Moisturizers — we all need moisturizing cream to keep our skins looking young and supple but with the launch of new products that offer new and ever richer promises, it is sometimes difficult to know which to choose.
The first thing is to distinguish between moisturizing day cream and night cream. A night cream is one that you put on just before you go to bed. It is a thicker cream that may have a bit of a shine (which is fine as no one can see you) and the idea is that the skin absorbs the thicker cream whilst you sleep meaning that you wake up with softer skin.
A day cream on the other hand is lighter and acts as a foundation for your skin, protecting you from the ravages of the sun and the outside environment. As a result, you will find that most day creams have built-in sunscreen. When purchasing a day cream look to see what the SPF (sun protection factor) is. You need a moisturizer that has a minimum of 15 SPF in order to have minimal protection against the sun,
There is a multitude of added special ingredients to the basic foundation of a day cream, ranging from vitamin E and collagen to antioxidants. In order to know which special ingredient to look for it is first necessary to consider your skin type and what you want your moisturizing day cream to do.
The first type is oily skin — although all skin produces natural oils, with oily skin the production is in overdrive producing an excess of oil that means that you often have an oily film on your face. For this type of skin, you need to look for a moisturizer that is thinner as thick creams only add to the oiliness, as well as looking for additional hyaluronic acid that works by helping the skin to retain water.
On the other hand, if you have dry skin then it looks dull and lacks that radiant glow. There is thus a need to over hydrate the skin so a thicker creamer moisturizes is recommended. You should be looking for products with a retina that will help to hydrate the skin.
Many people do not fall into either of these categories however and have combination skin, which is oilier in the T zone (forehead and nose) with drier cheeks. For those people, it is recommended that you use an oil-free moisturizer that will offer support for the dry areas whilst at the same time avoids over oiliness.
Your face is the gateway to the world so take the time to condition your skin with a day moisturizing cream that suits your particular need.