How to Tell if Your Skin is Dehydrated or Not (And How to Treat It)

Does your skin feel flakier and more sensitive than usual? Here’s how to tell if your skin is dehydrated and how to treat it.

4 Signs of Dehydrated Skin

Dehydrated skin is a skin condition that lacks water content. Everyone’s skin is unique so it’s vital that you listen to your skin. In fact, you don’t have to have all four of these signs. Just one can mean dehydration. That said, here are four telltale signs that you have dehydrated skin:

1. Dull skin

Dehydrated skin typically looks dull, has zero radiance, and can even appear ashy if you have darker skin tones. As a result, you may have a buildup of dead skin cells, resulting in congested, dull skin.

2. Fine lines

Dehydrated skin tends to show accelerated signs of aging, like wrinkles and fine lines. The wrinkles and fine lines appear as a network of triangular, tiny lines.

3. Itchiness

Loss of moisture from the outer layer of the skin makes it tight and itchy. This is often associated with flaking of the skin.

4. Increased Sensitivity

One of the biggest consequences of dehydrated skin is an increase in sensitivity. When your skin’s moisture barrier is disrupted, it cannot properly protect itself from external environmental stressors.

Try the pinch test

The skin pinch test is used to measure the skin's elasticity, or its ability to stretch and bounce back. It can also be used to assess dehydration. The skin pinch test is safe and there's no harm in testing yourself, but it's not the most precise method. Here’s how to do the pinch test:

Pinch the skin on the back of your lower arm or abdomen, between two fingers.
Hold the skin for a few seconds and release.
Notice how quickly your skin returns to its normal shape. If the skin is quick to return to normal, it's a sign you are hydrated. And if it takes longer, you could be dehydrated.

How to treat dehydrated skin.

Air conditioning, the weather, lack of sleep, not drinking enough water, long hot showers, harsh skincare products, and bypassing a gentle skincare routine can all be contributors to dehydrated skin. Here are six ways to get your skin back on track:

1. Hydrate

This is a no-brainer. If your skin is lacking water, the natural first step is to, well, plump it up with Pure Fiji’s hydration heroes. Remember that even if your dehydrated skin is overproducing oil, don't shy away from more hydration. It might feel intuitive to skip the moisture now, but it may be just what your skin is begging for.

2. Seal in hydration with an oil

Face oils help hold moisture in the skin better. Your natural skin care routine should always include this last step: pat oil. The oils help hold moisture in the skin better and add an extra layer of nourishment.

3. Check what you drink

We're not here to tell you that drinking water will solve all your skin care woes. In fact, there’s no scientific evidence that drinking plenty of water will make your skin more hydrated.

Please note that caffeine and alcohol are two of the worst contributors to dehydrated skin. They are both diuretics that compromise your skin’s health by depleting its water content.

4. Use a hyaluronic acid

Your skin can become dehydrated because of environmental stress. If you feel the external environment (including dry cold winter weather) is responsible for dehydration, a hydrating mist with hyaluronic acid will be your best friend. Hyaluronic acid works on the skin’s surface layers to attract and bind significant amounts of water locking in moisture and increasing hydration levels in the skin. It also plumps skin and smooths fine lines and wrinkles

5. Avoid harsh facial exfoliants

Exfoliation is a no-fail way to brighten a dull, dehydrated complexion, but for dehydrated skin, we recommend avoiding gritty scrubs that could irritate the skin. Healthy skin takes about 28 days to renew itself naturally, and dehydrated skin takes even longer. Proper exfoliation accelerates skin cell turnover by sloughing dead cells from the surface to reveal the new, healthy cells underneath. We recommended a gentler exfoliating option like Pure Fiji’s Glycolic Overnight Renewal Peel with Mandelic Acid and Niacinamide.

The takeaway

Luckily, dehydrated skin is temporary and can be relieved with a combination of topical treatments and lifestyle changes. You'll also want to be careful with your skincare regimen, as anything too potent can make the problem worse. Start with the tips mentioned above and your skin will thank you.