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Dehydrated Skin

Just like offsetting your carbon footprint, when you know the signs of this universal issue, you can balance it with our dehydrated skin products

Woman applying The Body Shop Almond Milk and Honey Body Butter

What causes dehydrated skin?

You might be clued up on your skincare dos and don’ts, but factors outside of your control can play havoc with skin’s moisture levels. Environment plays a huge part. Ironically. While we’re championing sustainability and fighting for the planet, sometimes the climate works against us. Case in point – harsh weather, a culprit in dehydrating skin, worsened still by artificial heat indoors. Diet has a lot to answer for, too. If you aren’t getting enough H20, you could be seriously lacking in hydration. Not to mention, caffeine and alcohol strip the skin of moisture, reducing your natural glow.

Woman applying face lotion

What is the difference between dry and dehydrated skin?

Dehydration can affect anyone – whether you have dry, combination or oily skin. Yep, even oily. In a nutshell, if your skin doesn’t produce enough natural oils (known as sebum) you’ve got dry skin. If it produces too much, you’re an oily skin type. Dehydrated skin, on the other hand, is thirsty for water.

But watch out – dehydration can be confused with oily skin, as sebum production sometimes kicks up a gear to counteract parched skin. Moisture-stripping products, mostly used by blemished or oily skin types, can in fact be the cause of this catch-22. Not ideal. If you suspect this is you, check for extra tightness after using products, as this will indicate dehydration. Other telltale signs to look for are dullness, under-eye shadows, and less elasticity. Fine lines and wrinkles may appear magnified, and you might have itchy or flaky areas.

Dehydrated or dry?

Diagnose your skin type

How to care for dehydrated skin?

We all need a bit of TLC sometimes, even our skin. Looking after your skin is as much a part of successful adulting as scheduling gym time or paying your bills on time. Carry a reusable water bottle to remind yourself to drink at least two litres of H20 a day. Top up that number if you’ve worked out or are partial to coffee and alcohol, and be mindful of balancing your diet beyond liquids – plenty of fruit and veg will do the trick. That’s the inside taken care of. For the outside, look for products with hyaluronic acid (FYI, that’s a skin-hydrating saviour we’re all born with, rather than a chemistry lesson acid) and make sure to moisturise as part of your daily routine.

Quick science lesson: hyaluronic acid is your friend. Essentially, it’s a moisture-magnet, locking water in our skin cells. Though it’s a natural part of our bodies from birth, thanks to drying environmental factors and the ageing process we can always use a top-up. Hyaluronic acid is found in natural sources, notably wheat. No surprise, then, that we’ve used it in our formula for our Vitamin E moisturisers, alongside raspberry seed oil.

Our Best Skincare Routine For Dehydrated Skin

The Body Shop Vitamin E Gentle Face Wash

1. Start with our best cleanser for dehydrated skin

If your body isn’t quite a temple, your skin is where issues can show up. Call it push and pull, yin and yang, or the balance of the elements – we humans need water, not to mention the right diet and climate, to sustain healthy, supple skin. So, starting your skincare routine with a gentle face wash is the best first step. Enter our Vitamin E Gentle Facial Wash. It’s enriched with vitamin E in a winning non-drying formula and is suitable for all skin types. It has a soft touch and leaves skin feeling clean and refreshed, letting you get on with the important business of being you.

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The Body Shop Vitamin E products

2. Follow up with our best moisturiser for dehydrated skin

Dehydration can happen to anyone, which is why we made our suits-all Vitamin E Moisture Cream. But if you want something more targeted, look to our Vitamin E Intense Moisture Cream for dry skin, or our Vitamin E Moisture Gel Cream for combination skin. Each contains hyaluronic acid for daily hydration and works with your skin type to create plumped and healthy-looking skin, helping to give your face hydration for up to 72 hours.

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Make-up brush loaded with face mask

3. Treat your skin to our best face masks for dehydrated skin

Regular face masks may sound indulgent, but we don’t believe in ‘saving for best’ when you can live your best life right now. Not to mention, face masks are the missing piece of the puzzle in your dehydrated skincare routine, the bit that moves the needle the furthest. Our Hemp Overnight Nourishing Rescue Mask and British Rose Fresh Plumping Mask are our best face masks for dehydrated skin. The first suits dry skin, working hardest overnight. Skin feels hydrated thanks to this face mask, which is enriched with a combo of hemp seed oil and Community Fair Trade aloe vera. The latter mask, with its refreshing gel feel, helps to replump skin and is infused with rosehip oil, British rose extract and aloe vera. Hello, hydration.

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The Body Shop Oils of Life Revitalising Sleeping Cream

4. Finish with our best night creams for dehydrated skin

Taking care of your skin before bed is a no-brainer. Just as you brush, floss, and remove makeup, applying a night cream is a key part of an after-dark routine. If you’re into productivity and optimising your time, consider this: an eight-hour stretch for dehydrated skin products to get to work, uninterrupted by the elements. That’s winning. To increase the effects even further, apply our Vitamin E Night Cream or Oils Of LifeTM Sleeping Cream before bed. The result? Skin feels refreshed and renewed with nourishing moisture.

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From cheeks to lips, this is the best makeup for dehydrated skin

Make up on counter

Prep dehydrated skin with our primers

While we all love cake, caked-on makeup is not the one. To prepare a dehydrated face for make-p and ensure it glides on just right, hydration is key. That’s why we created the perfect base layer in the form of our Instaglow CC Cream. This hard-working salve ticks a lot of boxes – illuminating, minimising the appearance of pores, reducing shine, and moisturising for 24 hours. In short, you’re primed and ready for foundation.

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Lip moisturiser on counter

A base layer for dehydrated lips

It’s no surprise that your kisser might become dehydrated when you think about it. The top, protective layer of the epidermis on our lips is thinner than the rest of our skin. Our lips also don’t have sebaceous glands, where those all-important natural oils come from, keeping the rest of your face moisturised. To help protect this delicate area, a regular swipe of Vitamin E Lip Care SPF15 across the lips is just the ticket.

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Man Applying foundation

The go-to foundation for dehydrated skin

Our Fresh Nude Foundation is the perfect match for dehydrated skin thanks to its hydrating formula, enriched with English rose water and Community Fair Trade aloe vera. Looking for 24-hour moisturisation without the full-faced coverage? Our Fresh Nude BB Cream gives the same moisture-hit with a lighter, more subtle touch. It’s transfer and sweat resistant, and also infused with Community Fair Trade aloe vera like our foundation, making it a day-to-day staple.

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Travel kit

On the go? Keep the hydration going wherever your travels take you

We get it, you’ve got places to be. But that doesn’t mean you have to leave your favourite dehydrated skin products behind. Simply pop these airport-friendly sizes into your hand luggage. Frequent flyers get instant relief from dehydrating on-flight air conditioning with our Coco Calming Face Mist. A refreshing spritz can be used whenever you need. Looking for packs-a-punch moisturisation over a weekend away? Look to our mini version of Coconut Nourishing Body Butter, an iconic product with seriously softening properties. And lips are soothed with our iconic Hemp Heavy Duty Lip Care. Perfect for dry lips, it helps protect against the drying effects of the elements. Bon voyage.

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Your dehydrated body care regime

Now that you’ve read all about how to take care of dehydrated skin on your face, follow three quick steps to take care of your body too.

Woman applying exfoliating cream whilst in the bath

Scrub-happy

Exfoliation scrubs away all manner of sins, leaving the skin – and, we think, soul – feeling healthier. Use the Almond Milk & Honey Body Scrub for a gentle polish and moisture-hit to dehydrated skin.

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The Body Shop Almond Milk & Honey Shower Cream

Wellness wash

The ultimate softie in a bottle, our gentle Almond Milk & Honey Shower Cream leaves skin feeling hydrated. Formulated to be kind to even dehydrated skin, it’s a daily wellness ritual we know you can get behind.

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Many scooping body yogurt from pot

Hydration hero

A water-based moisturiser is the simplest way to balance out dehydrated skin and our fast-absorbing Body Yogurts are designed for just this. Build up the soothing scent from steps 1 and 2 with our Almond Milk Body Yogurt.

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