Skin Hydration

Skin hydration is one of our primary goals in a careful skin regimen to guard against premature aging and wrinkles. It is a vital part of a skin care routine if we want to have a healthy glowing skin. Moisture enable skin tissue to self-recover better.
Some of the causes of skin dehydration are:
1) Harsh environmental factors – sun and wind
2) An unbalanced diet lacking in fruits and vegetables
3) Use of harsh cleansers on the skin
Our body loses 2 to 3 liters of water every day just from breathing, sweating and urinating and if we are doing other heavy activities we can lose up to 2 liters in one hour.

3 steps in keeping our skin hydrated:
1) We need to begin with including fresh fruits and green leafy vegetables in our diet. Not only will these hydrate our skin, but will also have the added advantage of keeping it healthy by nourishing it with plenty of vitamins and minerals. The antioxidants from fresh fruits and vegetables are known to prevent the oxidization that breaks down and ages the skin. In addition, the fluid content in fruits and vegetables is high, so this will provide your body with added moisture. Drinking more water (8 glasses per day) will also help in keeping the skin hydrated. Water helps the kidneys to filter toxins from our body too.

2) Apply a good sunscreen when going outdoors to protect our skin from harmful elements.

3) Use products that have been specifically designed for hydrating the skin. Using a good quality skin moisturizer is a critically important, because we will need to seal the moisture into our skin so it doesn’t just evaporate into the dry air. Some natural ingredients that support skin hydration include avocado oil, macadamia oil, and honey. A good, natural hydrating product can play an important role in keeping our skin in shape. The key is to avoid products containing harsh chemicals like mineral oil or parabens, which only harm the skin in the long run. And finally our very basic daily skin care routine should consist of cleaning, toning and moisturizing.

TIPS:
1) Limit hot baths and showers, because harsh temperatures are drying to the skin.
2) As soon as we cleanse our skin, apply our skincare products within 10 minutes to asborb all the nutrients from the product and to seal in moisture while our pores are still open.