What's The Best Moisturizer For Your Skin Type?
How do you know your moisturizer is ‘the one’ – not too thick, not too thin, not too oily, but just about right? Well, it’s not rocket science, you just need to a) understand your skin type and b) know your way around a few choice ingredients. Let’s get on that.
Moisturizing is a fundamental part of any successful skincare regime. Every day you cleanse, perhaps you tone (or not!), you treat your skin with an eye cream and serum, then you moisturize and, in the mornings, finish with sunscreen. Because that’s the kind of skincare pro you are. And we love you for that.
But just how much do you know about what’s inside your moisturizer? And are all those ingredients really doing the best they can for your skin type or maybe, just maybe, is your moisturizer a tad shy of your skin’s true needs?
To help you find the correct moisturizer, first you need to know your skin type.
The best way to do this is to study your skin in the mirror, when it’s completely free of makeup or skincare products. Cleanse your face with a mild formulation like Soothing Cleansing Milk, then gently pat it dry with a clean, cotton towel and leave it be. After about an hour, examine your skin and touch it with clean hands to discover how it looks and feels.
Does it feel tight, itchy and look a little flaky in places? Then it’s DRY. Does it look shiny and feel greasy to the touch? Then it’s OILY. Is it a mixture of the two; dry and tight in areas, and greasy in others? Then it’s COMBINATION. And finally, does it feel pretty darn great all over, with no dryness or oiliness? Then you have NORMAL skin. And we’re not jealous at all. Honestly.
It’s also worth noting that other issues you may think are your skin type, are not. Sensitive skin for example, can be dry OR oily. And the same goes for acne-prone skin. This means that anything other than dry, normal, oily and combination is a skin condition, rather than a type, usually as a result of factors like aging, your hormones, elevated stress or the products you put on your skin.
OK, so now you know how to determine your skin type, let’s have a look at your moisturizing besties shall we?
Dry Skin
If you have dry skin, moisturizer is arguably the most important product for you to get right. After all, the very definition of dry skin is the lack of natural sebum (oil) which is so important for keeping skin soft, supple and moisturized.
So what should your skin be soaking up? Well, the key for you is to use gentle products that are rich and buttery to strengthen and fortify your barrier function and help your skin retain moisture while stopping irritants from breaking through. Heavier formulations that contain occlusive ingredients are your true friends because these create a seal over the top of your skin, substituting for your lack of sebum and locking in hydration.
Look out for things like shea butter, coconut oil, ceramides, glycerin and olive oil – and, of course, avoid anything that’s going to cause further dryness such as synthetic fragrances, harsh alcohols and parabens.
Try: Vitamin C Brightening Moisturizer
Oily Skin
If you have oily skin it’s tempting to want to skip moisturizer altogether. Massive mistake. When you fail to moisturize oily skin, your sebaceous glands think your skin is dry so they go into overdrive, producing even more sebum to compensate for the moisturization which is lacking. The result? Way too much oil that can build up in your pores if you’re not careful, causing potential breakouts.
The key for moisturizing oily skin types is to keep it light by looking for thinner formulations like lotions and gels. You want to avoid heavy, occlusive ingredients like butters and heavy oils because these trap oil into the skin making it feel greasy and sticky. Instead, go big on humectants to add hydration (think hyaluronic acid, aloe vera and glycerin) and combine these with gentle emollients to seal in moisture without blocking your pores. Jojoba oil is a great emollient that's noncomedogenic and ideal for oily skin types.
Try: Firming Collagen Day Lotion
Combination Skin
Looking after combination skin can feel like an impossible task. If you concentrate on the dry areas are you going to make the oily ones even oilier? And vice versa? Some people swear by using two separate moisturizers to target the different areas of their face – one light, gel-based formula for the t-zone and a richer, oil-based cream for drier areas. But this is a real effort. Not to mention crazy expensive.
Similar to oily skin types, a better (and cheaper!) option is to go for a noncomedogenic moisturizer that contains humectants to draw water into the skin and emollients to lock it there. Avoid harsh ingredients which could upset the balance of your skin and go all-in on antioxidants like vitamin C and green tea to help protect your skin from environmental damage.
And if you find this isn’t quite enough to moisturize your dry areas? Keep it light in the daytime and amp it up overnight with a rich, nourishing night cream like our Vitamin C Deep Hydration Night Cream.
Try: Renewing Longevity Moisturizing Cream
Normal Skin
If your barefaced skin shows zero signs of dryness or oiliness then you seriously hit the skin jackpot because you’re graced with normal, balanced skin. This is the type of skin everyone else would die for because it’s able to maintain just the right level of moisture. But this doesn’t mean you should neglect it – dehydration, temporary oiliness and breakouts can still hit you at any time. And of course, skin is always going to age, whatever your skin type, but especially if you don’t look after it properly and protect it from the daily perils of UV radiation, pollution and friends.
Normal skin can get away with most moisturizing formulations, but make sure yours contains ingredients that draw in water and hold it there. Vitamin E is great for that. And if you really want to up the ante, look for active ingredients that offer your skin so much more. Retinol, for example, works great in moisturizers and is awesome for normal, aging skin because it works at a deep, cellular level to improve collagen and encourage turnover.
Try: Retinol Moisturizer
Tips For Getting The Most From Your Moisturizer
Now you know what to look for, here’s how to apply your product for the best results, every time…
1. Apply moisturizer to damp skin
Your skin needs plenty of hydration to remain healthy so maximize all that free water from cleansing or toning by moisturizing your face while it’s still a little damp.
2. Moisturize AFTER applying serum
If serum plays a major role in your routine, apply this while your skin is still damp, then leave it for a minute or so before applying moisturizer last. Serums have a smaller molecular size than moisturizers which means they sink in super fast. However, this does mean they have to be applied before moisturizer, otherwise they won’t get through to the surface of your skin.
3. Use the correct amount
Piling oceans of moisturizer onto your face and neck won’t make it work better, it’ll just overload your skin. Instead, use a small amount as instructed on the label and if you feel it’s too moisturizing, or not moisturizing enough, you’re using the wrong formulation. Simple as.
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![5 Unusual Things That Can Trigger Breakouts]()
No idea why you’re getting an influx of acne right now? Many lifestyle habits can trigger your breakouts – and sometimes they’re found in the most unsuspecting places.
As you know, acne is caused by one thing and one thing alone: an excess of sebum that causes your pores to become blocked with oil, dead skin cells, bacteria and other impurities. Eating too much chocolate doesn’t give you pimples. Neither does moisturizer. Sure, they can trigger breakouts if you’re genetically susceptible to them, but acne isn’t caused by uncleanliness, a poor diet or crummy skincare routine. It’s caused by blocked pores. End of.
OK, so this begs the question: why bother trying to cure them if your breakouts are totally out of your control? Well, here’s the thing. You can’t change your genes, that’s for certain. However, what you can do is keep acne-triggering factors under control to help lessen the blow. Sleeping well, reducing emotional stress and eating a healthy, well-balanced diet; all these things are important for maintaining balanced sebum and therefore reducing the likelihood of you breaking out week after week.
But there are also some less obvious reasons why you face might be suffering with regular breakouts. So if you’ve already dispensed with things like smoking, poor cleansing and too much exfoliation, but you’re still getting pimples on the reg, it might be time to look at some of the more unexpected areas of your life.
On that note, read on for five slightly more unusual causes for your breakouts.
1. Your Pillowcase
Getting enough beauty sleep is crucial for the health of your skin, but if you’re sleeping on a dirty pillowcase for a solid eight hours every night dirt and bacteria is inevitably going to build up and irritate your pores. This is especially true if you sleep on a synthetic pillowcase because man-made fibers don’t absorb sweat as effectively as natural fibres like cotton or linen.
The answer? Go natural all the way, for starters. Also, cleanse and moisturize your skin before bed to reduce the amount of grime getting on your pillowcase. Tea Tree Super Cleanser+ is a great acne-fighting cleanser that balances and clarifies your pores. Follow this with Retinol Moisturizer to lightly hydrate and moisturize your skin while boosting cellular turnover to keep your pores free of dead skin cells.
Finally, wash your pillowcase every three or four days. And ditto, your face towel. Old, dirty towels that are used by the whole family for drying their hands and who-knows-what-else are another breeding ground for germs and bacteria. Do you really want to be swiping this all over your freshly cleansed skin? Thought not. So, invest in a couple of cotton face towels for you and you alone and wash them every other day.
2. Your Makeup & Hair Products
Your skincare routine might be spot on, but what about your makeup and hair products? Rich hair conditioners, for example, are notorious for containing heavy ingredients like cocoa butter and coconut oil which, granted, are incredible for moisturizing your precious locks, but are not so great for acne-prone skin. Of course, we know you’re not smothering your face with conditioner but still, it can settle on your face when you rinse your hair so always cleanse your skin after, never before conditioning.
Makeup can similarly clog up your pores, especially if you use formulations that contain oil. So don’t do that. Instead, look out for noncomedogenic products (this means they’re less likely to block pores) and use powder rather than liquid formulations whenever possible.
3. Your Workout Routine
Do you love to get a good sweat on when you’re working out? High fives to you. However, allow all that sweat and grime to sit on your skin and your pores are going to clog up quicker than your instructor can say ‘hit the floor for ten push-ups.’
Cleanse your skin thoroughly and swiftly after exercising (the longer you leave your skin doused in sweat and grimy workout gear, the more bacteria is likely to breed), and always use a mild but effective cleanser that helps to detoxify your skin without drying it out. Our Charcoal Clarifying Cleanser is a goodie as it harnesses the powers of coconut-derived activated charcoal which destroys skin-smothering impurities to offer a deep, gently purifying clean every time.
4. Your Winter Cover-Ups
Any fabric that rubs against your skin can lead to unwanted issues in the long-term. Remember how face masks were causing ‘maskne’ back in the pandemic? This was all due to friction from the mask combining with the obvious culprits of sweat, dirt, oil, bacteria and humidity which caused dryness, irritation and pimples.
Thankfully, for most of us, the days of having to wear a mask 24/7 are over. However, if you spend a lot of time outdoors in the winter and like to wrap yourself up in woollen hats and thick, heavy scarves, these can cause similar problems, trapping sweat and increasing friction around your chin, jaw, neck and forehead.
To help reduce breakouts caused by beanies, scarves (and even turtleneck sweaters), avoid synthetic fabrics and launder your winter cover-ups regularly. Weekly, at least.
5. Your Laundry Detergent
Speaking of laundry, your choice of detergent is also imperative. Just like your beauty routine, certain ingredients in your laundry detergent can be super irritating – especially if you have extremely sensitive or acne-prone skin. Fragrance, for example, can be a real Debbie Downer, as can harsh dyes, essentials oils, strong surfactants and preservatives.
To reduce the likelihood of your laundry detergent triggering those pesky breakouts, first up, choose liquid over powder detergents. Why? Because these leave behind less residue on your clothes and fabrics (who knew?!). Also, never use more detergent than is recommended on the label, avoid fabric softeners and try double rinsing your laundry after washing to remove as much residue as possible.
5 Unusual Things That Can Trigger Breakouts
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