These days, skincare is all about maintaining a dewy, radiant complexion. Dry skin can be irritating and uncomfortable, and may even contribute to visible signs of aging.
So, what can you do to keep your skin properly hydrated? We’re walking you through some of the most important steps to take.
Why Is Skin Hydration Important?
Skin hydration is at the core of maintaining a healthy complexion. Proper hydration helps keep your skin glowing and healthy — but more importantly, it keeps your skin barrier functioning as it should.
Your skin barrier is your outermost layer of skin, and it works as a protective shield against water loss, helps regulate temperature, and defends you from external threats and irritants (like UV radiation and pollution). Your skin barrier also plays a key role in maintaining skin elasticity, which keeps your complexion looking and feeling youthful.
A compromised skin barrier can’t perform these roles and may lead to side effects like redness, irritation, and sensitivity.
When you prioritize your skin’s moisture levels, you can support proper skin barrier function and a radiant complexion.
How To Keep Your Skin Hydrated
Now that we’ve talked about why hydrated skin is so important, let’s dive into some of the best ways to maintain proper moisture levels.
Choose the Right Skincare Ingredients
Ultimately, the key to having hydrated skin is maintaining an effective skincare routine. Washing your skin daily and using the right products to cleanse, exfoliate, and moisturize supports your skin's elasticity, removes grime and dead skin cells that contribute to dryness, and locks in moisture.
When it comes to the best active ingredients to look for, keep these on your list:
Hyaluronic Acid
This ingredient is a skincare must-have, for good reason. Great at retaining moisture, you’ll mostly find hyaluronic acid in serums targeting hydration, like our Stem Cellular Supergrape Youth Renew Serum With Hyaluronic Acid.
Our formula has up to 144% higher antioxidant levels than leading serums, and 100% of participants in our trial reported a more youthful skin appearance.
Ceramides
Ceramides are lipids that occur naturally in the skin’s outer layer, but they’re also a popular skincare ingredient. Ceramides are typically found in moisturizers and lotions, like our Stem Cellular Anti-Wrinkle Ceramide Overnight Cream.
Ceramides are excellent for hydration as they help lock in moisture and rebuild and repair the skin’s barrier. After five weeks, 91% of participants in our trial reported an improvement in overnight skin moisturizing replenishment.
Glycerin
Similar to hyaluronic acid, glycerin is a common skincare ingredient that’s great for targeting hydration. Glycerin works as a humectant, helping to draw in moisture from the atmosphere and transfer it to the skin.
Plant Stem Cells
A newer, but organic and effective form of skincare, plant stem cells are increasingly being used in skincare to help promote hydration. Coming from mainly green apples and berries, these stem cells help trigger skin regeneration.
At Juice Beauty, stem cells are the foundation of our skincare products in the form of a superjuice base. Our exclusive Bio70+ technology forms an antioxidant-rich foundation in each of our products, allowing us to unlock the full potential of our potent active ingredients.
Opt for a Gentle Cleanser
Always start your skincare routine by washing your face with a reliable cleanser. Cleansers remove all the excess grime, makeup, and other buildup from throughout the day, providing a clean, fresh surface.
We recommend the Stem Cellular 2-In-1 Cleanser to kick off your skincare routine. Using a blend of fruit stem cells and antioxidants like vitamin C, this cleanser is gentle and conditioning, ensuring that all makeup and grime comes off completely and revealing a more hydrated face.
Be Mindful With Exfoliation
Exfoliating is a crucial step in a skincare routine, as it helps further remove any dead skin cells from the outer skin layer, helping to support collagen production so that fresh skin cells can be produced.
That said, it’s important to exfoliate mindfully. Over exfoliation can result in skin irritation and dryness — aim to exfoliate two to three times a week.
Our Green Apple Peel Full Strength Exfoliating Mask features fruit stem cells as well as glycerin, two ingredients that can help support skin hydration. In independent focus groups, 88% of participants saw definitive to significant enhanced skin tone and texture with the Green Apple Peel treatment immediately.
Use a Hydrating Moisturizer
Moisturizer works to lock in the hydration from the previous steps as well as make your complexion feel smooth and soft to the touch. Since moisturizing can be done both day and night, we recommend the Stem Cellular Day & Night Duo. After six weeks, 100% of participants showed a cutometer instrument-measured increase in skin hydration with an overall increase of 27%.
Filled with nourishing, hydrating ingredients like plant stem cells, antioxidants, and glycerin, this duo can help your skin look and feel refreshed.
Apply Sunscreen
The last, and arguably most crucial step in your skincare routine is to apply sunscreen with at least SPF 30. A protective sun lotion helps protect you from strong UV rays that can burn your skin and create lasting damage. Sun damage can both age your skin and dry it out, and the best way to avoid that kind of damage is by using sunscreen daily.
Drink Water
Maintaining your skincare routine is crucial to hydrating your skin properly, but maintaining a healthy lifestyle outside of skincare matters too.
Skincare products play a huge role in providing hydration to your skin… but don’t forget to drink water, too. It’s recommended that adults drink between 11.5 and 15.5 cups of water a day to stay properly hydrated.
Drinking the recommended daily amount of water will make you feel fuller and healthier overall, but will also provide much-needed moisture to your skin and complexion, since it keeps your body refreshed and helps with skin elasticity.
In short, be sure to drink plenty of water each day. Doing so will keep your body and your skin hydrated and refreshed.
Use a Humidifier
Humidifiers are great for your overall health and wellness, as well as keeping your skin hydrated.
For starters, a stuffy room can trigger allergies and even cause colds, so regular use of a humidifier can help alleviate those symptoms since it hydrates your airways, clearing your congestion. It can also help mental health, since it creates a calmer, relaxed environment.
In terms of skin hydration, humidifiers are hugely helpful. They increase the moisture in the air, which your skin then takes in and uses to soothe and calm the complexion.
Ultimately, it is another outlet for your skin to get some added natural moisture. Dry environments can create dry skin, whereas a moist room helps promote skin hydration.
Avoid Piping Hot Showers
While a hot shower may feel great, hot water can actually dry out your skin by stripping too many natural oils and damaging your skin’s moisture barrier. If you experience skin concerns like your face feeling tight and uncomfortable after a steamy shower, it’s probably a sign that your water temperature is too high.
Aim for warm, not hot, showers, and follow the same rule for the water temperature when you wash your face.
Pay Attention to Your Skin Needs
Everyone’s skin is a bit different, so be sure to target your specific skin needs. There are different skin types to factor in, from oily skin to dry skin — and what works for someone with oily skin might not work the same for someone with dry skin.
Be mindful if you have any diagnosed conditions as well. For example, if you’re dealing with eczema, contact your dermatologist before you explore new skincare products.
That said, even with varying skin types and moisture levels, maintaining a skincare routine that works for you and keeping up a healthy lifestyle are two great ways to improve skin hydration.
Keep Your Complexion Happy
Hydrated skin is happy skin. Maintaining a reliable skincare regimen and a healthy lifestyle are surefire ways to help keep your skin moist, radiant, and youthful for years to come. Follow our recommended steps and properly hydrate your skin in no time.
Sources:
Plant stem cells in cosmetics: current trends and future directions | PMC