Why Hydration Is Essential For Acne Skin

A new year and a fresh new start. While that may be the case for most of you (hopefully), it may not be for your skin. This time of year, as parts of the country experience extreme cold, the skin can feel less than fresh. In fact, it may feel downright painful.

How do you keep the skin hydrated, particularly if you battle acne, when the temperatures drop? What kinds of hydration work best for acne-prone skin? Wait…do hydration and acne even go together?

HYDRATION AND ACNE

It’s a common misnomer that we must completely dry our skin out and eliminate any sign of oil when trying to beat acne. The truth is, however, when you eliminate too much oil, the oil glands kick into high gear to compensate, actually producing more than typical. This then clogs the pores, repeating the vicious cycle.

The trick is to find the right balance. And you do that with the right mix of care and ingredients.

FINDING BALANCE

It may seem counteractive, but you always want to thoroughly cleanse the skin. The goal is to remove the build up to allow hydrating and other beneficial ingredients to penetrate the skin rather than just sit on the surface.

Here’s an easy-to-follow regimen:

1. Cleanse with a lactic and salicylic acid-based cleanser that also contains a hydrating ingredient like blue agave extract to keep acne-prone skin clear without stripping away the natural oils.
2. Tone with skin-strengthening toner to keep skin nourished and hydrated. Look for one with green tea to eliminate bacteria and sodium hyaluronate (L), which is one of the best sources for hydration.
3. Scrub a couple days per week use a granular scrub to get rid of dead skin and provide a deeper cleanse.
4. Hydrate each day, apply a non-greasy antioxidant and moisturizing formula to fight free radicals and hydrate. Look for ingredients like D₂O, soybean protein, grape seed extract, D-boldine, and L-glutathione and superoxide dismutase (powerful antioxidants).
5. Protect daily with a good physical block like zinc.

A few other ingredients to look for include wild yam root extract and aloe leaf – two great sources of hydration. Avoid overly hot water in the shower and when cleansing the face, and overexposure to the sun.

Here’s to healthy, hydrated skin in 2015!

For more see Blue Agave Cleanser, Buffed, Stone Power and EnviroProtect.