When you hear the word hydration, you automatically think of water. And correctly so. To hydrate something is to increase the water content. Up to 60% of the body is water, and every cell, tissue and organ requires hydration for proper function. Your hair and skin cells are no different.
Skin Hydration
Hydrated skin is bright, smooth and even in skin tone. In order to achieve this you need to regularly quench your skin’s thirst. If your skin is dehydrated it can appear flaky and dull.
A common confusion is made between dry skin and dehydrated skin. Dry skin is lacking in oil where dehydrated skin is lacking in water. Because of this they have different appearances and there are different ways to treat these skin types. Read my guide on determining your skin type here.
To hydrate the skin is different to moisturising the skin. As hydration is the the amount of water in the skin but to moisturise the skin is the ability to lock the water into the skin. Almost creating a protective barrier. A great ingredient to help hydrate the skin is hyaluronic acid.
Water in Hair
Hair hydration works in a similar way to skin hydration. To hydrate the hair is to add water to the hair strands. In order to draw water into the hair ingredients which are natural humectants should be included; such as glycerine, coconut water, aloe vera and witch hazel. Humectants help water become absorbed into the core of the hair strand.
Again to moisturise the hair would be to lock in the water. This is achieved by using ingredients which are water repellant which smooth and strengthen the hair such as silicones. That said, if you have curly hair silicone free might be the way forward for you.
