Some people think that all moisturisers on the market are basically the same. The same ingredients. The same consistency. The same type of packaging. This is definitely not so.
Moisturisers differ a great deal from brand to brand, and for sound reasons. It is simply not possible to create a moisturising product that all skin conditions and types respond to equally. There is no “one size fits all” solution when it comes to skin care.
Society is not a homogeneous unit, though. What may prove to be an ideally suited moisturising product for one person will almost inevitably not be the most suited for another person.
Also, each one of us has our own unique set of circumstances.
Modes of employment will differ from person to person. One person employed in an industrial factory with dusty, dry air will have greatly different skin moisturising requirements to another person who sees most of their working day surrounded by plants in the great outdoors.
The weather plays an important part in any skin care routine as well. A moisturiser that is appropriate for the Spring or Summer is unlikely to be the most effect moisturiser to use during the colder winter months.
When looking to buy a moisturising product you should realise that they are basically divided into 3 groupings. Namely, creams, lotions and the newer innovation of the mousse based products. So, what are the main differentiating factors that divide these groupings? Further, for each grouping, what are their main benefits and drawbacks?
Creams are invariable dominated by their main ingredient, which is petroleum jelly.
The father, metaphorically speaking, of petroleum jelly, or Vaseline as it more commonly known, is the dregs of the oil industry. The origins literally spring from an unwanted waste product, rod wax, that tends to congeal around the top of the pump rods in traditionally built oil wells. This very same rod wax was the foundation of a barrier cream that was originally patented by chemist Robert Chesebrough in 1872. Indeed, at the time, Chesebrough claimed that his product was something of a wonder “cure all”, suggesting that it should be ingested regularly to ward off and protect against all kinds of bodily ailments. The trade name that Chesebrough choose for his new formulation was Vaseline. A somewhat perfunctory name since the copious amounts of rod wax that Robert Chesebrough stored were held in everyday household vases. Hence “vase – line” – “elaion” is the etymological Greek root for “oil”.
It is this petroleum jelly that is responsible for the majority of moisturising creams being heavy and greasy. Whilst providing a thick coating for your skin, creams may be unsuitable, especially on the hands, as they can leave your skin slippery. Heavy moisturising creams also have the tendency to clog the pores or your skin. These characteristics also make the use of heavy moisturising creams inadvisable on any area of skin that displays symptoms of acne. Sticky cream products can also cause other problems. For instances when used on the hands for tasks that involve wearing gloves for an extended time. In these circumstances, the glove material can rub the cream residue into clumps around your finger joints.
Thick and greasy moisturising creams are often thought to be more suited to winter use when dry skin can be a major concern.
Lotions, on the other hand, consist of little or no petroleum jelly at all. Hence, the less gummy and sticky nature of lotions make them easier to rub over your skin. Apart from water, or aqua as it is often listed as, their main constituents will commonly be an oil such as Olive oil or the oil of the Sunflower. Indeed, documentary evidence shows that the use of Olive oil associated with skin care stretches back approximately 6,000 years. It was widely used by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans for a variety of purposes.
Perhaps the chief downside of using a lotion is that, after application, a general feeling of stickiness often continues for a prolonged time. The high oil content can be slow to dry and this leaves many people with an unpleasant slimy feeling. The relatively high oil content can also be problematical for people already blessed with a naturally oily skin.
Thus, moisturising lotions are widely thought to be more appropriate for use during the warmer times of the year.
The almost inevitable evolution of the skin care sector, with the introduction of mousse based products, has recently taken place. Many people hold the opinion that mousse based products have superseded traditional creams and lotions. By their very nature, mousse products are light to the touch and take little effort to apply. A mouse formulation will also spread much easier and evenly over your skin. For this reason, a smaller quantity is needed per application. This results in your epidermis being able to breathe naturally and perspire normally. People with dry skin, or skin that is sore or chapped may also find that a mousse is less painful to apply as it does not need vigorous rubbing in.
On the negative side, most mousses come as aerosols which has traditionally received a bad press as they were linked to ozone destroying CFC chemicals – this, however, ceased to be a problem with technological advances that were implemented some ten years ago – although this ceased to be the case with widespread legislation that was enacted 10 years or more ago. Further, aerosols will most likely use Butane and this has a history of being associated with teenage substance abuse.
Mousse barrier and moisturising brands are widely used by people as a year round solution to their dry skin problems.
Whichever moisturising product you eventually settle upon, never forget to apply it regularly. Your skin is yours for life, look after it and it will serve you well..
