Kayla Young
What’s your skincare routine like? Do you want to improve it so you can lessen the appearance of wrinkles, and keep the skin supple and moisturized?
Hyaluronic acid can help you with that. It is known to hydrate the skin and is usually suitable for all skin types, even those with sensitive skin.
But before you purchase that bottle, you should know when to use hyaluronic acid in your routine.Â
Although it is a highly raved product, using it incorrectly can still cause your skin to dry up instead of hydrating. That’s the last thing you want for your dry skin!
To explain that further, we will discuss what hyaluronic acid does. Plus we’ll also tell you how to correctly include it in your skincare routine.Â
Contents
What Is Hyaluronic Acid
Scientifically speaking, hyaluronic acid (pronounced hi-yel-u-ron-ic) is a complex sugar. It is naturally found in the body and is continuously produced.Â
However, as we age, the body decreases the production of hyaluronic acid. Boo!Â
Hyaluronic acid is known as a humectant. That means that it is capable of holding water that is up to 1000 times its weight.
This substance helps improve the skin’s elasticity, tone, healing, and regeneration process.
As a macromolecule, hyaluronic acid sits on the outer layers of the skin because it is too large to be absorbed. There, it can pull water from the deeper layers to hydrate the outer layers. Similarly, it can pull water from the air.Â
Apart from providing hydration for the top layers of the skin, it also prevents water from evaporating from the skin.
Using Hyaluronic Acid On Dehydrated Skin
When your skin is dehydrated, it needs water. Knowing that hyaluronic acid is capable of holding lots of water, you might automatically think that it is the best solution.
That may be true, but improper use of hyaluronic acid can also worsen your dehydrated skin.
If you have dehydrated skin in a very dry climate and you decide to use hyaluronic acid, you could just worsen the problem.
In a dry environment, hyaluronic acid may not have enough water to suck out from the air. Thus, it turns to your skin and sucks out the moisture from there.
That can happen when you don’t use hyaluronic acid properly in your routine. To avoid that, you have to know how to properly incorporate hyaluronic acid in your routine so it can help hydrate the skin instead of drying it out.
When To Use Hyaluronic Acid In Your Routine?
Before we discuss when to use hyaluronic acid, we need to consider the form of hyaluronic acid.
Hyaluronic acid is available as pure hyaluronic acid (as in this from The Ordinary ) or it can be mixed as an ingredient in various skincare products (as in this from Olay ).Â
Read the ingredients of your moisturizing creams and serums and you might already be using them in your routine!Â
Usually, hyaluronic acid is used as an ingredient for moisturizing serums, lotions, and creams. When it is mixed in those solutions, you can follow the usual routine of using such formulations.
For example, you can use creams with hyaluronic acid as the last step for your skincare routine. Similarly, you might use serums with hyaluronic acid before applying your creams.Â
But what do you do with pure hyaluronic acid ?
Some pure hyaluronic acids are labeled as serums. So you use them just as you would your other serums.
However, if they aren’t labeled as serums, you could still use them as a serum or use them before your favorite serum.
A layer of hyaluronic acid can help with the spread of the active ingredients of the other serum across your skin.Â
Tips For Using Hyaluronic Acid
Tip 1: Apply On Damp Skin
As we now know, hyaluronic acid attracts water molecules. You can take advantage of that property by applying it to damp skin.Â
After washing your face, apply the hyaluronic acid serum before your face completely dries out. The moisture will be bound by the hyaluronic acid so your skin will stay better hydrated.Â
Tip 2: Seal In Moisture
Now that there is ample moisture available for your skin due to the hyaluronic acid, don’t forget seal in that moisture by applying a moisturizer over the hyaluronic acid.Â
Some people also use facial oil after applying hyaluronic acid to trap the moisture and make it available for the skin. Then the routine is finished off with a moisturizer.Â
Tip 3: Use With Other Serums
Another great thing about hyaluronic acid is that it is compatible with most skincare products. You can certainly use hyaluronic acid with vitamin C serum, retinol, and other acids.Â
Hyaluronic acid is a great ingredient that helps soothe the skin after you apply either vitamin C or retinol. It can help prevent the harsh effect of retinol so that the skin is less irritated.Â
However, if you combine hyaluronic acid with retinol, you shouldn’t use vitamin C along with them. Retinol and Vitamin C aren’t a good mix because retinol works better at a higher pH, while vitamin C works at a lower one.Â
If you want to use them all, it is best to use retinol and hyaluronic acid during your night skincare routine. Then, you can use hyaluronic acid and vitamin C for your morning skincare routine.
Conclusion
Hyaluronic acid is a great addition to any skincare routine. It is a powerful humectant that absorbs moisture and keeps the skin hydrated. However, if you don’t properly use it, you could end up dehydrating your skin further.Â
When using hyaluronic acid, it is best applied on damp skin so it absorbs moisture from the outside and not from the deeper layers of the skin. Furthermore sealing it in with the use of a moisturizer is also best.
It is also a great idea to use it with other skincare products because it is compatible with most of them. It helps soothe the skin when you use harsher ingredients like retinol, vitamin C, and other acids.Â
