Keep your hydration levels in check

You need a hydrating product even if you have oily skin

and other ways to stave off dull, dry skin

Did you know that your skin can be moisturized but not properly hydrated? Hydration and moisturization are actually two different things. When you hydrate your skin, you ensure that your skin cells retain more water, resulting in healthier- and younger-looking skin. When you moisturize, you apply a protective layer on your skin that ensures that the moisture in your cells is not lost.

Dullness and tightness are telltale signs of dehydrated skin. When your skin is rough, dry or flaky—or all of the above, you need a moisturizer to retain your skin’s lipid barrier. The result is healthy skin that is soft and smooth.

If you only use a moisturizer, it may help ease your dry skin, but it does not address the cause of the problem and, chances are, you will need to reapply throughout the day. To make your skin truly healthy, you need to apply a hydrating lotion to plump up your cells.

Hydrators and moisturizers should be used in tandem for you to have healthy, hydrated, smooth and supple skin. Humectant ingredients in hydrators, like glycerin, can attract water from the surroundings by absorbing them, then binding them to the skin.

Sure, by drinking water, you keep yourself hydrated. But topical hydration registers more immediate results: younger-looking skin and well-functioning skin cells.

For your daily skin routine, first, apply a hydrating lotion like Cetaphil DailyAdvance Ultra Hydrating Lotion that is clinically proven to hydrate dry skin for 24 hours. It also contains Epidermal Replenishing Complex (ERC5), a unique combination of 5 ingredients, that helps maintain healthy skin. Then, you can follow on with a moisturizer like Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion. They are non-greasy, non-comedogenic and fragrance free.

If you have oily skin, you still need a hydrator, though you may need to apply moisturizer less often.

Here are a few more tips:

•           Use fragrance free, non-comedogenic products that will hydrate and moisturize your skin, but neither irritate nor clog your pores.

•           Exfoliate before you hydrate and moisturize. This way, you remove the dead skin cells that may hamper your skin’s absorption.

•           As much as possible, do not take hot showers or baths, because the heat reduces your skin’s moisture and protective oils.

•           When the weather feels like it’s drying out your skin, have a water spritzer handy to keep your skin moist.

Cetaphil DailyAdvance Ultra Hydrating Lotion and Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion are available in drugstores, department stores and supermarkets nationwide. Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion also now comes in a new 118ml size with an SRP of Php 300.