In the last blog I was discussing the causes of both dry and dehydrated skin, and the differences between the two. So what is the best way to deal with this problem?

These two types of skin are insufficient of moisture in the stratum corneum. Therefore, skin moisturizing care is essential.

The easiest way is to apply oil to your skin.
By doing this, you can create a thin layer film over the skin to protect water-loss from the inside, and retain the hydration in the skin.

It is also good to take care of the skin by nourishing the skin with a serum containing a moisturizing active ingredient.

Today I ’ll talk about what kind of oil can help for keeping the skin hydrated

Well, for dry skin I would recommend a daily application of the correct creams or oils to nourish the skin and leave it protected.

When the sebum secretion is decreased, the skin becomes dry and the skin barrier function is weakened. As a result, the skin can be itchy, have rashes, and severe dry skin symptoms such as atopic eczema can be seen.
For these conditions, squalene can be one of the most beneficial components. Squalene is also part of the sebum, and has anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that help increase the skin cell metabolism. Rice bran oil and olive oil include this component so they would be recommended for dry skin.

Avocado Oil is very effective with rich in vitamin A, C, E, I’ve found, as is Macademia Nut Oil – the palmitoleic acid contained therein has excellent nourishing properties, and the oil is especially effective for counteracting the effects of aging as it replaces the depleted levels of this acid that naturally occur later in life.

For dehydrated skin you don’t, of course, want to apply anything too oily as this can just make things worse, by overloading the skin with oil. Lighter creams  are good to avoid greasiness while still keeping the skin hydrated to a sensible degree. In terms of vegetable oil, jojoba oil would be one of the best options as its compositions are very similar to the natural skin sebum so that absorbs into the skin very well. Alternatively hazel nuts oil has slight astringent property as well that would be ideal for the oily-yet-dehydrated skin. 

These conditions apply to healthy skin, of course – those who are suffering with eczema, psoriasis or other skin dysfunctions would need to be on a more robust course of skin aids. Watch out for a future blog on this very subject!

There is evidence that shows most essential oils have moisturising effects, although peppermint dries the skin out if it is diluted by more than 1%.  Especially, some essential oils that have large molecules and are less volatile stay in the skin and help to stop the loss of water in the skin. 

Moisturising essential oils due to their large molecules 

• Rose
• Rose absolute
• Sandalwood 
• Vetiver
• Patchouli
• German Chamomile

Also, essential oils that contains Falnesole can be beneficial for dry skin, as Falnesole is a biochemical precursor for Squalene, which is itself effective for treating dry skin.

Essential oils including Falnesole

• Australian sandalwood
• Parmarosa
• Rose absolute

I would suggest applying an organically-derived oil to the skin daily – companies such as Materia Aromatica and Oshadhi produce very effective products in this range.