How to treat and care for dry, dehydrated skin!

Are you suffering from dry, dehydrated skin? Does your face feel tight? Is the skin flaking away, shedding like the skin of a snake? Dry, dehydrated skin can be frustrating and takes time to treat, but with some help and advice you can be well on your way to a happier, more hydrated glow all round!

Dry facial skin is caused by several things; diet, environment, the products you use, not forgetting your current state of health too. Once we know what's causing our dry skin, we can then work out how best to treat it!

Do you drink a lot of caffeine? Caffeine, if your drinking over 5 cups a day, can act as a diuretic, meaning you'll be visiting the toilet more often, removing too much fluid from your body which will dry your skin out. Caffeine is not just found in coffee, but tea, fizzy drinks and energy drinks too. Fizzy drinks and energy drinks are not only bad for your skin, but bad for your health too so it's time you cut them out completely and feel the benefit from top to toe!

Cut back on the caffeine and start drinking more water. We all know that water is key to the keeping us hydrated, and the more hydrated we are on the inside, the better it shows on the outside! Water will help to cleanse out system, flushing away toxins and impurities and promoting healthy organs – and our skin the biggest organ we have! Make sure you're drinking the recommended 8 large glasses a day to reap the benefits – I like to buy a 2l water bottle and use this to make sure I'm getting enough water every day!

It's not all about what you're drinking – its about what you're eating too! Cut back on foods that you know are bad for you, you know the ones I'm talking about; crisps, sugary sweets, processed foods, fried foods, and processed vegetable oils. Replace them with fruits, vegetables and grains. Try eating more water soluble fruits, like; grapes, pomegranates, avocados, kiwi, passion fruit and peaches. These will not only help keep your hydrated, but filled with vitamins C and B!

Don't be a yo-yo dieter. The constant stopping and starting of fad diets can deprive our skin of Essential Fatty Acids (EPAs) which are vital to having happy healthy skin and organs. A lack of EPAs can cause dry, flaking and scaly skin!

Our skin is constantly under attack from the environment, from the harsh chilling winters to the burning rays of the sun throughout summer. Add to that the pollution in the air, the salt from the sea after a day at the beach and it's no wonder you skin is crying out for help!

Do you work in a heavily air conditioned office? Is the central heating always turned up full at home? These too can dry out your skin. Low temperatures contribute to dryness and sensitivity, and warm dry air can act like a sponge, soaking up all the moisture and oils produced by our skin in it's own efforts to lubricate and rehydrate.

With this in mind, it's important we change our skin care system to suit the season, and have additional skin care routines for things like long haul flights and holidays. You don't have to rush out and buy a whole host of new products, but one or two added/replaced to your current routine can be enough to help your skin combat the environment.

Apart from changing our products there are a few other things we can do too to protect our skin from the ever changing weather;

• Wear a hat when you're out in the sun! This will keep the suns rays off your face, reducing the harmful drying and ageing effects of its UVA and UVB rays!

• Wear sunglasses to further protect the skin around your eyes from the sun!

• Spritz your face with a skin balancer or moisturising mist when you're feeling dry on the go!

• Don't smoke or hang around those that do! Smoking reduces your stores of vitamins A and C and reduces blood flow. With this in mind, smoking is suffocating your skin from the inside and it surely shows on the out!

It's really important to have a skin care system in place designed for your skin type. It's fine to go and pick up any old moisturiser or cleanser, but what's the point if its only going to damage your skin further? People suffering with dry skin are also more likely to have sensitivity to products, meaning you could end up with even drier, more painful skin.

For dry skin, your going to want to select products specifically designed for treating dry skin, products with added moisturisers and boast rehydrating qualities. You're going to want to avoid harsh soaps, scrubs and using water that is too hot when washing your face. Look for foaming gel cleansers to replenish and rebalance moisture levels and never choose an alcohol based toner or anything with 'astringent' on the bottle.

When choosing a moisturiser for dry skin your going to want something that will lock in moisture and keep your skin hydrated as you go about the day. I'm a huge fan of 'Simples' hydrating moisturisers; they're light weight and easily absorbed. Their go-to hydrating moisturiser comes in two variates; light and rich. Use the light through summer and the rich through winter, and they're pretty purse friendly too!

I find face wipes of any and every kind to be too much for all skin types, but especially dry skin, so I'd suggest you avoid these entirely. If you use them for removing make-up, then switch to a water based make up remover gel or cleanser. This will do just as good a job as your wipes but not dry your face out as much!

There are some brilliant hydrating sprays out there that are great for on the go moisturising. They're perfect for long journeys, especially long haul flights and whilst your out and about in the great (yet harmful) outdoors! I always keep one in my bag during the summer, especially if I'm going to the beach to rehydrate my skin throughout the day!

Face masks can be a great way of replenishing moisture levels and there are some fantastic ones you can make with ingredients from your kitchen!

• Avocado and honey mixed together and applied to a freshly cleansed face can work wonders on dry skin. Avocados are full of vitamins B, C and E – and we all know our skin loves those! The oil contained in avocados is extremely rich and moisturising, well suited to repair dry, damaged dehydrated skin. Honey, when washed off the skin, leaves some residue behind inside your pores, these sugars found naturally in the honey attract and absorb water from the air which keeps your skin happy and hydrated!

• Dark chocolate and milk combined to create a mask is a moisturising marvel! Remember the tales of Cleopatra taking baths in milk and how beautiful her skin was described? The cocoa solids in dark chocolate are full of falvonoids, filled with rich antioxidants that help repair dry, damaged skin. The falvonoids also help your skin to build a natural defence against the suns harmful UV rays, just like the lycopene in tomatoes! As for the milk, use whole milk for dry skin. Milk is full of skin loving vitamins and nutrients, some studies even suggest it's better for our skin than water! Just be sure to rinse it off properly!

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