First time trying out blogging an informative post as I had constantly received a lot of question and misconceptions between hydration and moisturization, and I really hope this post can answer to your questions and misunderstanding. *Disclaimer, I am not a professional hence, what I had included in this post are mostly references I had read up and researched and phrase again from my own understanding.

Identifying Skintype.

One common, really common mistake, when I ask was; may I know what's your skin type and I tend to get answers like this:

*Dry & Oily*?

Firstly, a person skin cannot be DRY & OILY.

Unless you are referring to having really dry cheeks and very oil T zone - and that's combination skin.

Your entire face cannot be dry and oily at the same time.

In this case, it is possible that that person might be suffering from dehydrated and oily skin.

Now let's go back to the two main skin types below.

In this case if your skin produces tons of oil, your skin cannot be dry.

So what is dehydrated skin?

Oily, combination, normal skin that lacks of water which in the end gives off a tight feeling. People tend to confuse and associate the tight feeling with dry skin. Which is wrong. So you can be oily dehydrated, combi dehydrated and so on. You might also be oily & sensitive but I am not touching on that in this post.

Back to story,

Because of the misconception of having oily skin, it may result in picking the wrong skincare which may not be suitable.

When one first identifies themselves as dry and oily, they might begin to search and purchase products which tackles and caters for drier skin types, hoping to solve the 'tightness' and dry skin issues they thought they were facing. It might only be temporary relief sadly.

Furthermore, markets are making it more personal by formulating the same product into different texture, in order to suit different skin types and for eg.

The Innisfree Orchid Range:

Oily - Innisfree Orchid Gel Cream

Combi - Innisfree Orchid Cream

Dry - Innisfree Orchid Intense Cream

Unfortunately, one might think they were facing dry skin issues, they might had purchased the intense cream. Which was actually a wrong choice.

After time, as it’s not compatible with their skin, it causes clogged pores, bumps and increase breakouts. This is why the danger of not identifying your own skin type is scary.

And, I am guilty about it as it happened to me too!

PS: And I really hope you guys don't follow my footstep!

If you are facing oily skin and you feel that really dry feeling at the same time might be because:

You might be using a cleanser that's way too stripping.

Dump your cleansers if it contains Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate or Ammonium Laureth Sulfate. It's a surfactant, a cleansing agent that strips the skin leaving your skin screaming for help literally.

When a harsh cleanser is used, it pulls out all the water from the skin, causing dead skin cells build up. Whats worse? As it removes the skin's natural protective oil, your skin ends up trying to produce more oil in order to compensate.

Toner within the next minute to prevent dehydration.

After cleansing, it's important to follow up with an alcohol free toner. There are still people who belittle toners, sadly. Toners helps people with oily or acne-prone skin, like me, and for people who want extra cleansing after wearing makeup or other heavy skin products such as sunscreen. It helps to remove oil and traces of dirt left on the skin(impurities). I would also recommend to go for a toner around pH5.5.

You might wanna reconsider on skipping the moisturizer at night.

Another misconception would be, I wanna let my skin breathe tonight. This is why I have to emphasize again and agin, on choosing the right texture, right product for the skin.

If you have oily skin, you might wanna consider a lightweight, fast absorbing moisturiser if you are afraid of it feeling greasy and heavy. Choose moisturisers which absorbs fast into your skin. If you are still using a rich moisturiser on your 'dry & oily skin'(which is dehydrated actually), you might wanna consider switching out right now already.

Moisturizers are important as it helps to keep the skin hydrated. Always think of water content and not oil content.

Ok I am straying off, back to hydration and moisturisation.

As said earlier on -

Dehydrated skin lacks of water and you need to keep it hydrated.

Dry skin lacks of oil and you need to moisturize. 

You will need to be clear of the difference between them in order to treat it right.

Hydrating and Moisturizing is two different things. Always remember that.

You might had moisturise a dehydrated skin but without receiving hydration, it will still look dull and feel tight.  Hydrating your skin but not moisturizing, it will still flake and have a rough texture.

So both goes hand in hand.

What should you look in a hydrating product?

Hyaluronic acid. 

It's able to hold a thousand times its weight in water.  This is naturally found in the human body, but similar to collagen, as we age, they deplete gradually.  It results in skin thinning, dull, and healthy skin cells moves slower and slower to the surface. Hydration is not only to look good but also to make sure our skin still functions optimally.

What should you look in a moisturizing product?

Misconception: Using only oil free products.

There's always a myth that oil links to breakouts, well maybe for some but definitely not for all. Overdrying and a lack of oil content in the skin tend to induce breakouts. Also, overdrying and stripping off your skin natural oils, without replacing, may also cause your skin to compensate by producing more oil - excess oil.  This reaction leads to congestion/breakouts.

Hydration is important and many people are missing out on it.

I hope my post was helpful.

Stay happy and stress free for clearer skin too!

I would talk to you again soon xo