Hydration Heroes

Hydrating your skin is hugely important all-year round, but in particular when it’s too hot, or too cold. I tend to suffer from bouts of dehydration these days rather than all year round dryness.

There are a few products I can’t live without – my Hydration Heroes – and a few new ones I have thrown into the mix. And hydration isn’t just for the face – don’t forget your body or your hair either.

I love The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (£5.90), and have been suing it for over a month now, and have noticed a difference in my skin. Hyaluronic Acid is a key ingredient for rehydrating the skin, and is found in many moisturisers. This stuff is what is in your cream, just concentrated, and with added Vitamin B5 for surface hydration. I think if you use this, combined with a good moisturiser, then you’ll see the difference in your skin.

At the moment, I am using Chanel’s Hydra Beauty Micro Creme which is just lovely, but at £51, it isn’t really in my beauty budget. So, I would fall back on my old favourite, Clarins Hydra-Essentiel range. It used to be called Hydra-Quench, and in the winter, I love the rich cream, which is an online only product these days.

The Hydra-Essentiel Bi-phase Serum (£44) is a very watery serum, but, if your skin needs a shot of hydration, then you need to try this. It makes such a difference. The Silky Cream or Silky Cream SPF15 Normal to Dry Skin (£36) is my summer go-to – it’s rich enough to do the job, but light enough not to feel too rich when my skin doens’t need as much of a boost.

Clinique’s Moisture Surge range is a bit hot or miss for me. I like the moisturiser, I loved the old sheet masks, whcih were WAY ahead of their tme, and I wish they’d bring back, and I love the Overnight Mask (£31). I use this around every third night (I use Alpha-H Liquid Gold and Origins Drink Up on other nights), and despite it not having a scent, which I miss, I do like the richness of it, and I never wake up feeling like my skin is dehydrated at all.

I used to feel tightness in my skin when I woke up, but addressing that concern over the last few years has sorted that out. It really does pay to look after your skin!

Hydration for the body, I will admit, I am not great at. I am religious in applying my creams for psoriasis to my hands and feet, and any little bits of it elsewhere, but I have always been lazy with general body moisturising. The latest Body Lotions (£10.95) for me to  use leave on the shelf are by Tisserand.

There are lovely scents – Rose & Geranium Leaf, Neroli & Sandalwood, and Lavender & White Mint – and whilst these aren’t perhaps intense body moisturising, if you have quite dry skin, at least it’s a start! They feel lovely to apply, aren’t too thin, and smell delicious.

Hydrating my hair is a bit of a problem – thanks to the bleach and dye. It’s hugely over-processed, and I struggle with frizz and split ends. Hair masques are a brilliant idea, and I try to use one a week, but it all starts with the shampoo and conditioner.

I’ve tried DOZENS of hydrating haircare lines, the latest by a brand called Kenra, from the US, and just launched in the UK.

The grey packaging is pretty basic, which is fine, and the range I am using is Moisturizing. The shampoo is fine, and the conditioner seems to be good enough for my frazzled tresses so far. But I am most impressed with the Kenra Platinum Revive Oil which you can use beofre you shampoo, during condoitioning, or after – or you can add it to any of your haircare products.

It reduces breakage, Kenra say, so I am hopeful that the more I use it, the better my poor hair will be! I dont know much more about this brand, yet, or prices or stockists, as it’s so new, the PR hasn’t given me all the info I need. But you can find out more at kenraprofessional.com