Do You Know The Difference Between Oily & Dehydrated Skin?

By Kirsti Shuba

As a qualified beauty therapist and skincare expert with over 30 years’ experience, my clients often ask for advice regarding controlling the ‘shine’ that they see on their skin throughout the day.

These people will often describe and treat their skin as being oily when in fact it is simply dehydrated.

Before you read on let’s clear a couple of things up – when I say dehydrated skin, I mean skin that is water parched. Dehydrated skin is a condition that affects your skin because of your lifestyle, the environment you live in and the climate. Your ‘skin type’ is something different. This is defined by your genetic makeup where skin often leans towards being either dry or oily. Thus, dehydrated skin is different to dry skin which is lacking in oil (don’t fear - I will cover dry skin in another blog!)

Knowing The Difference

Your Hydrolipidic film is the barrier that protects your skin from the outside world. When this becomes damaged your skin’s natural moisture (water) reserves escape, leaving your skin looking and feeling parched. Therefore, when your skin is dehydrated it is likely that you will have open pores which are grey at the base. Often these are wrongly mistaken for blackheads. In addition, dehydrated skin may result in a lack of radiance in the skin or the development of fine lines (lines of dehydration). You may also experience congestion and spots on your chin, jaw line and cheeks, caused by dehydrated cells that do not contain enough fluid to efficiently flush out toxins.

On the other hand, if you have oily skin you will notice a thick and waxy secretion forming on your skin. Your skin may also take on the thickened appearance of orange peel and you will be likely to have what I call ‘true plug blackheads.’

Treating Dehydrated Skin

Whilst drinking plenty of water is important to keeping hydration levels up, it is imperative to know this is not be the sole factor for alleviating dehydrated skin.

The products that I would recommend for treating dehydrated skin are our Rehydrating Concentrate followed by our new Rehydrating Cream. Both will work to rehydrate your skin from the inside out and help to repair your skin's barrier, ensuring important moisture cannot escape from your skin and helping to restore good skin function.

It is crucial that product must be applied to clean and regularly exfoliated skin. For hassle-free cleansing I recommend our Essential Miracle Cleansing Jelly or our Essential Refreshing Cleansing Gel. To exfoliate I advise using our non-abrasive Essential Exfoliating Gel that works to dissolve dead skin cells and will leave your skin prepped and smoothed.

As the cold months roll in it's easy to think SPF can take a backseat in your skincare routine. But Daily DNA Defence SPF30 is much more than just a sunscreen, it’s your final coat of skin armour, it’s weather protection for your skin.

Our award-winning, broad-spectrum SPF protects your skin from more than just UV rays. It guards against environmental pollutants and blue light
emitted from your screens. Meanwhile, winter’s cold air, winds and rain can damage your skin barrier.

During and after exposure to the elements, Daily DNA Defence protects and repairs your cells DNA.

And more than this, it’s the best make-up primer. Talk about a multi-tasking product! Its lightweight formula sits comfortably under your foundation, ensuring your make-up stays fresh and stays ‘put’ all day.

Keep reading as we deep dive into the benefits of Daily DNA Defence SPF30 and why it’s an essential part of your winter skincare regime.

Broad-spectrum, photostable protection with Daily DNA Defence SPF30

Not all SPF products are created equal, Daily DNA Defence SPF30 offers broad-spectrum protection. This means that it shields your skin from both UVA rays (the ones that age your skin) and UVB rays (the ones that burn your skin). If your moisturiser or foundation contains an SPF it’s worth checking, make sure you’re covered for both UVA and UVB. Many of those products only protect against UVB, leaving your skin vulnerable to the long-term damage caused by UVA rays.

I’m guessing that you follow your daily skincare regime to promote skin health and to keep your skin looking great for your age? Using Daily DNA Defence SPF30 will help you avoid undoing all that effort by providing the UVA protection your skin truly needs.

And here's the bonus: our SPF is photostable, meaning it won’t break down or lose effectiveness in the sun. However, if you're by the pool make sure to reapply every two hours as water, sweat and towel drying can remove it, leaving your skin vulnerable.

Blue light and pollution protection

In today’s world, your skin is up against more than just the sun. Daily DNA Defence SPF30 also shields your skin from two often overlooked threats: blue light and pollution.

Blue light, mainly from our smart devices and pollution in the atmosphere. Blue light and pollution trigger changes in your skin cells, even leading to cell death. Unprotected exposure to these will lead to hyperpigmentation and can damage your skin’s health. Most blue light comes from smart technology, which is used daily by most of us. Pollution is all around; levels are higher in towns and cities all year.

DNA Defence and Repair: protecting your skin at the cellular level

When your skin is exposed to radiation it faces more than just surface damage, your cells DNA is at risk. Daily DNA Defence SPF30 acts like a "virtual parasol," shielding your cells during exposure to harmful rays. But the protection doesn’t stop there. After exposure, your body naturally works to repair DNA damage. Your cells naturally produce an enzyme which kickstarts the repair process of your DNA. Thanks to the powerful repairing ingredients in our formula this process is accelerated up to 100 times, meaning your skin recovers faster, stays healthier and sustains less long term damage.

In summary, wear Daily DNA Defence SPF30 as your final coat of skin armour each day in all seasons and you can rest assured you’re doing your best to protect your skin.

Magical make-up priming

We know that finding the perfect daily SPF texture is a challenge. We’ve been there too. Most SPFs feel like a layer too many, leaving skin feeling greasy, heavy or cause foundation to slide off by midday. This is why we made our product for you. A super light veil, which is suitable for even the most sensitive skin. With no oily or white residue, it’s non-pore blocking and
dries over your moisturiser to become the best make-up primer you’ll ever use, keeping your foundation perfectly in place all day or all night long.

No make-up, no problem

For our men and/or non make-up wearers, our handy pocket size product gives you the same invisible veil and matt skin finish. Skiers, golfers and cyclists will love that it slips easily into a pocket, bag or pouch.

Where else should you be applying your SPF?

Your SPF isn’t just for your face, use all the way down to your décollete and up to your hairline. Not forgetting areas like the tops of your lips, ears, nose and the backs of your hands. These are often overlooked spots that are equally exposed to the sun, whether you’re lounging by the pool or simply driving. The backs of your hands are quick to show signs of ageing, so it’s vital to keep them protected. And if you’re grabbing some winter sun make sure to apply it to the tops of your feet.

How much SPF should you use?

Aim for about the size of a 5 pence piece for each application. However, this should come after Step 2 – Skin Boost and Step 3 – Skin Defence Cream in your skincare routine. If you're planning to sunbathe, apply Daily DNA Defence SPF30 at least 15 minutes before heading outside. Once you're in the sun reapply after 15 minutes for the ultimate protection, then continue every two hours.

And remember, swimming, sweating or towel drying can remove your SPF, so be sure to reapply regularly to keep your skin fully protected.