The Benefits of Using a Daily Moisturizer

It’s hard to know exactly what to believe about moisturizer. Some people think of it as a kind of magical elixir, which can miraculously restore the youthfulness of aged, sun-damaged skin. Others think it makes no difference whatsoever – or worse, that it causes pimples or actually increases dryness. The truth, as often happens, lies somewhere in between.

Let’s take a closer look at moisturizer, and see whether the habit of using it daily is all it’s cracked up to be (pun intended).

Every Moisturizer Is Different

Obviously, moisturizers are available in countless varieties of color, scent, and consistency. A big part of creating a successful moisturizer is getting those things right, because ideally, it shouldn’t feel like you’re rubbing toothpaste all over your face.

What many people don’t know, however, is that the underlying mechanisms – what pharmacists call the “active ingredients” – vary widely from one moisturizer to another. Hyaluronic acid, dimethicone, glycerin, urea, and lanolin are just a few of the common ones – and each combination of active ingredients will give you dramatically different results in the long run.

So while it’s true that some moisturizers can cause acne flare-ups, for example, it’s not the cream itself but rather the mineral oil inside the cream which makes your skin oily and pimple-prone. Some varieties of moisturizer – including ours – are completely oil-free for this exact reason. To get meaningful benefits from daily moisturizing, you first need to know what ingredients to avoid.

Our advice? Stay away from petroleums, parabens, sulfates, phthalates, and artificial colors. These can seriously irritate your skin, and some even harm your hormonal balance over time.

The Benefits of a Good Moisturizer

By choosing the right moisturizer, with the right active ingredients, you’ll be setting yourself up for healthy skin. Our Multi-Purpose Moisturizer uses a plant-based formula which hydrates your skin cells without harming or irritating them. Here are a few of the most important benefits:

• Proper Hydration. All of your skin can become dehydrated – but nowhere is this more obvious than in your face. Dehydrated facial skin has a withered, wrinkled, dessicated appearance, a bit like a raisin. Washing your face with water, though it provides short-term relief, isn’t enough on its own; a good hydrating moisturizer ensures that water is thoroughly absorbed into your skin cells, turning that raisin into a grape.

• Reliable Moisturizing. Having hydrated skin is great – but what about when you step outside? Moisturizer acts as a protective layer which prevents the moisture in your skin from escaping during the day. (Some companies use petroleum jelly to do this; we prefer aloe vera).
  
  
• Improved Elasticity. Moisturizer changes how you look – but not everyone cares about that. The best thing is that it changes how you feel. The glycoin in our moisturizer improves cell functions, and makes your skin feel more elastic and more youthful.
  
  
• Cell Growth & Repair. Some moisturizers (including ours) have ingredients like ginseng, a plant-based skin defender which naturally stimulates cell growth and enhances your skin’s resilience to atmospheric changes and viral pathogens.
  
  
• Wrinkle Softening. Dry skin is wrinkled skin. By keeping your skin hydrated and moisturized, you’re essentially bolstering your skin cells in their brave fight against gravity, ageing, and ultraviolet rays. It’s not hype, or marketing woo: good moisturizer really does reduce the appearance of wrinkles. Personally, we prefer to use yet another plant-based ingredient to achieve this: the near-miraculous Myrothamnus plant.

Reading a blog post is one thing – but the best way to find out is to take a chance and try it. Your skin will thank you.