Facial Moisturizing

Facial moisturizers are lotions, gels, creams, or skin softeners that help the skin retain its natural moisture or add moisture to the skin.

Facial moisturizers:

• Are used to soften and smooth the skin

• Reduce skin roughness, cracking and irritation

• Create a barrier on the skin's surface to lock in water or moisture

• Nourish the skin by replacing lost moisture, oils and nutrients

• Enhance the skin's appearance and texture

All skin dryness is due to insufficient water in the skin. Facial moisturizers serve as a barrier to trap water in the skin. Your skin is a combination of both water and oil. Natural oils or sebum keep your skin hydrated. Dry skin has a lower amount of oil production leading to dehydrated, flaky skin.

Facial moisturizers mimic the skin's natural balance of water and oil, so they too are a combination of water and oil. Facial moisturizers for dry skin contain the highest amounts of oil-based ingredients, creating the heaviest barrier to prevent further dehydration. Women with normal to oily skin typically prefer a lighter facial moisturizer such as a lotion or gel. Lotions and gels hydrate by adding moisture to the skin. They have higher concentrations of water versus oil based ingredients.

Many conditions can cause dehydrated skin including dry climate, forced heat and air conditioning, age, heredity, and over exposure to the sun.