Winter, summer, spring, or fall - dry skin never seems to miss a visit. So, what exactly causes dry skin in the first place, and why does it sometimes seem so impossible to cure?
What Causes Dry Skin
Simply put, skin dries out when it can't retain enough moisture to naturally repair itself. Certain factors such as frequent bathing, harsh soaps, poor diet & health, medical conditions, sun exposure, dry climates, hard water, salt water, chlorine, environmental toxins, and aging are common culprits of sucking our skin dry of the water it needs to regenerate.
How to Fix it
First and foremost, it's important to supply your body daily with the adequate amount of water it needs to hydrate your skin. Experts say that drinking between half an ounce and an ounce of water for each pound you weigh, daily, should do the job. So, if you weighed 150 pounds, you would need to drink 75 - 150 ounces of water per day. Just to put that into perspective, that would be comparable to a gallon of milk!
Once your body is sufficiently hydrated, the next step is to keep the moisture locked in. What repels water best? That would be oil. An oil based barrier seals off those exits in your epidermis layer, keeping water from escaping too soon and keeping damaging elements out. You might be wondering, "won't oil plug my pores and cause more skin problems?" Good question. The answer might surprise you.
It's important to know that all skin has a natural lipid (oil) barrier made up of cholesterol, fatty acids, and ceramides, which are fats found in your skin cells. These fats make up 30-50% of your top skin layer. When that natural lipid barrier starts to break down, the skin quickly loses its moisture resulting in rough, cracked, dry and flaky skin. Applying an additional, natural oil barrier to your skin will aid your body in its own ability to repair the damage.
Lindsey Rietzsch, the creator of Hydroheel® skin care products, suggests that before applying an additional oil based barrier, it's important to clean your skin with a gentle cleanser and warm water to remove any dirt and debris that you wouldn't want trapped below the surface. Wash your skin with warm water to open the pores and rinse with cold water to close pores. Once your pores are clean, it's safe to apply the barrier. Applying a special formulated oil-based product such as Hydroheel® once a day to your skin, will keep your skin undisturbed from outside elements, allowing it to quickly heal from the inside out. Hydroheel® is unique as it has anti-viral, anti-fungal, and anti-bacterial properties that work to kill any antagonists lurking in your epidermis, while adding nourishing vitamins and minerals to your cells.
Lindsey suggests that following this regiment daily will clear up dry skin in a week's time or less, and maintaining it afterwards a few days per week will keep those results in place.
See hydroheel.com for more information.
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