Are you dry, dehydrated or BOTH?

Many people experience "dryness" in the winter. Most often, this is not dryness, but dehydration, usually caused by indoor heat, wind and general low humidity.

True dryness is caused by the lack of oil or sebum, produced by the sebaceous glands. This is a skin type and usually is a life long problem, although it can worsen with age. Dehydration, on the other hand, is a skin condition. Usually temporary and easily treated. Even oily, scene prone skin can be dehydrated.
Many people are both dry and dehydrated. It's important to treat the dehydration first to truly assess the level of dryness.

Dehydration is successfully treated with the proper hydration's, occlusive seems and by adding water to the environment. A humidifier in your bedroom is a big help.

Look for hydrators that contain glycerin, hylauronic acid and sodium PCA.

If you are truly dry, you need to incorporate natural, organic oils into your skin care routine. Some effective oils to consider are jojoba oil, which most closely mimics the constitution of our natural sebum. Other effective oils are argan oil, rose hips oil, hemp seed oil and sea buckthorn oil. Add these to your hydration or serums. Just a couple of drops will suffice.

Most conventional moisturizers are either hydrators or oil based moisturizers.

If you are dehydrated, you,need a hydrator. If you are dry, you need an oil based moisturizer.
A hot ingredient now is hylauronic acid. Some creams tout their product as containing five different types of this "miracle" ingredient. In truth, there is little difference in these types, as the molecular weight has little to do with effectiveness, just the texture of the cream. Some hylauronic acid creams will irritate sensitive skin types. The much touted quality of absorbing 1,000 times its weight in water can be a problem, as the molecules of hylauronic acid will " steal" water from the surrounding tissues, exacerbating the problem.

Sometimes a tried and true less expensive ingredient like glycerin is a better choice.

In summary, rely on your esthetician to properly diagnose your skin type and condition. Follow her guidelines, and your skin will look it's best.