5 WAYS OF SKIN MOISTURISATION FOR YOUTHFUL LOOKING SKIN June 15, 2020 – Posted in: Beauty – Tags: , , , , ,

Do you know that hydration and moisturisation are actually different? Hydration refers to the water content of the skin, whereas moisturisation is the skin’s ability to retain those water molecules. Do you know that you not only have to hydrate your skin but you must also prevent water loss?

A few months ago, I had a customer who was in her forties. She told me that she wanted to achieve the same plump and firm look that she had observed of my skin. She told me that whenever she used a hydrating mask, she could see that her skin was plumped up instantly but only temporary. She used only a pea size of moisturiser and did not like to apply any oil to her face.

I told her that her hydrating mask contains humectants, which can provide a temporary plumping, smoothing, and hydrating effect but they are unable to repair damage to her skin’s protective barrier, which is the main cause of water loss.

I told her that a good skincare routine must also include adequate use of moisturiser and oil, in order to retain water molecules. I ended up sharing with her the following 5 ways of moisturising the skin, which I’m preaching. I told her that she must have all the 5 Ways of Skin Moisturisation in her skincare products.

The first 4 are traditional ways to moisturise the skin by many brands out there in the market. I add on a 5th way, based on my own experiences with Esse Probiotic Skincare. There you have – the 5 Ways of Skin Moisturisation…

 

(1) Make a film on the skin

If we add substances (occlusives) that create a “film” on the skin, it reduces the amount of water our skin loses into the air. Some brands use paraffin, which is a very common ingredient, but I do not recommend as it is derived from petroleum. Choose brands that take a more natural approach with jojoba oil or squalane.

 

(2) Moisturise the surface of the skin

There are many ways to moisturise only the surface of the skin using traditional ingredients (humectants) like urea, allantoin, floral and plant extracts like mallow, aloe vera and calendula etc. Other solutions include seaweed, amino acids, big molecule hyaluronic acid and collagen, which can provide a temporary plumping, smoothing, and hydrating effect.

 

(3) Fill in the spaces between skin cells

When the spaces between skin cells are filled in, the skin instantly becomes stronger and more elastic, and harmful things like bacteria cannot penetrate it easily. This is fantastic for strengthening and protecting sensitive skin. Natural ingredients (emollients) such as shea butter, avocado oil, sweet almond oil, wheat germ oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil and so on can repair the oils that fill the spaces between our skin cells, and thereby repairing the barrier function at the same time.

 

(4) Boost skin health with skin foods

Deep hydration by helping the skin to repair sun damage and ageing skin, stimulating the production of collagen and elastin. This can be achieved by adding skin foods such as vitamins and oils rich in unsaturated fatty acids – commonly called omega -3, -6 and -9, like corn oil, soy bean oil, sesame oil, marula oil and kalahari melon oil, to our skincare regime, and using low molecular weight hyaluronic acid to penetrate into the skin.

 

(5) Maintain healthy skin microbiome

This is the approach taken by Esse Probiotic Skincare by using probiotics and prebiotics to slow ageing by improving moisture retention and reducing the rate of elastin and collagen degradation. Our skin is protected from pathogenic microbes. Probiotic microbes produce hyaluronic acid which is an intensely moisturising active. Our skin pH is kept balanced by the lactic acid produced by the microbes to retain moisture on the skin. Barrier function, which is critical to skin health, is strengthened. The immune response of skin cells is being regulated to reduce sub-clinical inflammation and slows ageing. Esse’s proprietary prebiotic mix includes inulin, alpha-glucan oligosaccharides, Yacon Root extract and others to favour the growth of beneficial skin microbes.

 

CONCLUSION

The above may sounds very technical but the message is that you need to use all the 5 Ways of Skin Moisturisation to have long-lasting healthy, glowing and youthful looking skin.

Hence, I always advocate layering different types of serums, the use of masks, the use of moisturisers and also the use of facial oils.

Still confused or want to know more? Contact me for advice on what kind of skincare product combinations are most suitable for your skin concerns.

 

About the Author

June Lin is the founder of Juneberries Haven.