Understanding Moisturizers and Skin Care

We are all quite conscious about our skin nowadays. Even amidst our busy schedules, we try to use at least a good moisturizer on our skin. In our daily hustle, physical ailments, or various mental stress, we often find ourselves in such states. The effects of all these are visible on our skin. Due to various environmental factors, our skin’s natural moisturizers gradually diminish, leaving our skin dry and dull. Even after using moisturizers for a long time, we may not always get the finest results.

What could be the real reason behind this? Let’s find out.

What is a moisturizer?

A moisturizer is a type of special skincare product that is generally used to retain the skin’s natural moisture. Moisturizers can be found in the form of lotions, creams, gels, or balms. Moisturizers are formulated according to specific skin concerns. Various active ingredients such as vitamins, hyaluronic acid, and niacinamide are present in potent forms, allowing it to be quickly absorbed into the skin and work effectively.

If our skin has natural moisturizers, why do we need to use extra moisturizers?

Due to our fast-paced lifestyle, environmental problems, and health issues, our skin loses its natural moisture. To explain further, our skin’s natural moisturization is created by water and sebum or natural skin oil. Due to over-cleansing or changes in weather, our skin undergoes transepidermal water loss, meaning moisture is lost from the skin. This causes the skin to become dry and irritated. The skin’s pH level becomes imbalanced. When the skin becomes excessively dry, it starts producing excess sebum to compensate. This leads to an oily appearance on the skin. Therefore, it is essential to use a moisturizer on the skin.

Choosing the best moisturizer based on skin types

Choosing the right moisturizer based on skin type is a common mistake we make. Due to this, even after using moisturizers for a long time, we do not get effective results. If a moisturizer for dry skin is applied to oily skin, the skin will become even oilier. This is because the function of that moisturizer is to deeply moisturize dry skin, so its formulation is also slightly thick. Therefore, choose a moisturizer according to your skin type.

For Dry Skin: Choose a hydrating and thick consistency moisturizer for dry skin. Ingredients like milk, hyaluronic acid, glycerin, shea butter, or ceramides are beneficial.

Oily Skin: Use a lightweight, oil-free, non-comedogenic, gel-based, and matte finish moisturizer. Ingredients like aloe vera, niacinamide, or hyaluronic acid are suitable.

Combination Skin: For combination skin, a light yet hydrating moisturizer is needed. Apply a little more too dry areas and less to oily areas.

Sensitive Skin: Use fragrance-free, alcohol-free moisturizers for sensitive skin. Ingredients like aloe vera, oatmeal extract, or ceramides are gentle.

For Normal Skin: Use a regular moisturizer. It is important to remember that we use various types of products on our skin. We often cannot understand how a particular ingredient of any product will react to our skin. Therefore, before using any new product on the skin, a patch test should be done by applying a small amount of the product to the elbow or behind the ear and leaving it for 30 minutes to a maximum of 24 hours.

We want to keep our skincare routine minimal. However, it is essential to ensure that whatever we do is effective. Therefore, using moisturizers correctly will definitely give effective results. This plays a significant role in minimal skincare. However, the benefits are more fruitful when following a basic skincare routine.