How to Fix Dehydrated Skin Overnight

When you wake up with dehydrated skin, it feels like there’s no quick fix or easy way out. When you haven’t been drinking enough water or when traveling, changing climate, or caffeine consumption get in the way, your skin can feel tight, irritated, and inflamed. If you’ve been experiencing dehydration long enough to have a name for it, you’re probably already wondering how to get rid of it, and fast. 

When it comes to describing skin, the words “dehydrated” (a skin condition) and “dry” (a skin type) are often used interchangeably. But as Laura Cline, Youth To The People’s Director of Education, explains, they’re two very different concepts. You’re born with a skin type, but you can experience (and treat) a skin condition over time. Dry skin is a result of how much (or how little) natural oil your skin produces, while dehydrated skin has a difficult time retaining water.

“Dehydrated skin is a condition that can occur in any skin type, no matter if you’re dry, combo, or oily, when your skin is lacking water,” Cline says. “Dehydration in the skin could be a result of a weakened moisture barrier, your diet, or your environment.”

“Because dehydration is a condition, it can literally change in an eight-hour period. During a week, it could change. You travel, it changes,” Cline says. “We lose more water while we sleep because most of our temperatures rise. When we get hot, we perspire and lose more water out of our skin.” 

Drinking 64 ounces of water per day helps keep your skin hydrated, but when your skin needs to rehydrate, topical hydration is essential. 

Cline is a big fan of humectants like hyaluronic acid that retain moisture in your skin. Hyaluronic acid attracts water to it, and applying it to your skin topically helps your skin create a strong moisture barrier, translating into happier, more comfortable, dewier-looking skin.

To fix dehydrated skin overnight, Cline recommends beginning with Youth To The People’s Superfood Cleanser. “We don’t usually talk about cleansers when we’re talking about hydration, but your skin can become dehydrated if you damage your moisture barrier,” Cline says. “Keeping your pH balanced lets your skin accept the hydrating properties of humectants like the Adaptogen Soothe + Hydrate Activated Mist,” which is great to spritz on next. Before heading off to bed, layer on the Superberry Hydrate + Glow Dream Mask, designed to keep skin from losing water overnight. Hydrating ingredients like squalane, prickly pear, and hyaluronic acid will help brighten, protect, and hydrate your skin.

In the morning, wash away the mask with the Superfood Cleanser and hydrate with the Adaptogen Soothe + Hydrate Activated Mist. If you have combination or oily skin, massage a dollop of Superfood Air-Whip Moisture Cream into your skin after misting. But if your skin is on the drier side, Cline suggests layering YTTP’s Adaptogen Deep Moisture Cream on top of the Superfood Firm + Brighten Serum. Don’t forget to top it off with your choice of sun protection!