The phrase ‘Inner Dry Skin’ stumped me a little bit when I first came across it. It’s a phrase that’s commonly used in Japan, but I’m sure most of you reading this will have the same questioning look on your face that I did. After a little digging, a lot of Googling, and some patience, I think I finally understand what ‘Inner Dry’ is.
The simplest explanation I have seen describes inner dry as ‘externally oily & internally dry skin’. So while your skin may feel oily to the touch, that’s just sebum lying on the surface of your skin. The skin below that is actually dry and dehydrated. Your skin is producing extra sebum to moisturise itself, but because it’s so dry it isn’t being absorbed.
That explanation probably didn’t do much to answer the question, so in this blog, I will try to highlight some of the issues inner dryness may cause, and what you can do to try and improve hydration. Hydrated skin can reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, so why not try some of the methods below and make sure your ‘oily’ skin isn’t just dehydrated and begging for some extra moisture?
The skin is the human body’s largest organ. Our skin needs sebum to retain moisture and build a strong, healthy barrier function, and when we lack sebum we experience dehydrated skin. Our diet, the weather or environment can all impact the hydration levels of our skin, and dehydrated skin can become red and inflamed. The key to supporting dehydrated skin is, of course, hydration. But how can we best hydrate our skin?
Exfoliating once a week helps to remove dead skin cells, allowing your moisturiser to be absorbed more easily. Using a moisturiser pack at night can also help boost your hydration levels. Also keep an eye on the weather - low humidity and central heating can really dry the skin out, so your skin may need an extra bit of pampering during certain seasons.
Diet can impact your skin, so you guessed it...drinking water can be a great boost for your skin and your complexion. I’m not going to bore you with how much water you should be drinking, everyone’s needs are totally different, but maybe try having a small glass of water a few times a day, rather than always opting for a cuppa, and see if it helps.
Eating food with essential fatty acid or omega-3s or omega-6s are reportedly great for boosting your skin’s ability to balance hydration, and reduce the signs of ageing. Beans are high in zinc, which boosts collagen production, as does Vitamin C.
It’s also said that reducing stress can support healthier skin. A global pandemic, lockdowns, home-schooling and being unable to see family and friends is hardly conducive to this...but try and have a 5-minute sit-down with deep breathing just to get a bit of calm into your day. A good night’s sleep is also said to be really beneficial, especially as the skin naturally repairs and regenerates itself when you’re sleeping. So your day may be stressful, but a good night’s sleep *MIGHT* make you feel just a little more human, and your skin glow a little brighter.
Our Original STEAMCREAM moisturiser can be used as a pack during your evening skincare routine. Apply double the amount of cream and let it gently, slowly rehydrate your skin. Our Cleansing Balm is also perfect for minimising the stress on your skin when you’re cleansing it. Washing can remove essential oils and moisture from our skin, but our Cleansing Balm harnesses the power of almond oil, sugar squalane, grapeseed oil and oat kernel oil to glide like silk while softly conditioning and moisturising the skin.
