How to Tell If Your Skin Is Dry or Dehydrated

We all want perfectly hydrated, glowing skin. But what if your skin is tight, flaky, or dull? The key to achieving your best complexion is to understand whether you have dry skin or dehydrated skin.

On the surface, dry skin and dehydrated skin may seem very similar. However, dry skin is a skin type, while dehydrated skin is a skin condition. They each have very different causes, and therefore require different treatments. Keep reading to find out whether your skin is dry or dehydrated, and how to fix it.

How to Tell if You Have Dry Skin

Dry skin doesn’t produce as much natural oil (sebum) as normal skin. Sebum holds in moisture, so without it, skin becomes dry and flaky with more pronounced wrinkles. Dry skin also means that skin’s natural protective barrier could be compromised, leading to inflammation and sensitivity.

If you have dry skin, you’ve probably always had it. Dry skin is one of the skin types, along with oily, combination, and normal. Your skin type is determined by genetics, rather than external factors. Skin feels dry all year long, regardless of the season. However, external factors like weather can exacerbate dry skin and make it worse.

Tips for Improving Dry Skin

●    Use heavy, emollient-rich moisturizers to lock in skin’s natural moisture. Ingredients to look for include shea butter, jojoba oil, sunflower seed oil, and beeswax. Herbacin Day Cream is great for keeping dry skin soft and hydrated all day long.

●   Only use very gentle skin cleansers, or make the switch to an oil cleanser.

●   Gently exfoliate weekly to improve flakiness.

●   Invest in a humidifier, especially if you live in a dry climate or heat your home during the winter.

How to Tell if You Have Dehydrated Skin

Does your skin ever feel tight and parched in the winter or after a long flight? You have dehydrated skin.

Unlike dry skin, dehydrated skin is NOT a skin type. Dehydrated skin is a temporary condition when the skin loses moisture from external or internal factors. In fact, you can have an oily skin type and still have dehydrated skin, especially if you use harsh products designed to fight acne. Even though dehydrated skin is a temporary condition, however, you can still have dehydrated skin for a long time.

Dehydrated skin can be the result of dry weather, internal dehydration, or using products with drying ingredients. One way to tell if you have dehydrated skin is to do a pinch test. Pinch the skin on the back of your hand. If it easily bounces back, your skin is adequately hydrated. If you skin doesn’t bounce back, it’s dehydrated.

Tips for Improving Dehydrated Skin

●   Use a moisturizer with humectant ingredients like hyaluronic acid or glycerin, such as Herbacin Anti-Age Serum. Humectants draw water from the air into the skin, keeping it hydrated and soft.

●   Use a gentle cleanser that doesn’t strip skin’s natural oils.

●   Use a replenishing toner that rehydrates skin after cleansing.

●   Cut back on exfoliation and potent skincare products like retinol and vitamin C serums to see if skin improves.

●   Drink plenty of water and avoid dehydrating beverages that contain alcohol and caffeine.

Do you have dry or dehydrated skin? Let us know in the comments!

How to Get Your Feet Ready for Sandal Season

It’s May, which means it’s finally sandal season! If you’re like us, you’re ready for summer, sunshine, and open-toed shoes. But are your feet ready?

While a pedicure is always fun, you can actually get your own feet ready for summer with a few simple tips and tricks. Keeping reading to find out how to get your feet in sandal shape and take advantage of sunny days ahead!

How to Prep Feet for Summer

1.   Soak

A nice, relaxing soak will soften dead skin and calluses, readying them for exfoliation. Add warm water to a large bowl or basin with a liquid soap like body wash. Soak feet for 5 minutes and rinse.

2.   Exfoliate

Once skin is nice and soft, it’s time to exfoliate! A long winter of dead skin buildup can mean unsightly calluses and cracks.

To remove this dead skin, exfoliate using a sugar scrub, pumice stone, or foot peel like Herbacin Foot Care Peeling. Pay particular attention to the soles of the feet and the heels, are these are most likely to develop unsightly calluses.

3.   Trim

Did you know that there’s a right way to trim your toenails? Always trim your toenails flat across, then file down any sharp edges. Cutting toenails in a rounded shape can result in ingrown toenails, which are incredibly painful and can lead to infection.

4.   Paint

Now your toes are ready for polish (if you want). Place toe separators in between toes, and then apply a base coat, which will help your pedicure to last longer and prevent staining. Next, apply two coats of nail polish and finish with a top coat. For a chip-free pedicure, use thin layers of polish and allow to dry completely between each layer.

5.   Moisturize

After exfoliating, replenish your skin’s moisture levels by applying a rich cream formulated specifically for the feet like Herbacin Foot Care Foot Cream. Feet tend to be more dry than other parts of your body because they lack sebaceous glands. In fact, sebaceous glands, which provide natural moisturizing oil called sebum, are found everywhere on the body except the bottoms of your feet and the palms of your hands. Hence, it’s important to frequently moisturize feet.

For extra hydration, apply lotion liberally to feet before bed and then put on socks. When you wake up in the morning, your feet will be silky soft!

How to Maintain Sandal-Ready Feet

Now that your feet are ready for sandal season, you’ll just want to follow this advice to keep your feet healthy all summer long.

Make Exfoliation a Part of Your Routine

Wearing sandals or going barefoot means that calluses are likely to form again. Preemptively fight back by exfoliating feet weekly.

Dealing with Blisters

Unfortunately, going sans socks in hot and humid weather often means blisters. As soon as you feel a blister come on, put on a bandage and change into more comfortable shoes. Keep the area clean and resist the urge to pop blisters, as this will only increase your recovery time.

Keep Your Feet Clean

Remember: you should be cleaning your feet every day, especially if you’re wearing sandals. Open-toed shoes mean more dirt and debris from the outside world land on your feet.

To keep germs out of your home, wash feet with soap and water after wearing sandals outdoors.

Are your feet ready for summer? Let us know in the comments!