump and springy properties of a healthy and youthful complexion. AGE make your collagen and elastin stiff, dry, and brittle and zap them of strength and spring. The effects on your complexion can be seen in the form of fine lines, sagging, and wrinkles.

2. Affects the type of collagen you have

A high-sugar diet also affects the type of collagen you have. Your skin contains three main types of collagen (aptly referred to as Type I, II, and III). The stability and resilience of collagen builds up at every stage: Type I is the weakest and Type III is the strongest. Glycation breaks down Type III collagen into Type I, reducing the structural strength and stability of your skin.

3. Deactivates natural antioxidant enzymes

AGEs not only damage your skin's essential proteins, they also deactivate your body's natural antioxidant enzymes. Without protection from antioxidants, your skin is more prone to free radical damage caused by environmental factors such as pollution, blue light, and UV rays. Free radicals trigger oxidative stress, which contributes to premature skin aging (and binds to your skin's structural proteins).

Signs that sugar is aging your skin

According to the British Journal of Dermatology, the visible effects of glycation appear in women around the age of 35. At this point, oxidative damage, hormonal changes, and the AGE development link accumulate. Your skin, unable to counteract the oxidative damage caused by adequate collagen and elastin synthesis, shows wear and tear. Here are the tell-tale signs on your face that sugar is the culprit that is aging your skin:

  1. The surface of your skin looks hard and shiny.
  2. Deep hatch lines appear along your upper lip.
  3. Discoloration and hyperpigmentation mark your skin.
  4. Deep gaps occur especially in the area of ​​the smile line.
  5. The skin around your cheek area is slack.

5 signs sugar is aging your face chart

7 ways to prevent sugar damage to your skin

The good news is that you are never late to prevent the visible signs of aging. Now that you know how sugar can damage your skin, here are some ways to fight the destruction and look your best:

1. Reduce sugar

Eliminating sugar from your diet entirely can be difficult, but there are a few ways you can reduce it. Prevention recommends limiting the added sugar to no more than 10% of your daily caloric intake and staying away from “hidden sugars” such as barley malt, fruit juice concentrate and maple syrup. Worst of all: high fructose corn syrup. This type of sugar, found in soft drinks, sweetened fruit drinks, and many packaged foods, produces the most AGE.

2. Increase your water intake

Drinking water does not directly affect the hydration of your skin, it helps your body more effectively perform the key functions that support healthy skin. Water is essential for the production of collagen and elastin. Keeping your body hydrated can improve its ability to counteract the aging effects of glycation. Drink plenty of water and include water-rich foods like cucumber, tomatoes, and watermelon in your diet to help maintain hydration.

3. Supplement your diet

Vitamins B1 and B6 are mentioned as AGE inhibitors in a number of published studies. Vitamin B1 (thiamine) is found in green peas, sesame seeds, and spinach and has powerful antioxidant properties that help fight free radicals. Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), which is essential for skin development and care, is found in chickpeas, pinto beans and sunflower seeds.

List how sugar damage can be prevented

4. Load up antioxidants

Antioxidants neutralize and protect the body from the harmful effects of free radicals. These naturally occurring vitamins and minerals negatively affect glycation by preventing sugars from attaching to proteins. Your body naturally produces antioxidants, but you can also find them in everyday foods like berries, leafy greens, and coffee. You can even find them in your skin care regimen. Look for products that contain Vitamins C and E help collagen and elastin hold their shape and maintain their strength for your skin.

5. Sleep

Getting enough sleep is one of our best beauty secrets. While you sleep, your skin goes into full swing, regenerating and repairing any damage caused during the day. Studies show that Lack of sleep contributes to finer lines and wrinkles, uneven skin tone, and less elasticity. But it comes down to more than the amount of sleep; Quality is just as important. Your body works most of its time in deep sleep to counteract the aging effects of sugar and other stressors.

6. Try a skin detox

“The advantage of detoxifying the skin is that it gives the skin a fresh start. Detox stimulates a healthier environment for the skin and can encourage increased collagen and elastin production. These changes can help increase cell turnover and improve the overall skin barrier. "

ON Skin detox is another way to mitigate the damage caused by glycation. Eminence Organics Product support team leader Alicia Hawthorne explains: “The benefit of detoxifying the skin is that it gives the skin a fresh start. Detox stimulates a healthier environment for the skin and can encourage increased collagen and elastin production. These changes can help increase cell turnover and improve the overall skin barrier. "

Check out this In The Mix video for skin detox tips that can help your complexion:

(embed) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNulGuapd8M (/ embed)

Adopt a skin care routine

We may suggest cutting out the sugar, but there is nothing wrong with using deliciously sweet and delicious products on your skin. That is a dessert delight Chocolate mousse hydration mask. Rich in cocoa flavors, this mask will remind you of a decadent chocolate indulgence. When it comes to cleansing, the acai mask for firm skin offers fruitful indulgence for the skin and a concentrated boost of vitamins and nutrient-rich ingredients that help your skin look refreshed and revitalized.

If you are dealing with dry lips or fine lines around the mouth, Rose Hip and Lemongrass Lip Balm SPF 15 is a moisturizing lip balm that contains zinc oxide, rose hip oil, lavender and SPF protection. This delicious formula ensures that your wrinkles look plump and perfect.

The Strawberry Rhubarb Dermafoliant gives your face a gentle exfoliation for a radiant complexion. Rice powder absorbs oil, while lactic acid and salicylic acid remove dead skin cells, and strawberries and rhubarb infuse the skin with antioxidants. Who can resist a little forbearance every now and then?

Have you tried any of these? Skin care products for the signs of aging caused by sugar? We'd love to hear from you! Let us know your thoughts in the comments below and follow us on social media to join the conversation.

This post was originally published in January 2016 and has been updated for accuracy and completeness.

24 Nov
Blog

Sensitive Skin Care: Signs, Symptoms And Best Skin Care Routine

Does your skin have a sensitive side? This skin type can be tricky to care for – and choosing the right skin care products can feel like throwing the dice. One misstep and you could worsen your temperamental complexion and produce a myriad of uncomfortable symptoms. Here's everything you need to know about sensitive skin, plus our tips to keep it calm, cool, and collected.

What is sensitive skin?

Sensitive skin does not manifest itself in the same way in everyone due to its wide variety of symptoms. Its severity can range from moderate discomfort to severe reactions, and its frequency can vary from the occasional flare-up to more persistent daily sensitivity.

Eminence Organics Product supervisor and certified beautician Josie Barton Says: “Sensitive skin is typically described as skin that regularly endures unpleasant sensations such as heat, stinging, burning and tingling sensations caused by forms of stimulation that would not normally result in this type of reaction in a“ normal ”skin type. ” If you find that your skin is easily irritated by environmental stressors like sun, wind, and pollution and / or topical products like lotions or fragrances, you may have sensitive skin.

This skin type is usually described as skin that regularly experiences unpleasant sensations such as heat, stinging, burning, and tingling sensations caused by forms of stimulation that combine this type of reactionnormal skin type.

Sensitivity to irritation versus allergic sensitivity

According to Dr. Hooman Khorasani, Dermatological and Cosmetic Surgeon, there are two different types of sensitivity – irritation sensitivity and allergic sensitivity.

"Sensitivity to irritation is irritating to everyone's skin and is independent of your immune system. Although most areas of skin react to irritants, someone with sensitive skin would see a more dramatic reaction," explains Dr. Khorasani. These symptoms can include itching, redness, dryness, rashes or breakouts In comparison, allergic sensitivity is dependent on your immune system and requires prior exposure to the allergen. Since allergic sensitivity is due to each specific immune system, unlike irritation sensitivity, only a portion of the population is affected.

Whatever the cause, sensitive skin is a skin type that is caused by a genetic predisposition to skin sensitivity and irritation. It's also a common symptom of genetic disorders like psoriasis, eczema, and rosacea. You can't change your skin type, but you can adjust your daily habits as well Skin care routine to treat its symptoms.

Woman checking the skin on her face

How to know if you have sensitive or sensitized skin

Another point of confusion with your potentially sensitive skin is whether it is sensitive at all – or whether it is actually sensitized. Sensitized skin is a skin condition characterized by skin irritation that develops over time due to environmental factors and lifestyle choices. Skin care from Alana Says, "Some of the biggest factors that cause sensitized skin are pollution, stress, and alcohol use." In contrast to sensitive skin, the symptoms of sensitized skin can be "fixed" over time with targeted skin care products and lifestyle changes.

Sensitive and sensitized skin share a key trait – an impaired lipid barrier. Your skin's lipid barrier is the protective, oily outer layer that performs two functions: It keeps water and environmental stressors (such as UV rays, harsh chemicals, and pollution) away. Emily Newsom, MD says to YOURSELF: "You can think of your skin barrier as a wall, which is put together with mortar between the skin cells." This mortar is weakened and more permeable for sensitive or sensitized skin. When an irritant creeps through the lipid barrier, your immune system triggers an inflammatory response. This reaction – characterized by redness, pain, and itching – is what you experience as sensitivity.

Sensitive skin symptoms and signs

Signs of sensitive and sensitized skin also overlap. However, sensitized skin symptoms often go away once the lipid barrier has been repaired, while they tend to be more persistent in sensitive skin. Both are displayed A range of symptoms that occur minutes to hours after exposure to a particular ingredient or environmental trigger. Here are five tell-tale signs of sensitive skin:

1. Rinses easily

Whether your The face turns red after cleansing or just from a cool gust of wind. Your skin's tendency to blush is a sign that its barrier function is impaired.

Everyday health Says: "Regardless of whether your face turns red after cleansing or is just exposed to a cool gust of wind, your skin's tendency to blush is a sign that its barrier function is impaired." This redness is due to an inflammatory response in your immune system. When you try to heal, blood rushes to the surface of your sensitive skin.

2. Prone to rashes and bumps

When exposed to a trigger, sensitive skin on the face often reacts with a red, flaky, or bumpy rash. According to Healthgrades, this is especially true for topical products like facial serums and moisturizers that are left on the skin and are not meant to be rinsed off.

3. Itches

In addition to rashes and bumps, sensitive skin can become itchy and tight, especially after cleaning with products that contain harsh chemicals or artificial fragrances. It is often associated with dryness and / or dehydration, which can make the skin feel prickly and parched.

4. Beauty products sting or sting

Dr. Elizabeth Tanzi tells Curls: "You know you have sensitive skin when most of the products you put on your skin cause stinging or redness."Since sensitive skin has a broken lipid barrier, fragrances and active ingredients can penetrate more easily and deeply and cause a stinging, burning or tingling sensation.

5. Responds to scent

Dermatologists agree that fragrances are one of the most well-known causes of skin irritation and sensitivity. From laundry detergents to personal care products, many consumer products contain synthetic fragrances that can cause a reaction in sensitive skin.

Do you suffer from sensitive skin? Let us know how you deal with your skin type in the comments below or on social media.

This post was originally published in August 2018 and has been updated for accuracy and completeness.