Moisturizers can be some of the most confusing items at the makeup
counter. If you're my age (let's just say, upper 20s) you probably want
a product that will keep your skin blemish-free and protected from
damage. If you're a little older, you're probably looking for a product
that will repair damage and help your skin cells function the way they
did when you were younger.
For a lot of people, especially those who live, like me, in the dry, cold
air that plagues the mid-west during the winter months, you need a good
moisturizer that does just that, moisturizes. In a lot of the hype
surrounding moisturizers, including claims like, "anti-aging," and
"anti-wrinkle," the industry sometimes loses sight of the fact that
moisturizers should first and foremost hydrate the skin. Lots of
not-so-good things happen in your skin's cells when they are not
hydrated. Dry skin can actually make you look older, and any fine lines you may have will only be accentuated by dehydrated skin. Dehydrated skin can also overcompensate and produce more oil, resulting in breakouts.
I have learned a lot about my skin from Paula Begoun, The
Cosmetics Cop, who learned a lot from Toni Stabille and her book, The
Great American Skin Game. It was Toni Stabille's efforts that exposed
some of the dangers of cosmetics and revealed to the general public the
tactics used by cosmetics company to sell their products.
I say all that so as to describe the importance of cell hydration in
the words of Begoun, who I think explains cell biology in terms even I,
a literature and writing graduate, can understand. She says it like
this in her book, Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me:
It turns out that skin cells usually have plenty of water if they don't
become damaged, and the water content of healthy skin typically ranges
from 10 to 30 percent. Once skin is irritated, overcleansed, exposed to
the sun, or dehydrated by air conditioning or indoor heaters, its
integrity is compromised and water loss ensues. This occurs when the
substances that keep the skin cells bound together to create the
surface structure we see as skin are depleted. (p. 15)
To really hydrate the skin, humectants are the star ingredients, as
they attract water from the dermis into the epidermis, increasing the
water content in your skin. It often seems counterintuitive that
splashing some water on your face will actually dry out your skin
rather than hydrate it, but this is exactly why you need your moisturizer to deliver hydration to any damages skin cells. Natural moisture ingredients like sodium PCA, linoleic acid, ceramides and
glycerin are naturally present in your skin's cell structure and are key
moisturizing ingredients. In her book, Don't Go to the Cosmetics
Counter Without Me, Begoun has an extensive list of natural
moisturizing factors. The Mayo Clinic also has a pretty
good outline of moisturizer ingredients and their functions.
Bottom line? If you suffer from seriously dry skin, which could cause
things like acne and other skin problems, a moisturizer without key humectant ingredients simply will not be able to deliver on the promise of
hydrating your skin.
And contrary to what you may hear from the lady at the cosmetics
counter, really the only difference in your night moisturizer and your
day moisturizer should be SPF. Your skin doesn't need anything at night
that it doesn't need during the day. At night, you obviously don't need
SPF, but for day wear, you should not even step outside your house to
get the newspaper without a moisturizer with SPF. I have mentioned
before here on Authentic Beauty that I like titanium dioxide as a
sunblocking ingredient because it has a low toxicity hazard rating,
which is always a good thing when you're applying creams to your skin,
and I use Kiss My Face's Face Factor Moisturizer.
Many times that product that looks and smells so good in the jar could
actually be irritating your skin. You definitely should not be picking
a moisturizer based on how it looks on tv or how it looks in the
packaging - look for the right ingredients.
Moisturizers can be some of the most confusing items at the makeup counter. If you're my age (let's just say, upper 20s) you probably want a product that will keep your skin blemish-free and protected from damage. If you're a little older, you're probably looking for a product that will repair damage and help your skin cells function the way they did when you were younger.
I have learned a lot about my skin from Paula Begoun, The Cosmetics Cop, who learned a lot from Toni Stabille and her book, The Great American Skin Game. It was Toni Stabille's efforts that exposed some of the dangers of cosmetics and revealed to the general public the tactics used by cosmetics company to sell their products.
I say all that so as to describe the importance of cell hydration in the words of Begoun, who I think explains cell biology in terms even I, a literature and writing graduate, can understand. She says it like this in her book, Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me:
It turns out that skin cells usually have plenty of water if they don't become damaged, and the water content of healthy skin typically ranges from 10 to 30 percent. Once skin is irritated, overcleansed, exposed to the sun, or dehydrated by air conditioning or indoor heaters, its integrity is compromised and water loss ensues. This occurs when the substances that keep the skin cells bound together to create the surface structure we see as skin are depleted. (p. 15)
To really hydrate the skin, humectants are the star ingredients, as they attract water from the dermis into the epidermis, increasing the water content in your skin. It often seems counterintuitive that splashing some water on your face will actually dry out your skin rather than hydrate it, but this is exactly why you need your moisturizer to deliver hydration to any damages skin cells. Natural moisture ingredients like sodium PCA, linoleic acid, ceramides and glycerin are naturally present in your skin's cell structure and are key moisturizing ingredients. In her book, Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me, Begoun has an extensive list of natural moisturizing factors. The Mayo Clinic also has a pretty good outline of moisturizer ingredients and their functions.
Bottom line? If you suffer from seriously dry skin, which could cause things like acne and other skin problems, a moisturizer without key humectant ingredients simply will not be able to deliver on the promise of hydrating your skin.
And contrary to what you may hear from the lady at the cosmetics counter, really the only difference in your night moisturizer and your day moisturizer should be SPF. Your skin doesn't need anything at night that it doesn't need during the day. At night, you obviously don't need SPF, but for day wear, you should not even step outside your house to get the newspaper without a moisturizer with SPF. I have mentioned before here on Authentic Beauty that I like titanium dioxide as a sunblocking ingredient because it has a low toxicity hazard rating, which is always a good thing when you're applying creams to your skin, and I use Kiss My Face's Face Factor Moisturizer.
Many times that product that looks and smells so good in the jar could actually be irritating your skin. You definitely should not be picking a moisturizer based on how it looks on tv or how it looks in the packaging - look for the right ingredients.