Available in a jar or a tube and applied once or twice a day, moisturizers seem simple to use. However, that may be deceptive: if you’re doing it wrong, you can’t expect to gain much from moisturizing. Used incorrectly, moisturizing is as beneficial as a bottle of multivitamins sitting in your cupboard that never gets opened. Yes, that’s right! Basically, it’s not doing much if you don’t apply it the right way.
Applying moisturizer correctly boosts skin’s hydration, forms a protective layer, adds nutrition, prevents dullness, and makes the skin glow. Done properly, the process of moisturizing allows anti-aging ingredients to do a better job.
If you want to correct your moisturizing process, you may need to learn from the information mentioned in this blog post. With simple, small tweaks to your routine, you can prevent your skin from being dry and dull. All you have to do is to follow these simple rules. If you’re looking for the best dry skin skincare, the information will help you a lot:
Choose the right product
The process begins with the search for the right product. Look for a product that truly moisturizes your skin, not one that just adds some oil to it. There are three types of moisturizing ingredients, and products may contain a variety of them. Note that different ingredients may be classified as more than one type of moisturizer.
| Type | How they work | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Humectants | Attract water from atmosphere or the deeper layers of the skin to the surface. | glycerin (glycerol) hyaluronic acid honey jojoba sorbitol urea alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs) |
| Occlusives | Create a barrier over the skin to reduce loss of water from the skin cells. They are typically greasy to the touch. | carnauba beeswax squalene lanolin petrolatum (derived from gasoline, e.g. Vaseline) mineral oil paraffin silicone derivatives (e.g. dimethicone or cyclomethicone). |
| Emollients | Smooth and soften the skin by filling in the space between skin cells (cracks in the skin barrier) with lipids | shea butter cocoa butter squalene castor oil propylene glycol dimethicone |
Some occlusives and emollients may be quite thick and lead to clogged pores, so should be avoided if you have acne. Moisturizers don’t label their ingredients by type, so it’s a good idea to try to remember the most common examples of each type. And certain moisturizing ingredients have questionable safety data or are associated with unwanted effects. Those we don’t recommend are colored red in the table.
Layer the product in a strategic way
It’s very important to combine the right products with your moisturizer that work most effectively on your skin. Do not forget to layer products strategically: start with the thinnest consistency of products, followed by thicker ones and ending with the heaviest one. After cleansing, apply serums first (starting with the thinnest one), followed by the oils, and then creams. One major exception is sunscreen, which should be applied last, even if it’s not a particularly thick product. If you are applying a physical sunscreen (e.g. a mineral sunscreen containing zinc) before you moisturize, you are doing it wrong as the minerals will block absorption of the moisturizer into your skin.
The best time to moisturize
If you put moisturizer on your skin right after showering or washing your face, the lotion will slide right off your wet skin. The best way to get the most from the moisturizing process is by applying the moisturizer when the skin is not wet but just damp. This state is achieved immediately after towel drying. If you’re left with excess product after moisturizing, you’re probably using too much. On the other hand, if you are unable to spread it everywhere, you need more.
Do not forget the neck—and stroke upwards!
There is no reason to stop moisturizer at your jawline. Use it on your neck, décolleté, and hands as well. And remember, always use upward strokes when applying moisturizer to your face and neck (to combat the effects of gravity on your skin), using a gentle massaging technique that improves blood circulation in the skin, minimizes puffiness, and helps absorb the most moisturizer.
Alter your routine depending on the season
During the driest part of the year (whether that’s summer or winter, depending on where you live), you may need to increase the moisturizing capability of your skin care products, and choose one that is particularly suited to very dry skin. Synergie Skin has a number of different moisturizers that are suited to different skin types. For example, Reclaim Age Management moisturizer is perfect for those with aging skin, while Hydrolock Intense Moisturizer is one of the best moisturizers for dry skin. For those with combination skin, BrightEnlite Milk Moisturizer is the moisturizer of choice. And if you have oily/acneic skin, Hydrogel (which is oil-free) is the answer to your moisturizing needs. You can find all these products in Skin Elegance’s online store, or by using Search tool.
Follow all these steps and revamp the quality of your skin. Good luck!
