Fact: Hyaluronic Acid Can Actually Dry Your Skin Out
If you haven’t seen the rave about hyaluronic acid in the beauty world? Where have you been?! Everyone from dermatologists to beauty bloggers (who truly know skin care) rave about it. It’s a humectant naturally found in our bodies that holds 1000x its weight in water, it makes wrinkles look less…wrinkly, makes your skin smooth and plump. In the beauty world, HA is KING! But…just like any other ingredient, it surely does not work for everyone. Here’s why it may not be working for you:
1. Your environment is dry
I stated earlier that hyaluronic acid holds 1000 times its weight in water. Now, this means it will draw water from wherever it can find water. In most cases, it pulls water from the air. But if you live in an extremely dry area or you have dry air inside your house, hyaluronic acid is going to pull water from…you guessed it. Your skin. This means it’s actually going to be doing the exact opposite of hydrating, it’s going to be drying.
2. You are not applying it correctly
Hyaluronic acid should be applied while your skin is still damp. Since it draws in water, it only makes sense to provide it with water to pull into your skin, correct? I’ve asked a couple of people who incorporate hyaluronic acid into their skin care routine, and 80% of them said they use it as a secondary moisturizer. HA is a hydrator (more on the difference between hydrator and moisturizers later) meaning you’ll see significantly better results if you apply before any other moisturizers. [bctt tweet=”Applying hydrators first helps all your products absorb deeper into your skin.” username=”lilyyy_n”]
If you are toning your skin, use hyaluronic acid right after toning while your skin is still damp.
Most importantly, if you are not applying a moisturizer on top of hyaluronic acid to seal your skin, you’re doing your skin a great disservice. In order for HA to be most effective and trap water in your skin, it needs to be sealed in with a moisturizer.
Do you incorporate hyaluronic acid into your routine? Tell me how!
