Everyone says they want healthy and glowing skin, but not everyone is willing to invest time and effort to take care of it.
Many articles on the internet question whether you even need to use a moisturizer. For all you skeptics out there, the answer is yes - you do! Our article will cover all your concerns about moisturizing, including the benefits you can expect and those easily made mistakes.
You can always go natural and moisturize with home remedies such as beef tallow and DIY face packs, or try professional moisturizers designed for problematic skin. However, you choose to hydrate, the experts agree that moisturizing is a vital part of any skin care regimen.
Let’s get to it.
Discovering Your Skin Type
Knowing your skin type is imperative. Your skin type dictates your skincare routine, the type of skincare products you need, the ingredients you use, and how much you should use it.
Every skin type can benefit from moisturizing, but the devil’s in the details.
Dry and Problematic Skin Type
Dry skin needs a powerful moisturizer with a thick formula and a high concentration of active ingredients that can replenish the skin’s barrier to prevent moisture loss. Ointments and creams are a good choice. If your skin is dry, feel free to moisturize as much as you need to.
For extremely dry skin, an overnight moisturizing formula can be a lifesaver.
Moisturizing helps soothe symptoms of eczema, psoriasis, or rosacea. However, consult your doctor before adding any type of cosmetic products to your skincare routine. There are some excellent expert-approved formulas that your dermatologist can point you in the direction of.
Combination Skin Type
Combination skin is always tricky to handle. This is because separate parts of your face have different needs and might react differently to different products. If your T-zone becomes oilier and breaks out after moisturizing, go for a non-comedogenic, oil-free, and water-based moisturizer. Don’t use ointments or creamy moisturizers, even if the other parts of your face feel soft and smooth after. You might achieve better results with a more lightweight and balanced formula.
Try using different types of moisturizers for different parts of the face.
In any case, moisturizing your combination skin regularly is important. Moisturize your whole face after cleansing in the morning with a lightweight formula. Then, only apply moisturizer to drier areas when needed.
Oily and Acne-Prone Skin Type
Contrary to popular belief, oily skin needs moisturizing too, and you shouldn’t overlook it. This step can help with blemishes, reduce skin inflammation, and promote faster cell turnover - all of which are extremely beneficial to acne-prone skin.
Additionally, oily skin doesn’t necessarily mean soft skin. Excess oil and hydration are not the same thing! Your skin can be shiny and greasy even if your skin cells underneath are dehydrated and inflamed.
This is why you need an easily absorbed, water-based moisturizer to hydrate your skin after thoroughly cleansing it (which is also a crucial step for people with oily and acne-prone skin).
If you're looking for an effective acne moisturizer, try the Wrinkle-Free All Day Moisturizer.
Moisturizing Ingredients
Another important aspect to consider when deciding on a moisturizer is the active ingredients used in the formulation. Even the same type of moisturizers vary depending on the ingredients they contain and their concentration in the product.
This is extremely important because you might be allergic, or your skin might react negatively to some ingredients. You need to know how to choose a moisturizer that uses ingredients your skin loves. That way, you can experience the most benefits that moisturizing brings.
Types of Moisturizers
Your skin type dictates what type of moisturizer will bring you the most benefits.
Here’s a very brief summary of the types of moisturizers on the market. But if you really want to up your moisturizing game, check out the full guide on the types of moisturizers and how to choose your best fit.
- Creams - These are relatively heavyweight moisturizers that provide an amazing amount of hydration and keep the skin soft.
- Lotions - These lightweight moisturizers have a high content of water. They absorb easily and don’t make the skin greasy, which can be good for people with oily skin.
- Gels - This is another type of lightweight moisturizer that absorbs easily and provides a lot of hydration. Some gels contain alcohol which can be a problem for sensitive skin.
- Ointments - These are the heaviest and thickest types of moisturizers with a high content of oils.
Take your time to get to know your skin type and the moisturizer that will work best for you. Finding your perfect match will help you see the changes and fully experience the benefits of moisturizing your face daily.
Benefits of Moisturizing Your Face Every Day
Moisturizing Benefit #1: Prevent Dryness
Facial moisturizers help protect the skin barrier from irritation. According to dermatologists, it also aids in preventing the development of dry skin. A good moisturizer will protect your skin from cracking during the harsh weather.
Whether it’s the cold or hot weather, the frosty air or blazing heat, the hot showers you love, or frequent washing - these environmental factors can dry your skin and cause problems. Moisturizing the skin daily can counteract the effects of our everyday habits and the conditions in which we live and reduce the chances of developing skin problems.
Dermatologists always encourage people to moisturize their face after washing. This is because the moisturizer traps that water in the skin, which is needed for your body to prevent dryness.
Using the right moisturizer for your skin can help maintain its balance and support its optimal functioning.
Moisturizing Benefit #2: Youthful Skin
Moisturizing your face will help you look and feel younger, have a softer, more elastic complexion, and keep your skin hydrated.
Moisturizing the face daily offers protection against premature aging of the skin. You can always add additional anti-aging creams to target wrinkles and fine lines, but without moisturizing the face, you won't see any results.
This is because people with dry skin are more susceptible to damage, cracks, flaking, and peeling, which can become painful in extreme cases. Treating dry skin with moisturizer boosts the skin’s ability to repair itself, helps it produce enough collagen, keeps it tight and vibrant, and gives you a more youthful and smooth look.
Moisturizing Benefit #3: Healthy and Vibrant Appearance
As we age, our skin starts to lose the ability to heal itself, produce collagen, and replace dead skin cells. This results in a saggy, wrinkled, colorless complexion.
Additionally, the physiological processes within us can take a toll on our skin’s appearance. Genetics, hormonal changes, a deficit in nutrients, dehydration, stress, bacteria, and certain conditions can complicate things and cause acne outbreaks, discoloration, dry patches, blisters, ulcers, itchiness, redness, and other more or less severe damages.
Moisturizing daily won’t be a magical fix, but it can relieve many symptoms and improve the overall texture and look of the skin.
Your skin will lose the dull, flaky, and lifeless look, becoming healthier and more vibrant. Plus, good hydration improves blood circulation, bringing more color to your face.
Moisturizing Benefit #4: Faster Cell Turnover
Another benefit associated with moisturizers is improved cell function and quicker cell turnover.
Our skin constantly produces new skin cells deep within the dermis and replaces old, worn-out, and ill-functioning cells. As we age, this regeneration process slows down, and the imperfections of our skin become more permanent.
The good news is, today, you don’t have to depend on your natural cell turnover cycle to keep your complexion pure and help prevent acne flare-ups. You can encourage quicker cell turnover internally through diet and, topically through specific skincare products.
A lot of vitamins (especially vitamin A), minerals, and essential fatty acids have been linked to increased cell turnover. So, after cleansing and exfoliating the dead layer of the skin’s surface, apply a moisturizer rich in nutrients to feed the skin.
Moisturizing Benefit #5: No More Blemishes
When your skin has all the hydration it needs, you're left with a healthy, vital, and fresh-looking appearance. This glow can hide small imperfections on the skin and even out your skin tone. Many moisturizers contain tints and self-tanning agents that conceal blemishes, discoloration, redness, and dark spots.
So, aside from having smoother, softer skin, you can also get a more evened-out skin tone. Even if you use cosmetic products specifically targeted for blemishes and discoloration, don't forget that moisturizing is still an essential part of your skincare routine.
Moisturizing Benefit #6: Better Resilience Against UV Rays and Toxins
A good moisturizer can repair and protect the lipid barrier on the skin, which prevents toxins, pollutants, and other damaging environmental forces from harming the living cells beneath it. Occlusive moisturizers are the superstars when it comes to forming a barrier on the skin’s surface. The most popular representatives of this type of moisturizer include hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and mineral oil.
Many of the moisturizers on the market today come with an SPF to further protect the skin from harmful UV rays. You can even find products that combine moisturizer and typical sunscreens, which can be an amazing addition to your morning skincare routine. This will help protect against sunburns which can lead to skin cancer.
Moisturizing Benefit #7: Reduce Symptoms of Inflammation
The stratum corneum is the outermost layer of the skin, consisting of keratinized cells. It provides an antimicrobial, antioxidant, and UV barrier and is integral to maintaining skin hydration. Sometimes harsh environmental factors and skin conditions can compromise the function of the barrier and make the skin excessively dry, exposed, and vulnerable to pollutants and bacteria. This triggers the immune system to try and defend the body from the attacks, which leads to inflammation on the skin’s surface.
Additionally, as we age, inflammation increases, which complicates things even more.
In a small clinical study published in the journal of European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, the authors investigated how topical applications of an emollient can reduce the circulating pro-inflammatory cytokine levels on the skin. Results showed that applying moisturizer for 30 days reduced the levels of cytokines in the blood. But still, the authors advise that before making any conclusions, more studies must be carried out.
In the meantime, choose an anti-inflammatory moisturizer with natural ingredients or simply make your own.
Moisturizing Benefit #8: Soothe Sensitive Skin
People with sensitive skin know how difficult it is to keep your face safe from every little thing that might irritate it. Redness, itchy patches, rashes, swelling, and pimples every now and then are all too familiar.
When your sensitive skin becomes dry or oily, it will develop eczema, flakes, or breakouts. This is why it’s important to find a good moisturizer to keep it hydrated without making it greasy.
You can also pick up a moisturizer with skin-soothing ingredients like chamomile and aloe vera to ensure it won't irritate your face.
Moisturizing Benefit #9: A Natural Makeup Look
Have you ever tried to apply makeup on dry and flaky skin? The foundation highlights and contributes to more flakes, and your makeup feels like it might peel off at any moment.
To avoid all this and perfect your makeup look, you need to prepare the skin.
It all starts with cleansing. Clear the skin and get rid of dead skin cells and debris build-up that might tamper your goal of a more natural and radiant makeup look.
After this, you can moisturize! Moisturize the skin to soften it and prepare it for your makeup products. Moisturizing also forms a protective barrier between the makeup and your skin cells.
If you skip this step, you could end up with unblended makeup, irritation, and inflammation.
Additional Tips to Maximize the Benefits of Moisturizing
Use Your Hands - Not a Cotton Ball
The problem with makeup sponges, brushes, or cotton pads and balls is that they will absorb most of the moisturizer, and your face won’t get the hydration it needs.
Make sure your hands are completely clean. If you don’t wash your hands before applying moisturizer, you’re inviting bacteria that can cause all kinds of problems to your skin.
Moisturizer Comes After Cleansing and Exfoliating
The order of your skincare products affects their benefits. Always cleanse and exfoliate your skin first, and then apply an essence, tonic, serum, or moisturizer at the end. Your makeup comes after the moisturizer, which is kinda obvious, right?
If you’re not exactly sure what product to use next, think about the texture of the product. Lightweight, watery products come first, and heavy, concentrated, and oily products come after.
There are two reasons for this. Cleansing and exfoliating products are almost always light and watery. They open the pores, unclog them, and remove dead skin cells from the skin's surface. This helps the active ingredients from the heavier products absorb better and penetrate the skin deeper.
Moisturizers also form a protective barrier on the skin’s surface, blocking the effects of the cleansing and exfoliating products. That's why it needs to come last.
Apply to Damp Skin
The reason for this is that most moisturizers are amazing at locking in water. However, to do that, there must be water in the skin’s pores. Moisturizing dry skin will make the skin softer, but, if you apply the moisturizer on your damp skin, the benefits will be greater.
Use a SPF Moisturizer in the Morning
Sunscreen is not only for the summer. Experts recommend using protection all year round. This is because 80% of UVA rays penetrate the clouds and can still reach our skin.
If you’re not a fan of sunscreen's creamy texture, you can always protect the skin by using a moisturizer with an SPF factor. This applies even if you don’t go to the beach or the pool. Sometimes even a run in the morning can absorb a lot of sunlight.
Your Method of Application is Wrong
No matter the type of moisturizer you use, it should always be gently massaged when applying it to the face. Don’t use pressure, as this might irritate the skin. This is especially important for people with sensitive or problematic skin, eczema, inflamed acne lesions, and other conditions.
The product you’ll choose might be designed with the gentlest formula, but if there’s physical trauma to the skin, your symptoms will get worse, and your overall skin complexion will suffer.
The active ingredients from the moisturizer will be absorbed in the skin without you pressing hard. Just trust that the product is doing its job, and wait for the changes and improvements to occur naturally.
Final Thoughts
Our face is the softest and most exposed part of our body. That's why it's important to take good care of it.
Taking good care of the skin means investing time and effort in a personalized skincare routine for our skin type and needs. This is no easy task.
Moisturizing should be part of our daily skincare routine. The type of moisturizer you use and the ingredients in the formulation will heavily influence the outcomes of using a moisturizer daily.
Moisturizing prevents dryness, makes the skin look more youthful, hides signs of aging like wrinkles and discoloration, decreases inflammation in the skin, and protects it from external harmful agents.
Make sure you know how to moisturize properly to maximize the benefits and avoid common mistakes.
References
Moisturizers: The Slippery Road
The Role of Moisturizers in Addressing Various Kinds of Dermatitis
