Winter and dry skin; twin inconveniences that for many people often go in combination. Unfortunately, in many cases, it is dry skin that proves to be the most difficult problem of the two.
The main question for these people is: “What is the best moisturiser to choose to ease the curse of dry skin?”
To ask this question is important since the various brands of barrier creams differ greatly.
Barrier creams and moisturisers possess different properties from brand to brand. It is simply not possible to formulate a moisturising product that all skin circumstances and types respond to equally well. There is no “one size fits all” solution when it comes to skin care.
People come in all shapes, sizes and ethnic origin. What may be best suited for one individual will almost certainly not be the most appropriate for someone else with a different background or genetic makeup.
In addition, each one of us has our own individual set of circumstances. Dermatitis is just one regularly occurring skin ailment.
Modes of employment will vary from person to person. One person may be working in a factory environment where a stuffy atmosphere is laced with microscopic industrial by-products. This individual will have totally different skin care needs to another person who finds themselves in the big outdoors for most of their working time.
Even the varying weather conditions that naturally cycles from spring to summer and then from autumn to winter will effect the efficacy of different moisturising products. Some products will be more suited to the warm, dry summer weather whilst other barrier creams work best when faced with the chill breezes of wintertime.
When selecting to purchase a moisturising product you need to understand that they are broadly segregated into three main groupings Namely, creams, lotions and the newer innovation of the mousse based products. So, what are the main differences that divide these groupings? Further, for each grouping, what are their chief benefits and negative factors?
Cream formulations are usually petroleum jelly based.
The discoverer of the beneficial properties of petroleum jelly, or Vaseline as it more commonly known, is the unwanted waste of the oil industry. This is made from the sticky waste product, rod wax, that gathers around the top of the pump rods in traditionally constructed oil wells, hindering their operation. This very same rod wax was the foundation of a barrier cream that was originally patented by British chemist Robert Chesebrough in 1872. At the time Chesebrough proclaimed that his new product was a wonderful “cure all”, advising that it should be ingested daily as a prophylactic guarding against all kinds of diseases and ailments. The name Vaseline was used because, in the course of his experimentation with rod wax, Robert Chesebrough use to store the various formulations in decorative vases. Thus, “vase – line” – “elaion” is the etymological Greek root for “oil”.
It is this petroleum jelly that is responsible for the majority of moisturising creams to be thick and slippery. Whilst providing a substantial protecting layer for your skin, cream based-products may not be convenient to use, especially on the hands, as they tend to leave your skin slippery. Heavy, thick moisturising creams can have the unwanted property of be incline to clog the pores or your skin. These characteristics also make the use of thick moisturising barrier creams inadvisable on any area of skin that displays symptoms of acne. Sticky cream products can also, in addition, result in other problems. For example, when spread on the hands for tasks that involve donning gloves for an extended time. In these circumstances, the glove material can rub the cream residue into clumps around your joints.
Heavy moisturising barrier creams are often cited as being more appropriate for winter use.
Lotions, on the whole, use a lesser amount of petroleum jelly or, in some instances, none at all. Thus, they are normally not so heavy as barrier creams and tend to smooth across the skin more easily and are therefore easier to apply. Apart from water, or aqua as it is often listed as, their chief constituents will invariably be an oil such as Olive oil or the oil of the Sunflower. Indeed, ancient manuscripts detail that the use of Olive oil linked with skin care dates back approximately 6,000 years. It was certainly employed by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans for a variety of purposes.
However, after smoothing over skin lotions to a region of your body, a stickiness often persists. The chief oil content can be slow to dry and this leaves many people with an unpleasant slimy feeling. The relatively high oil content can also be a problem for people already blessed with a naturally oily skin.
Thus, moisturising lotions are widely assumed to be more appropriate for use during the summer months. Dermatitis is a skin problem not particularly suited for treatment by lotions.
The introduction of mousse formulated products in the realm of skin care and enhancing occurred relatively recently. Many believe that mousse products will eventually supersede traditional creams and lotions. It is true that mousse based products are very light and easier to apply than their cream and lotion counterparts. Resulting directly from this, mousse based products usually spread more smoothly and consistently over the epidermis. For this reason, a smaller quantity is needed per application. Mousse moisturisers also have less tendency to clog up your skin pores and thus allow your skin to perspire normally. People with dry skin, or skin that is sore or chapped may also find that a mousse is less painful to apply as it does not need vigorous rubbing in.
However, many mousses are aerosol based which has traditionally been associated with ozone destroying CFC chemicals – although this is no longer the case. Further, aerosols usually employ Butane as a delivery agent and this has been connected to the issue of teenage substance abuse.
Mousse based moisturising products are widely regarded as being suitable for all year use.
Whatever your choice of moisturiser, do not forget to apply it regularly and consistently. Your skin will love you for it.