The terms dry and dehydrated are often used interchangeably, but they mean two very different things. Dry is a skin type, meaning the type of skin you were born with. Some people have dry skin, some have oily and others have combination. Dehydrated skin, on the other hand is a skin condition that can come and go, meaning it can be improved with certain skincare and lifestyle changes.

Characteristics of dry skin:

• Born with it
• Dry all over
• Lacks oil
• Ages quicker
• Needs oil-rich moisturizer year round

Characteristics of dehydrated skin:

• Comes and goes with certain lifestyle changes, diet, environment
• Can lead to breakouts
• Lacks water
• Needs water-based moisturizer

Overlapping characteristics:

• Can feel flaky or itchy
• Can look dull
• Can experience tightness

So you can see why people get confused about dry and dehydrated skin -- they have a lot of overlapping features!  Either issue is a sign to stay away from alcohol and surfactant based cleansers.  Both of these chemicals will only make your skin worse.  So many of us just treat the issue with moisturizers and assume we are repairing fixing the problem.  But it just doesn't work that way. 

When you cleanse with alcohol or surfactants (soap) you strip your skin of the organic moisture being produced by your body.  This moisture protects you from premature aging and keeps infections away.  By moisturizing after cleansing your skin may feel better, but the damage is done. 

A new technology in manufacturing is producing microfibers as thin as a human hair.  When this technology is used on organic linens and cottons, it creates a facial micro abrasion that removes make-up, sun screen and contaminants without the use of alcohols or surfactants (soap).  This process allows your skin to maintain its natural pH and moisture.