Hydrating vs. Moisturizing

Yes, there is a difference. Yes, you need to do both.

As per request from my lovely friend Yasania, here’s another skincare post! You’re going to want to read through this one because this skincare tip will help all skin types. I’ll be teaching the super dry girls how to lock in hydration, and I’ll be teaching the oily girls how to control excess sebum production by properly hydrating and moisturizing.

As an extra little skincare tidbit, I thought I’d mention that it’s a good idea to cleanse your skin and remove any dead skin before applying other products. Removing dry, dead skin will help clear pores and allow other products to better penetrate the skin. I like using a foam cleanser to remove any dirt and oil, then follow up with a chemical peel. I prefer a chemical peel over a physical exfoliator because it won’t cause micro-tears and typically does a better job at removing dead skin. I usually exfoliate about one to two times a week or as needed.

Let’s start by defining the difference between hydrating and moisturizing. As its Greek root “hydra” suggests, hydration has to do with water. Moisture, on the other hand, deals more with oils. Hydrating is actually supplying water to the skin, while moisturizing is all about locking in that water and building up your skin’s moisture barrier. If you only hydrate your skin, your skin will lose that water fast, and if you only moisturize, you’re not really tackling the problem of dry skin since you’re essentially trying to lock in water that isn’t there.

Think of your skin like a sponge. A dry sponge won’t soak up as much water as one that’s already a little damp. In that same way, we need to supply our skin cells with water (hydration) in order for it to better absorb more water and nutrients from our body. By applying a moisturizer on top of your hydrating products, you lock that hydration in by strengthening your moisture barrier. Having a good moisture barrier is important because without it, your skin cannot hold onto hydration.

So how can you tell which products are hydrating and which ones are moisturizing? As I mentioned above, hydrating products deal with water and moisturizing products deal with oil. Water-based products are going to hydrate your skin, while oil-based products are going to moisturize. Oil-based moisturizers can also have a good amount of water in them to help emulsify the product, but hydrators do not include a lot of oil (or else it would be classified as a moisturizer). Hydrators will fully sink into the skin without leaving behind an oily layer. I typically layer several different products from lightest to heaviest to better maximize my skin’s hydration and moisture levels. Applying products from lightest to heaviest, water-based to oil-based will boost penetration into the skin, which is important when hydrating and moisturizing. You’ve probably heard about this Korean skincare technique and I go into it a little bit in my sheet mask post here, but I’d be more than happy to do an in-depth guide to Korean skincare if you’d like. Just let me know!

Of course, there are products that have a good, more even mix of both water and oil elements. I find that these products usually don’t provide enough of either, so I don’t recommend using just the one product. Rather, I like using them in between to mesh the two steps by reducing the jump in consistency and improving absorption.

The need to properly hydrate and moisturize probably makes sense for the dry skin girls out there, but if you’re a combination or oily girl such as myself, you might be wondering how this also applies to you. You’re probably questioning the need to apply oil-based products on your already oily skin. Well, excess sebum is caused because the skin is dehydrated, so it starts to ramp up oil production to try and compensate for the lack of water and a compromised moisture barrier. Not only does this cause greasiness, but it also causes large pores to appear. I’ve been focusing more on my skin’s hydration and moisture levels during quarantine, and already I’ve noticed a drastic difference in excess sebum production, pore size, and skin texture just by properly hydrating and moisturizing.

I hope this information proves useful to you in your skincare journey. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask away in the reply box below (under related posts). I’ll try my best to answer!

TL;DR: hydrate to supply your skin cells with water; moisturize to keep that water in. Must do both.