Hands up if you’ve been victimised by your own skin? As expected, a sea of hands. While some skin concerns come and go within a day or two, others seem to linger around surrounded by a cloud of confusion. The particular concern we’re looking to clarify today is hydration.
Aussies are known for their love of the outdoors, but our harsh climate can take a toll, it makes itself known via our skin. In a recent study conducted by Neutrogena, 70 per cent of Aussies occasionally experience dehydrated skin. But why are we collectively not across keeping our skin nourished?
We suspect it could be to do with the widely accepted myths surrounding hydration, so, to help protect and hydrate our skin we’re breaking down a few of the most common hydration myths.
Hydration myths busted:
Myth: Environmental factors don’t impact your skin
Fun fact, just about everything you do can have a major impact on your skin.
The Neutrogena study found that 58 per cent of people experiencing skin dehydration reported dryness occurring after spending time in harsh weather conditions. But not only does the freezing wind affect your skin, so does the intense and ultimately, dry air conditioning we’re used to sitting in. Heck, even working out can dry out your skin. Yep, your sweat can be doing you dirty by drying out and disrupting your skin barrier.
Myth: Only thick moisturisers actually hydrate your skin
We get it, a rich, thick cream feels like it does the most for your skin. But it turns out, that’s not really the case because lightweight, water gel formulas are designed with the exact same hydrating properties, without that heavy feeling. The Neutrogena HydroBoost Hyaluronic Acid Water Gel ($37.99 at Priceline) is a prime example of the weightless hydrating benefits.
Myth: Dehydrated and dry skin are the same thing
Using the words ‘dehydrated’ and ‘dry’ interchangeably seems to make sense, right? Wrong. Where dehydrated skin lacks water, dry skin lacks oils. While not every skincare ingredient will be able to restore your skin back to balance, hyaluronic acid is one of the few that works to support both dry and dehydrated skin.
Myth: Oily skin doesn’t need moisturiser
If you’ve got oily skin and you’re missing the moisturising step, we’ve got some news for you. Oily skin still needs to be moisturised. Why? Because if it’s left to its own devices, it’ll just keep on overproducing oils to make up for the missing hydration. We suggest a lightweight moisturiser such as the Neutrogena HydroBoost Hyaluronic Acid Water Gel ($37.99 at Priceline) to keep your skin supported and hydrated.
Myth: Drinking water will give your skin enough hydration
Yes, 100 per cent you need to be drinking your daily two litres of water, but unfortunately water consumption doesn’t quite do enough to keep your skin hydrated. It helps for sure, but it needs to be supplemented with topical hydration. Ingredients such as hyaluronic acid work to boost your natural hydration levels.
Myth: Hot showers hydrate your skin
There’s nothing better than a piping hot shower on a cold evening, but when washing away the day in the steamy heat you’re sacrificing your skin barrier. Hot showers strip your skin of their natural oils leaving them feeling tight and dry.
Myth: You only need to moisturise in winter
While we highly encourage upping your moisturising during the cooler months — lord knows our skin needs it — your moisturising routine shouldn’t stop as soon as the weather warms up. Year-round support is a must, especially in the harsh, dry Aussie climate.
Myth: Your skin barrier is best left alone
It’s easy to think that if your skin barrier has been compromised, you should just leave it alone. And while that’s partly true, you still need to make sure you’re supporting it throughout its healing journey. Opting for a hydrating, protective water cream can do wonders to help your skin on its journey. But a nourishing moisturiser isn’t the only barrier-supporting skincare product you can rely on. The trusty active niacinamide is known for its ability to strengthen your skin barrier and boost moisture retention. The Neutrogena® Hydroboost Niacinamide Serum ($44.99 at Priceline) works overtime for your skin with its dual-action hyaluronic acid and niacinamide formula.
And now that we’ve busted a few hydration myths, we’re expecting everyone to make skin-supporting, moisture-boosting changes to achieve juicy, hydrated skin.
Neutrogena® strives to address skincare concerns with dermatologically tested products. As a leader in skincare, we are focused on driving everyday skin health.
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