Part 3
Exposure to harsh winter weather and dry air means skin moisturizers are a must!
Dry Skin Care Step 2
Moisturizing: Even if your perfect at follow my cleansing recommendations in Part 2, you’re going to need moisturizers. Here, the big news is timing and product quality. Moisturizers work by holding water inside the layers of your skin right after you bathe. The water evaporates fast so you must apply moisturizers within 3 minutes after toweling off! Simple but key.
Product quality is more complicated. The most effective moisturizers add oil, bind water and strengthen the skin barrier.
- The most common oil ingredients are petrolatum and mineral oil. Natural and food based oils include shea butter, jojoba oil and sesame seed oil.
- Water binding ingredients include glycerin (as in Glycolyx Elite Facial Cream and Intensive Hand Cream), lanolin or wool alcohol (Bag Balm and Eucerin products), hyaluronic acid (Replenix CF Cream) and the alpha hydroxy acids (AHA’s) lactic acid (Amlactin Cream) and glycolic acid (Glycolyx Elite Facial Cream 15% and Glytone products)
- Barrier strengthening ingredients work by tightening the outermost cell layer of the skin called the stratum cornium. They make the skin smooth and polished. My favorite barrier enhancing ingredients are the alpha hydroxy acids (AHA’s). My elbows are velvety soft after years of using Glytone Body Lotion. For the face, I like Glycolyx Elite Facial Cream 15% (normal skin) and Glytone Facial Cream #2 (dry skin). You need to know that AHA’s can be irritating to chapped skin. For chapped skin, moisturize for a month or two first with a gentle non-AHA moisturizer (such as Glycolyx Elite Facial Cream, Nivea Cream or Dr. Hauschka’s Rose Body Moisturizer or Rose Day Cream).
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