What Does Hydration Mean for Your Skincare?

When our skin is flaky, tight, or itchy, we know something has dried it out. A few days of dryness will happen to everyone—a day in the sun here, a windy winter day there—but when our skin is dry frequently or constantly, that can become a bigger problem.

Hydration is critical for good skin care: keeping your skin hydrated has both health and anti-aging benefits. Dry and dehydrated skin are slightly different problems with different solutions, so we’ve broken them both down for you:

Dry Skin

Dry skin is different from dehydrated skin in that it is caused by exposure to outside factors - water, soaps, heat, wind, cold, and so on. Almost everyone will experience dry skin at some point in their lives. But if we’re not careful, occasional dry skin can turn into chronic dry skin or eczema.

When we start to experience chronic dryness, that becomes a skin condition that we can only treat, not “cure.” This type of dryness is caused by a breakdown in fatty acids and lipids in the skin.

That’s why ceramide treatments are perfect for dry skin: ceramides are a group of lipids found in the skin’s cells. Adding them to your skincare routine can restore some of your skin’s natural lipid levels and fend off that dryness.

Do you find your skin is dry more than half the time? If so, Mint & Needle’s B3 Hydrate and Intense Hydrating Cream were made just for you. And if you’re looking for further treatment, book an appointment so we can help treat or prevent chronic dryness.

Dehydrated Skin

Dehydrated skin is caused by water loss, so its solutions are related to pulling water back into the skin. Let’s talk about our options for doing just that:

Water

Those big refillable water bottles might be a health cliche, but they do help people remember to keep drinking throughout the day. It’s generally recommended that everyone drinks about 8 glasses of water (64 oz) per day. Some say it would be even better for adult women to drink about 9 glasses (72 oz) and adult men to drink about 12.5 glasses (100 oz).

This can of course fluctuate depending on how hot your environment is and how much you’re exercising - two big variables that affect hydration. So listen to your body—and skin—to tell you how much is right for you.

Hyaluronic Acid

Hyaluronic acid is a polymer: a molecule that has a chain-like shape, which makes it easy for other molecules to attach. A ¼ teaspoon of hyaluronic acid can hold 1½ gallons of water.

The body creates hyaluronic acid to keep things hydrated and flexible: it smooths connections between joints and bones, prevents our eyes from drying out, and keeps the skin stretchable. So when used in a skin cream or serum, it pulls water back into the skin.

Hyaluronic acid increases skin hydration and flexibility while decreasing visibility of wrinkles and lines. AND, there’s a bonus benefit: because hyaluronic acid pulls liquids into the skin, it can serve as a booster to the skincare products you’re already using! Any water-soluble products can transfer more active ingredients to your skin if you are using them in combination with hyaluronic acid.

Feeling excited to give it a try? You’re in luck, Minted Beauty: we’ve got four different options for you.

The Mint & Needle HA Hydrator and Youth Serum both contain hyaluronic acid and work perfectly as a pair. For daytime application and sun protection, check out Hydrating UV Defense. And for maximum hydration combined with anti-aging treatment, try Vitamin CE with Ferulic Acid. (Pssst: our Founder Brandi uses all four on the daily!)