Is there any difference between Moisturizing and Hydrating?

Yes there is. The quick and easy answer to this is: Hydrating means the act of getting water to the skin, while moisturizing is made to protect the water content already on your skin.

This is a fascinating question to talk about. I realized last week, as talking to a friend of mine, and discussing ways to keep dry skin healthy and moisturized; then I figure out that we were talking about two different concepts and we had to stop to through the difference between hydrating and moisturizing.

So this is precisely what we did. We stopped, and I started from scratch to understand some of the basic concepts of the skin:

The skin is made of cells, which are 60% made of water.

But harmoniously, the skin naturally creates a thin mantle of oil, which is the natural barrier to protect this large organ, exposed to sunlight, wind, pollution, debris, bacterias, acting as significant factors to either aging or vulnerability to some skin issues.

Oil and water, as we know, are two separate substances, which do not mix, but they can work together correctly in the skin if we understand what happens when using a product for hydration and the other to moisturize.

One of the reasons to keep the skin hydrated is to moisturize. We are sealing the water on the skin with a thin layer of rich nutrients.

How to Hydrate Skin From The Inside

This is why one of the basics for healthy skin is drinking reasonable amounts of water daily – eight to twelve (8-12) glasses.

Eating healthy, with plenty of fruits and vegetables, mixing with fatty acids (nuts, avocados, fish…) are part of the basics for glowing skin.

Let me share an example, you can have hydrated skin because you drink a lot of water, but if your skin does not produce enough oil, your skin may dehydrate, turning it dry and looking dull.

This is when the moisturizers get into the game to play.

And once again, moisturizing and hydrating are two important things to keep in mind, either you have oily skin or dry skin.

Using wrong skincare products, moisturizing but not hydrating

Remember my friend from the beginning of the post? This was when the misunderstanding started.

She has dry skin, moisturizing two times a day, but using the wrong products, leading her sad and uncomfortable and worse with dull and rough skin texture.

If we do not pay attention to details on that matter, we are wasting money unnecessarily.

What do I have to know About Moisturizers and Hydrators?

Skincare scientists are investing a lot of time studying balanced formulas to keep the skin hydrated and moisturized.

A big challenge for everyone, mainly because the variables seem to be endless, as it depends on the nature of the skin and also the environment we live in whether it is humid, dry.

One of the big sensations of the market nowadays, for hydrating are the formulations with Hyaluronic Acid or (HA).

Scientists discovered the formula, after studying the skin finding that the skin produces (HA) naturally.

Other star products good to keep the skin hydrated are Alpha Hydroxy Acids, (AHA), urea and propylene glycol.

Products with Alpha Hydroxy Acids, Propylene Glycol, Hyaluronic Acid, Urea are ingredients are able to plump your skin because it boosts water into the skin cells.

Mature Skin or Sensitive Skin And Hydrators

The best hydrators for mature or sensitive are humectants containing marine extracts, seaweed, and algae as they contain natural actives to hydrate and nourish the skin with the highest technology available.

Now it’s time to talk about the Moisturizers.

While talking to my friend about the differences between moisturizing and hydrating.

I told her we have to hydrate first to boost water into the skin, then moisturize, so we seal the surface, keeping the water longer in the skin, so the skin can glow, plump, looking fabulous, young and healthy.

The moisturizing step is the one that we need to look for the ones containing natural essential oils, fruit extracts combined with cutting-edge actives and natural ingredients.

Also containing a safe concentration of antioxidants, delivering nutrients and shielding the skin from the external factors, such as UV Rays, pollution, debris and so on.

Cleansing also plays a vital role before Hydrating and Moisturizing.

We can’t leave behind the step that sparks the whole process of taking care of the skin.  Cleansing.

There is no chance for any skincare routine to start without it. First, it is the base, we have to have a clean, unclogged, “open” skin free from impurities, then we will be dealing with water, the core of hydration and after that, using good humectants, able to nourish, treat our face and of course hydrating the skin as it is supposed to happen. 

What About Sunscreen in the Skincare Routine?

While many dermatologists have different opinions on what goes first and what goes last, one thing is sure.

Everybody agrees 100% that sunscreen minimum of 30 SPF is as essential as drinking water – eight to twelve (8-12) glasses a day.

Things we all should know about sunscreen in a skincare routine is the fact that there are Chemical Base Sunscreen and Mineral Base Sunscreen. Which one is better? Depends on how your skin feels best.

While Chemical Based sunscreen, when spread on the skin, creates a barrier as the moisturizers do, the Mineral Based ones create kind of a physical shield reflecting the UV Rays away.

That’s the reason why you have a group of doctors who defend the chemical base sunscreen to go first as the need to be absorbed by the skin.

On the other hand the physical based sunscreen; they go later, so they do not interfere on the action of the moisturizer.

So while the discussion seems never to end, there is another group that says that we should apply the sunscreen first, let the skin absorbs it, treat, hydrate and moisturize.

Then use the physical based sunscreen! There is always room for the diplomatic way of running things! ;-)

And you? What is your opinion about that?