My Dehydrated Skin Care Kit

I have oily skin which is due to genetics (apparently) and the fact that it is entirely normal to have oily skin.
At times I have more of a combination skin type - odd mostly towards the end of Summer or if I have an allergic reaction to a product and/or fall ill. I often end up with little dehydrated patches of skin on my forehead and bizarrely my mouth - I blame brushing my teeth...no I really do. Anyway if you have dehydrated skin I do have a few products you may find helpful.

Firstly make a promise to yourself  that you are going to try and up your water intake if you are guilty of slacking and opting for more appealing beverages. Lecture out of the way and on to cleansing, generally speaking I avoid foaming cleansers as on the whole they tend to strip my skin of moisture especially when my skin is already dried out. Instead I plump for a either a gel or balm cleanser, a cleansing oil is also a great option. My two personal favourites at the moment are The Body Shop Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter (the cleansing oil within this range is also rather wonderful find them here - link) and Clarins Pure Melt Cleansing Gel (find it here - link). Both are exceptionally gentle, nourishing and remove all traces of make-up, dirt and daily grime with next to no effort and are not drying in the slightest.

One of the biggest myths is that oily/dehydrated skin can not use skin oils, oddly it is quite the opposite. Skin oils tend to moisturise dehydrated skin on a deeper level and can break the only too familiar cycle of dehydrate skin producing excess oil to combat dryness (this really is in laymen terms). I won't for one moment lie and say that I don't utterly adore Clarins Blue Orchid Face Treatment Oil (find it here - link) but at £32 I fully appreciate that this won't be the best option for all. If that is the case or you simply want to ease into facial oils head to Boots and pick up their Botanics Facial Oil (find it here - link). It is only £5 and contains a great concoction of rose hip oil and sweet almond oil to gently nourish and more importantly hydrate dried out skin.It is lightweight, non-greasy, quickly absorbed and really does make all the difference (less excess oil in the long run).

As much as I adore a good deep cleansing and often clay based face mask when my skin is dehydrated I do seek out moisture masks. The problem is most are aimed at dry skin rather than dehydrated complexions which can more often than not overwhelm my skin and result in a nasty breakout. If that sounds familiar then you too may want to try out Bioderma Masque Hydratant Moisturising Mask (find it here - link) . A thick yet light cream based mask that is both cooling and hydrating in one quick step, the idea is that this face mask is an intense moisturiser. You apply, leave on the skin for five minutes then tissue off the excess (you can also sleep in it should you wish) by doing so your skin is fed for lack of a better term on a deeper cellular level - dry areas nourished and non-parched parts of the face re-balanced, refreshed, less oily and tightness gone. It is pretty clever but I will state that it is heavily scented so sensitive skin types really should patch test before slapping all over the face.

I apologise in advance as Indeed Labs Hydraluron (find it here - link) is not the cheapest product out there but it really does make a world of difference. Basically this is a light gel come jelly substance that you apply to freshly cleansed skin then layer your moisturiser over be it morning, night or both. There is lots of science involved which I will talk about in a later post but essentially Hydraluron helps your skin retain moisture and in turn you get more from your moisturising cream. It is one of the few products that I truly have seen instant results from, even when my skin isn't playing up and its oily best I still slick this on at night. If your budget doesn't stretch that far any facial serum that works for you is a great alternative. As you can see from my nearly completed tube of La Roche-Posay Effaclar H Compensating Soothing Moisturiser this is my weapon of choice against dehydrated skin. Essentially this is an intense yet gentle moisturiser that was created for overwhelmed and dried out skin. It soothes, calms, hydrates and oddly rids my skin of redness. Forget dehydrated skin types for a moment and do yourself a favour and pick up a tube of this, it is a suit all product that rebalances and helps repair troubled skin which we will all experience at some point. You can find it here - link.

Make-up? Really? Yes I have to adjust the formulations in which I wear when my skin is dehydrated, some foundations end up drying my skin out further and can leave my skin looking an oily mess. One of my go to foundations is Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation (find it here - link) as it is light, moisturising, doesn't cling to dry patches nor does it slide off any oily areas especially when primed and set. Speaking of primer I am a huge, huge fan of Max Factor Facefinity Primer (find it here - link), it really is like glue, anything applied on top will not budge. It doesn't deplete my skin of moisture, it contains an SPF and is one of the few primers that I can use all year round. Another great all round base product has to be Maybelline Superstay Better Skin Concealer (find it here - link), it covers all you need it to, can be used on the under eye area and as expected is non-drying. It doesn't cling to any rough areas of the face, all skin types can easily use this. In fact I recommend it over any other high street concealer.

I fully realise I am no skin care expert but I hope anyone with a similar skin type (even if it is only occasionally) can find a recommendation or two from the above products.

This post contains both press samples and products that I have purchased.