Using a moisturizer is the most important thing you can do for your aging skin. This is because dehydration is the main reason why we develop wrinkles. It is even more important than aging, smoking and sun exposure. This is because the skin can only stay smooth when the skin cells are filled with water.
It is a little bit like what happens when you leave a peach on the kitchen table for too long. All of a sudden, the flesh of the peach gets softer and before you know it, the surface of the peach will develop wrinkles. The same thing happens with your skin if you don’t use a moisturizer. And, no, it isn’t true, that drinking enough water will keep your skin moisturized. Research has shown that adding moisture to the surface of the skin is way more effective when it comes to keeping your skin hydrated.
Is Oil a Moisturizer?
I also want to debunk another myth. Many people have a misconceived idea that oil is moisturizing! I have even heard people from other skin care companies criticize formulas that contain water, telling people that such products is a waste of money. Nothing can be further from the truth!
The skin cells need two things – water AND oil, but water is what moisture truly is! Not oil! Oil can repair and regenerate the lipid barrier in the skin cells and make your skin feel softer. But, if your cells have low water levels, oil is not going to plump up your skin cells and make your skin more moisturized! It will simply protect the skin from losing water, but your skin can still be dehydrated under your oily products!
What is Hydration?
For hydration to happen, you need to add WATER! And the best way to add water is to combine the water with hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid can hold water in your skin cells just like those little crystals that you can add to your flower pots when you don’t want the soil to dry out too fast. Hyaluronic acid is the best moisturizing agent on the market. It can actually increase the water levels in your skin cells, and plump your dry cells right back up again. As a result, it will make small lines and wrinkles go away, or at least become less visible.
How to Get the Most out of Your Moisturizer
You can make your moisturizer work even better if you combine it with face oil or a heavier cream or balm. As a rule, the thinnest product goes on first, so you put the serum on first. Then you add face oil, to repair the lipid barrier and prevent evaporation of water. If your skin still feels dry, you can use a face cream instead of the oil. The richest of all the creams is the mature skin cream, which is more like a balm, then a cream. Your foundation can go on top of everything else.
So, the more mature your skin is, the more layers you need. Younger skin may only need one layer, while more mature skin needs at least 2-3 layers to stay supple. Feeling confused about what products to use? Try my FREE BEAUTY QUIZ HERE and you’ll get a personalized list of products that will work for you.
Photo by fred tromp on Unsplash
