Pros and Cons of Skin Care Moisturizers

• Skin care moisturizers are good for any type of skin, but you need to choose the right product for your skin type
• Dry itchy skin can be stopped by making sure your skin retains a healthy level of moisture
• A good facial skin treatment sometimes starts at home with ingredients you can find in your very own kitchen

For people suffering from dry itchy skin, one of the most common recommendations is a skin care moisturizer. While this is often good advice, there are pros and cons to using moisturizers and you should be aware of these issues before making important decisions about your skin care.

Using Moisturizer Appropriately

One major benefit of skin care moisturizers is they help hold in moisture in our skin to prevent it from drying out. A common misconception is that these products actually add moisture to the skin but that’s not the case – they can only trap moisture in the skin not add moisture. Some people add moisturizer too frequently and don’t understand why their skin continues to be dried out but most of the problem stems from this misconception.

The best way to use skin care moisturizers is to apply them to damp skin, such as right after you finish your bath or after you wash your hands. When used correctly, these moisturizers can keep your skin from becoming too dry.

Picking the Right Products

While skin care moisturizers can do wonders for dry skin, they can be a bad combination for oily skin. Lathering on cream on top of oily skin can make it feel slick and can even help clog the pores leading to skin inflammation and breakouts. But that doesn’t mean people with oily skin don’t need to moisturize, too.

Oily skin can become dried out, too, and that can lead to a greater risk of breakouts. The solution is using a different type of moisturizer. Gel-based and lotion-based products are normally going to do a better job for oily skin than creams. They hold moisture in without adding too much lubrication to the skin. You can also find some moisturizers that include ingredients meant to dry up the oil without drying out the skin. Look for ingredients, such as salicylic acid, on the label.

Don’t Overdo It on the Face

Your face is one of the most likely places to have dry skin because of the environmental factors assaulting it daily and because of the products used to keep it clean. But if you use a moisturizer, you have to be careful because they can clog your pores and cause acne to develop.

One good idea for facial skin treatment is to skip store bought moisturizers and use some homemade facials to restore moisture without clogging pores. For example, you can combine one tablespoon of honey, an egg yolk, and a teaspoon of olive oil with a fork then rub onto your face with your fingers. Let the mixture (which will be a little sticky) stay on your skin for around fifteen minutes then rinse away with lukewarm water. If you’re using this in the winter when drying is a bigger problem, go ahead and add a little bit of moisturizer to your skin while it’s still damp.

Beautiful and healthy skin needs moisture. So whether you’re choosing the right facial skin treatment or a way to fight dry itchy skin on the rest of your body, remember to weigh the pros and cons of skin care moisturizers so you can choose the right product for your needs.

The information supplied in this article is not to be considered as medical advice and is for educational purposes only.