Hydration

During my 44th trip around the Sun, I’ve finally discovered what’s it like to have dry, tight feeling skin 24/7. There is not enough mist to comfort my face and make it feel less cracked and tight. Some products which definitely help have been Pyunkang Yul’s Calming Moisture Mist and the soon to be stocked Beauty of Joseon Glow serum.

For me though, it’s important to seal the water in once it’s been liberally spritzed. That’s where a good moisturiser comes in. By good I don’t mean £££, but one that contains popular ingredients like glycerin and hyaluronic acid, which coincidentally are cheap as chips. These are called Humectants. They draw H2O from the air and the deeper layers of skin to add moisture. Finally, Occlusive ingredients, which form a barrier and seal the hydrating elements in, are essential too. Look for ingredients like Petrolatum, Beeswax, Squalane, Lanolin and most seed oils like Borage oil, Tamanu oil & Safflower oil.

So if you feel like no amount of hydration is making a difference to your parched skin, you may only be addressing half of a problem. I suggest the following:

Morning cleanse with just warm water and a flannel. Over cleansing can make the skin feel stripped and tight. While the skin is still damp, go in with a moisture mist. Why not try this one which contains macadamia oil, jojoba oil and sunflower oil as well as an hydrating fruit water. A nice added step for the hydration lacking skin is this lovely essence. with skin-identical ingredients like glycerin, a great humectant. If you’ve already forgotten what that is, look up.

So your skin feels lovely and hydrated at this point, but don’t let it end here. We have to seal it all in with some moisturising and occlusive ingredients. May I suggest Dr. Althea’s 147 Barrier Cream, with these lovely humectants: Sodium Hyaluronate, Glycerin, Squalane and Ceramide NP. Also incredible is Ishtar Skin’s Multi-Ceramide Complex. Ceramides are waxy lipids that are found in the outer layer of the skin. We need them to keep the skin barrier healthy and hydrated. I’d go for Ishar in the day and Dr. Althea at night because she’s more heavy duty. At night I like to seal this goodness in with a healthy dose of Vaseline, which forms a protective layer of the skin and keeps all the goodness it. I promise you it’s less gross than it sounds.

Anyway, here’s to a happier skin barrier in 2024!

Nat