Moisturizing is arguably one of the most important steps in anyone’s skincare routine but it is one step that is quite often taken out of context. There are many misconceptions all of which can cause your skin to be dehydrated or even oily though not possible, or not as healthy as it ought to be. In this blog post, we will explore the popular myths concerning skincare products and moisturizing as a whole and give you more than a few practical pieces of advice on how to moisturize your skin correctly. This crucial process will afford you sufficient information on the need for proper hydration and why some skincare products are essential.
Why Moisturizing Is Important
Before delving into myths about skin lotions and potions, let us take a step back and explore the need for any, and in particular, an oil-free moisturizer as part of our skincare regime. Moisturizers assist in helping a person keep their epidermal water loss in check which in turn increases the resilience of the epidermis against environmental aggressors such as pollution and extreme temperatures. No matter if your skin is oily, dry, or combination, a suitable cream can help even your complexion out without exposing it to such dangers as dull skin, blemishes, or aging signs.
Common Myths of Moisturizing
Myth 1: Oily Skin Doesn’t Need Moisturizer
One of the frequently asked questions is why people having oily skin require moisturizer when in fact it makes skin more oily. In actuality, oily skin requires hydration, but so does dry skin. The greatest mistake that one can make is refusing to apply a moisturizer; it may lead to even thicker oily skin as the body compensates for the absence of moisturizing products.
How to Moisturize Oily Skin: Use a light, non-comedogenic, or gel-based moisturizer that provides moisture without clogging pores. Look for products with non-comedogenic ingredients that control oil production in skin.
- Best Moisturizers for Oily Skin: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel
Myth 2: Drinking Water Is More Than Enough For The Skin
Cupping is not only important for maintaining your overall health by drinking water as remains inexpensive. It is certainly not the way to keep your skin infrared. To repair itself, the skin needs to be watered with moisturizing factors not with water but with oils. After hours of staying in dry air or outside in the sun having used a number of cleansers, your skin will be dry and water will not help in this regard.
How to Hydrate the Skin: Besides drinking to quench thirst and drinking more than required, use a moisturizer with humectants e.g. hyaluronic acid and glycerin which will help to attract water to the skin and emollients which will prevent water loss.
- What are the Best Ingredients for Hydration: These include hyaluronic acid, glycerin, ceramides, and aloe Vera.
Myth 3: You Only Need to Moisturise in Winter.
Most people will only consider moisture as an aspect of skincare that is needed only when it’s cold and the skin feels dry. This is because one tends to associate everything dryness with cold weather. However, no matter the weather hits summertime with the air conditioning and sun exposure, moisture application should still be done more often than not. It does not only take winter air to suck out water from the skin.
What to Apply for Moisturizing all the Year Round: In the hotter months, use these moisturizers with lesser thickness and if possible, breathe to the skin inside the oil layer instead of on top of it as it tends to lacquer oily skin. In winter months use heavier and thicker creamy moisturizers to counter dry skin.
- Best Moisturisers for the Summer: La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Moisturizer
- Best Moisturisers for the Winter: Eucerin Advanced Repair Cream
Myth 4: The More Moisturizer One Applies, The Better
However, drowning the skin in as much moisturizer and any type of product or lotion for that matter doesn’t guarantee better hydration of the skin. In fact, applying moisturizer more often and using more thickeners makes such a mess and congests the pores which causes a breakout. It will also progressively lead to a condition best known as ‘moisture overload’ where the epidermis stops producing sebum and relies on external sources of moisture only.
How to Moisturize Correctly: For most, a single pea of cream can be used for the entire face. You are advised to apply it two times; morning and evening, after you have washed and toned the skin. If noon approaches and your skin feels like a dry patch, rather than just putting on moisturizer, one could carry a mist spray to refresh the skin.
- Best Practices for Application: Apply the moisturizer and using circular motions rub it gently into the skin in an upward direction to promote blood circulation and absorption.
Myth 5: Healthy or Natural Oils Are Enough for Hydration of the Skin
This will help to lock every drop of moisture in your skin. However, while oils are good for locking in moisture, they should never be treated like a real moisturizer. Oils are occlusive in nature meaning they hold water in place but do not hydrate. Without putting on moisturizers, if you use oils, they will just add gunk to your skin.
How to Use Oils Correctly: It is best to apply a hydrating serum or a hydrating cream first before applying a few drops of any facial oil. In this way your skin will still get the moisture it needs while still being able to take advantage of the benefits oils provide in terms of nourishment and protection.
- Best Facial Oils for Moisture: HBNO Jojoba Oil
Myth 6: All moisturizers are the same.
Most people have naively believed that there’s no need to look further into what kind of moisturizer to buy as long as you have one. Most, if not all, moisturizers are not “one size fits all”. The appropriate moisturizer is determined by a person’s skin type and specific problems like of excess dryness dirt oily skin or even aging.
How to Pick the Right Moisturiser: There is no best moisturizer for everyone, and it is important to realize this. Knowing your type of skin is essential in reaching for the best moisturizer. For the dry skin, thick creams that contain ceramides and fatty acids are ideal. Light petrolatum, oil-free, and ethyl acrylate products are ideal for oily / acne prone skin. Deodorant-free and non-comedogenic gentler formulations are best for sensitive skin.
- Best Moisturisers for Dry Skin: CeraVe Moisturizing Cream
- Best Moisturisers for Oily Skin: La Roche-Posay Effaclar Mat
- Best Moisturisers for Sensitive Skin: Aveeno Calm + Restore Oat Gel Moisturizer
Conclusion
The process of moisturizing the skin may appear simple, yet many misconceptions can result in incorrect hydration. There are many oily, dry, and combination skin types, each of which can be effectively managed using the most suitable products and practices. It goes without saying that to achieve good skin hydration, one does not simply have to buy a moisturizer but rather learn how to hydrate whatever their skin, environment, and skin condition demands.
There are common misconceptions surrounding moisturizers which when avoided along these guidelines will promise healthy moisture balance of the skin throughout the year. Thus, the next time you are about to grab your moisturizer, at least one thing will be clear to you and that is how to apply the cream in the healthiest way possible and bring back the softness and glow of the skin back.
