Guys, it’s summer – it’s hot! Your skin needs a little more TLC than normal. So what’s the 411 on hydrating and moisturizing? Well first and foremost; they are not the same thing! So what’s the difference and what do you need to do? Let’s break it down:

You need water. Not just as a living organism to survive, but to keep your skin happy and healthy. How much water? You should be knocking back 2-3 liters daily. And when I say water, I mean water. Not just La Croix.

And if you haven’t been drinking it and your skin is suffering - well, here’s the best way to take it straight to the source: hydrate + moisturize. 

Hydrating means adding water to the skin. This should be done before moisturizing. Moisturizing helps lock in that water by forming an invisible barrier over your skin. So if you only moisturize, you’re trying to keep in whatever water content you have, but you’re not replenishing what you might be losing. If you only hydrate, you’re adding water but you’re not keeping it. Make sense?

Cool. Here are my favorite go-to’s for each category:

HYDRATING: MISSHA Revolution / Time First Treatment Essence (which is also available in a spray for easier application), Manefit Green Tea Pore Mask, Snail Bee High Content Mask, MISSHA Super Aqua Hydro Gel Mask, and Manefit Mugwort Sheet Mask.

MOISTURIZING: Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate (for nighttime), their Daily Reviving Concentrate (for daytime), Cetaphil Oil-Control Moisturizer, and Aveeno Daily Moisturizer with Sunscreen.