Walk down the Cosmetic isle in any large store and look at their range of Face Moisturiser and I would not blame you for being confused! The selection is enormous and the Pro’s and Con’s for each product equally confusing! Let us try to take the mystery out of moisturisers!
Face Moisturiser – Why You Need One:
One of the most significant contributing factors, and possibly the main reason why you need to apply Face Moisturiser is due to the damage made to your skin by the weather! Hot or Cold, the impact it has on your face are enormous, if its too hot or to dry outside your skin will let you know it is suffering from the effects of the climate. Watch for the warning signs that your facial skin is having trouble coping with what the weather is doing to it. People tend to think their skin remains the same the whole year round; it doesn’t, the complexion of your facial skin will change with the seasons.
With the winter comes cold icy winds that can irritate delicate facial skin, this has a drying effect on the skin surface that removes the natural moisture from the facial skin, this can lead to itchy red patches and excess dead skin cells. We go indoors to escape the cold and turn up the central heating, great for warming the body but not doing that dry red skin any favors! All of this leads to the skin dehydrating from the dry air outside and inside.
So, with the problems our skin has suffered from the winter weather, we start to look forward to the warm, summer days in the hope it will help with the dry, irritated skin, not a chance! With the onset of summer, this brings some very different skin complications.
Summer Breakouts!
For some people acne seems to come alive in the hotter more humid days, this could be due to the increase in sweat and oil (sebum) by the sebaceous glands that clogs the pores so leading to spots and gives your skin a glaring, shiny appearance. We go indoors to escape the heat and cool down, hoping to alleviate the agitated spots brought on by the heat and sweat and turn up the air con, great for cooling down your hot face and body, but this dries out the skin and so irritates it even more!
We are in a constant battle to try to combat what the weather is doing to us when we are outdoors and create comfortable conditions our body likes and wants when we go indoors, and all the time remain kind to our facial skin.
It isn’t always easy to find a solution to help with this problem, but the one thing we have to relieve our tired, irritated facial skin is Moisturiser.
Read – Is Your Skin Sensitive or Sensitised? Do You Know The Difference?
What Day Moisturizer should I use?
Well as we have seen each season brings its unique problems, add to this the different skin types people have, and this goes part of the way to explaining why stores are so full with many kinds of Face Moisturizer.
Winter – 
Dry Skin. Look for an Occlusive moisturizer, an emollient-rich formulation. Your skin will be dehydrated, so you need to retain as much water in it as possible. An Occlusive moisturizer gives your skin a chance to re-hydrate.
Other ingredients you should look out for are:
- Ceramides – Jojoba oil
- Mineral Oil – Paraffinium liquidum
- Silicons – Cyclometicone
- Essential Fatty Acids
- Hyaluronice Acid
Important -Important – Any Moisturiser you buy to apply in the winter should have SPF30 or higher. Just because its winter, do not fall into the trap of thinking those harmful UVA and UVB rays are not causing skin damage. UV rays can cause fine lines, wrinkles and premature aging. SPF Moisturizers will protect delicate facial skin.
Summer – 
Oily Skin/Combination Skin/Acne Prone – Although you have oily skin you may think applying a moisturiser will make this worse, but it is essential to keep your skin hydrated. Look for a lightweight liquid consistency; this will help with the Sebaceous gland secretion and not block those pores, and help to prevent those skin breakouts that you are more prone to get in the summer months. Also consider oil-free, water.based makeup.
- Water Based
- Non-Comedogenic (won’t clog pores)
- Non-Acnegenic (prevent acne)
- Oil-free
- Look for ingredients like Glycerin
Important – Any Day Moisturizer should have SPF30 or higher for the summer. UVA and UVB rays cause skin damage. Moisturisers with Sun Protection Factor will protect delicate facial skin.
Dermalogica Skin Hydrating Booster will hydrate, smooth and minimise fine lines, restoring your skin’s moisture balance.
Dermalogica Daily Skin Health Hydrating Booster 30ml
Night Moisturiser:
It is essential to have a different Night Moisturiser, one that doesn’t contain SPF that your day moisturizer MUST have. Look for a Night Moisturiser that suits your skin type. Your night moisturizer will have skin-repairing ingredients that will work through the night and will create a softer, better-hydrated skin. It repairs the skin barrier that has been damaged by what the weather has thrown at it all day!
It will be working through the night to help make your skin look healthier and radiant the next day. Most night moisturizers are suitable to use around the eye area. Most people end their day with a relaxing bath or shower, so by applying a night moisturizer, it helps to replenish the moisture that has removed throughout the day. Using your night moisturizer should be the last step in your daily skincare routine.
What Suits You?
Finding what is best for you will take a bit of time and research. Knowing what your skin-type is it will indeed narrow things down a bit. Visiting some of the larger stores can help as they will have samples on display for you to try. It will allow you to feel the texture of different brands, find out if you prefer Gels or Liquids, everyone is different and what suits one person someone else simply couldn’t bear to have it on his or her skin!
Another good place to find out about different brands and products is on review pages on the internet. There is a very well known brand that is only available online; it is not possible to go and try any samples in any shop. By going to their website and reading reviews and feedback from customers, this will provide you with a lot of information and assistance to decide if the product would be suitable for you.
Moisturizer Mayhem!
The world of Face Moisturizers is humongous, too many to cover in one article that’s for sure! You can go organic, natural, tinted, tanning, gel, lotion, liquid and so on! All I can say is that it is imperative that you do use one in your daily defense against the elements. To find your perfect match may require a little trial and error. Good luck finding the one that suits you the best!
How do you choose your face moisturizer? Please leave any comments or questions below, and I will be happy to discuss them with you.
jo@yourskincarehelp.com