HOW TO: Find The Best Moisturizer

Photo credits: store.eveorganicsbeauty.com

I was in a supermarket the other day, and there was this couple who were both examining a tub of what seems like a facial moisturizer. The guy quipped: "They're all white and creamy. What's the diff? Just grab one and let's go!" Being the beauty blogger that I am, I almost wanted to butt in and say "Dude, that's not how it works." But thanks to the guy, I was inspired to write this post.

Finding the best moisturizer is not as easy as spotting one on a shelf at the beauty aisle of the supermarket, shoving it into the cart, and paying for it. There are certain ingredients in a moisturizer to be wary of-especially if you have food allergenicity-not to mention your skin type and other personal concerns should be considered too. Settling for the best moisturizer does not only help your skin and health, but also your wallet!

First things first. Moisturizer-basically, it's meant to impart and retain moisture on top of your skin and in the long run, it helps delay the formation of wrinkles on its own, even if you're still skeptic of anti-aging products. Why and how? Because moisturizer maintains your skin's equilibrium, its natural state-it's balanced, dewy, soft, and has the perfect elasticity. (skin bounce, as others would call it)

The key to finding the best moisturizer for you is all in the label and its texture. The ingredients list will give you an idea of how the moisturizer will feel like on your skin, and address your moisturizing needs. Click READ MORE and I'll explain in detail.

FOR NORMAL SKIN

Choose a moisturizer that's in between watery and creamy because it will fit your skin's natural state-you just need the moisturizer to coat your skin with a protective film whenever you're outdoors. Most moisturizers for normal skin contain a healthy mix of oil and water ingredients.

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FOR OILY SKIN

Excessive oil means there is a lack of water on the skin's surface, or the skin does not have enough ability to retain moisture. If your skin detects that it's running out of its water reserves, it starts excreting oil to maintain the health of the cutaneous surface. Opt for a gel- based moisturizer (which is the best moisturizers for oily skin types in my opinion) because it balances out your skin, making it think that it has enough water on the surface, thus it won't produce loads of sebum so bye bye clogging! There are also matte moisturizers that help prolong makeup, and oil- free cream moisturizers for those who still prefer the classic. Oil extracts such as Jojoba will not aggravate oily skin because it naturally mimics your skin's sebum, but steer clear of thicker oils such as Sunflower and nut- derived oils and say NO to mineral oil.

FOR DRY SKIN

People with this skin type could use a little loving from oil extracts. Dry skin needs something more beyond water, as water evaporates eventually-it needs oil to anchor water right into the skin as well as to keep it soft and flake- free throughout the day.

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FOR COMBINATION SKIN

Combination skin is categorized into the following: Oily-Dry, Normal-Oily, Normal-Dry. Combination skin types will heavily rely on the ingredients to find the best moisturizer. Just keep in mind the tips for oily, dry, and normal skin.

TARGETED MOISTURIZERS

Or moisturizers that are developed to suit a certain skin condition or address a skin concern. Some over-the-counter moisturizers help maintain Rosacea, Acne, severe dryness, hyper pigmentation, and even ageing. These moisturizers will give you more than what it's supposed to do, but you should not consider them as treatments.

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SENSITIVE SKIN

You could be dry-sensitive, normal-sensitive, oily sensitive, or combination-sensitive. Now for this skin type, you can't just grab and pay for a moisturizer, unless you want to take a trip to your dermatologist anytime soon. All moisturizers for oily, dry, normal, and combination skin types have counterparts for sensitive skin so just stay on the safe side and go for the latter.

I'd like to remind everyone as well that certain skin care ingredients can trigger allergic reactions. Depending on what food you're allergic to, please stay away from products that contain these ingredients:

1. Nut Allergies- Shea Butter, Sweet Almond, or other nut by- products

2. Bee Allergies- Royal Jelly, Honey, Beeswax or other bee by- products

3. Wheat Allergies- oat, oat bran, rice bran, or other wheat by-products

4. Milk Allergies- any form of milk- derived extracts or milk by- products

Other ingredients to avoid:

1. Perfume, especially for sensitive skin

2. Alcohol, especially for dry skin

For entry-premium and premium brands, it's easier to gauge if a moisturizer will suit you because there are testers available, but for supermarket and drugstore brands, this list will come handy for you.

That's all! Hope you enjoyed this post. Let me know if you still have any questions!