Hydration holy grails

[Rixiowo]

I’ve been struggling to find things that actually help with keeping my face hydrated especially in this harsh dry winter we’re having right now. What are some of the products you guys use to help keep your face hydrated and happy?

[animix116]

For the winter months I always head to my basics for hydration and focus on products with lots of hylauronic acid emoliente to keep the skin nice and hydrated throughout the day. My personal favourites are the Ordinary Hylauronic acid serum First aid beauty also make some amazing moisturizers that will keep things hydrated.

[PenelopeBT]

Hi @Rixiowo,

Like several other BICers in this thread, I love the Drunk Elephant Lala Retro™ Nourishing Whipped Refillable Moisturizer 1.69 oz/ 50 mL for dry skin. In the winter, I like to layer a moisturizer under a face oil for extra hydration. My current favorite face oil is the The Ordinary 100% Organic Cold-Pressed Rose Hip Seed Oil 1 oz/ 30 mL .

Also, lots of hydrating sheet masks help keep my skin healthy and hydrated.

[Reenie98]

I use the hydration 3 in 1 mist from Murad throughout the day. I’m super dry and work at a spa with the steam constantly going, so that’s a quick way to put hydration back into my skin. It also has properties to help your microbiome to help you look glowy as well. Another option is adding a serum before you moisturizer my suggestions would be the b-hydra from Drunk elephant or the Hungarian water essence from belif. This would give you a deeper hydration because the molecules in a serum are smaller and can travel deeper in the skin. If your still struggling with hydration after that, try an oil after you moisturizer to help lock and seal the moisture into your skin with Indie Lee’s squalene oil. Which is my fav oil because it’s not super thick and absorbs as well as a serum would.

[ather]

@Rixiowo  I also recommend  Drunk Elephant Lala Retro™ Nourishing Whipped Refillable Moisturizer 1.69 oz/ 50 mL

I live in Canada and in a dry area. And it helps my skin stay moisturized 

[CC3616]

@Rixiowo A good balance of hydration and exfoliation will help your skin. You can put all you want on it but if you don't prep your skin properly it able to penetrate through the dead skin.

To prep skin for hydrating products, exfoliate using a chemical (acid) or physical (scrub, clarisonic etc) once or twice a week if they aren't already in your routine and work towards 2-4 times a week as you can tolerate. I like using a mix of acid and physical exfoliants personally but everyone has their own happy balance. If you're using acids or multiple products, there's lots of different acid variations so be sure to pay attention to the ingredients to make sure you aren't using the same one in multiple products to help avoid irritation. I'm glad to expand on that if you're interested in more about acids.

For hydrating products, start with a toner or essence to prep the skin for product. Tatcha makes a great essence but theres lots of other great options in the lower price points. Follow with a hydrating serum, my preference is drunk elephant b hydra. There are lots of great heavier creams for winter. Drunk elephant lala or protini are both good, as well as dr jart ceramadin and dr jart cipacair tiger grass. I tend to lean away from "gel" or "water" creams in the winter and find I need the thickness of a full bodied cream. Top with a couple drops of oil. I am currently using Kora organics noni glow, but a great cheap option is the ordinary squalene oil. 

Other things to consider are making sure you're drinking enough water and the hydration of your air at home. Cool mist humidifiers can help with the home hydration if you need a boost, our air is so dry I usually have a couple going. Hoping we can add a humidifier onto our heating system in the future, we have gas heat and it is harsh. 

Best of luck keeping hydrated this winter. 

[Rixiowo]

@CC3616 I have been using acids, but the only one I’ve used or tried is the one from the ordinary the 30% AHA and 2% BHA only once a week as of right now. I’ve always been nervous that I may be using too many acids on my face with other products that I am using or may want to use in thefuture tho. I’ve been trying to find a more hydrating toner as well, the one I’m using which I’m using the whole calendula line recently, which has helped with acne but all around the moisturizer and the toner just isn’t for my skin, not hydrating enough I have nothing against the face wash tho.

[playingdressup]

@Rixiowo  my dry skin has been doing really well with CHARLOTTE TILBURY - Magic Cream Moisturizer My skin feels very nourished & plumped from within. I like that it doesn’t leave any tacky feeling or oil residue on my skin, so It’s great as a night moisturizer and under makeup. At night I like to pair it with a retinol or acid serum to add some gentle exfoliation a few times a week. Sunday Riley A+ High-Dose Retinol Serum 1 oz/ 30 mL DRUNK ELEPHANT - T.L.C. Framboos™ Glycolic Resurfacing Night Serum

[CC3616]

CT magic is a great day cream that was made to be perfect under makeup for runway ready glow and looks, but wouldn't recommend using it at night as it is an SPF cream. CT does make a magic night cream also that may be a better option? The SPF factors technically shouldn't be harmful, but it can clog pores (likely why a lot of reviews mention breakouts) and potentially irritate already dry skin if sensitive. SPF creams generally don't have the repair/regenerate focus that night creams have either. 

[playingdressup]

@CC3616 I definitely don’t want to put spf on my face at night, so I panicked and checked the container! They must have reformulated it, there’s no labeling of SPF on the container or the Sephora product description page. I can see from product photo on Nordstrom that it used to have spf in it, and it was labeled as such on the cap. Very interesting! That would definitely cause breakouts in some people, I saw those reviews and assumed it was because it was labeled for just dry skin types. 

I saw there is a night cream and I’m curious about it, but I’ve always preferred to have one cream, especially if it is not an airless pump like this one. It’s been working great for me since mid October, so I’m happy.

[faeriegirl]

@Rixiowo  I really like using Drunk Elephant Lala Retro™ Nourishing Whipped Refillable Moisturizer 1.69 oz/ 50 mL . It is great for dry skin!

[CC3616]

@faeriegirl great recommendation for @Rixiowo , I am dry skinned and live in a cold climate and am using lala right now and really loving it.