Learn Why Facial Moisturizers Need To Contain All Natural Ingredients
Facial moisturizers are an important part of any beauty regimen. In order to get the most benefits from a moisturizer, you need to learn which ingredients are actually moisturizing. If you don’t know which ingredients are best, this article will help.
The skin’s natural moisturizer is water. The oil produced by the sebaceous glands deep within the skin helps to hold the water in the skin’s cells, but excessive sebum builds up and has an odor. So, we wash it away.
One purpose of a moisturizer is to replace the normal function of sebum. If well designed, the cream will help to hold moisture in the skin’s cells. This is important for several reasons.
First, it resolves dryness issues. Itchy dull-looking skin is indicative of excessive dryness.
Second, it helps to reduce and prevent wrinkles and sagging. When the cells are full of moisture, they look fuller and firmer. Wrinkles are less noticeable, if they are present at all.
The average facial cream contains petrolatum or mineral oil. Those ingredients are not similar to the skin’s own sebum, so they cause problems. They cannot be used by people with oilier complexions. Nor can they be used by people with acne, because they contribute to inflamed and clogged pores.
Natural, plant-based oils are the best. Petrolatum and mineral oil are derived from petroleum byproducts. It’s basically like putting motor oil on your face.
Grape seed oil is one of the plant-based oils that make good daytime moisturizers. The oil is lightweight and very similar on a molecular level to sebum.
For nighttime use, Shea butter works well. It is nearly identical to sebum, in terms of the fatty acid content. When oils are similar to sebum, they are well accepted by the skin.
A facial cream can do more than moisturize, if it contains the right ingredients. For example, antioxidants help to prevent and repair free radical damage, which is a cause of wrinkles and age spots.
Here are a few other examples.
The active form of the protein keratin can help to stimulate the production of new skin cells, something that normally slows down with age. Extracts from a kind of seaweed called wakame kelp can help to protect the skin’s hyaluronic acid levels, which also tend to become lower with age.
Dermatologists say that the use of good facial moisturizers is something that is often overlooked. Assuming it contains good ingredients, the creams can do more than any other skincare product.