To have smooth, attractive skin for ages, moisturizing is a must! The right moisturizer helps protect your skin, locking in moisture all day.
It’s also important to use body lotion correctly. Are you making these common moisturizing mistakes?
1. Applying Moisturizer When Your Skin Is Dry
True or false — the best time to moisturize is when you notice your skin is dry. This common misconception is totally wrong! The best time to use skin cream is while you’re still wet.
Moisturizer works by locking in water to keep your skin hydrated. To do that, you need to start with clean but moist skin. Use your favorite hydrating cream as soon as you get out of the shower or wash your face.
2. Skipping Moisturizing
Moisturizing isn't a luxury. It's a necessity. Replenishing your skin’s moisture every day is essential if you want to avoid wrinkles and premature aging. Most skin experts recommend moisturizing twice a day.
Think about what your cells have to deal with on a daily basis: UV rays, harsh chemicals, makeup, dirt and stress. Antioxidant vitamins can help defend skin cells to a point, but moisturizers are powerful for repairing the damage.
3. Using Too Much of a Good Thing
Moisturizing is good, but you don’t need to slap on a thick layer either. For your entire face, a pea-sized amount is usually plenty. Give your pores room to breathe.
4. Choosing the Wrong Skin Cream
Many people select the wrong type of moisturizer. It's easy to fall in love with a particular fragrance instead of thinking about what your skin needs. Here’s what to choose:
Dry skin: Creams and body butters are great for people who have dry skin. They contain more natural moisturizers and take longer to dry. Look for stars like shea butter, cocoa butter and coconut oil.
Oily skin: People with skin on the oily side need a water-based moisturizer that feels refreshing. Oil-free gels are a great choice for rejuvenating and repairing. Focus on lightweight ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, retinol and grapeseed oil.
Sensitive skin: If you have sensitive skin, treat your pores with gentle moisturizing. Avoid fragrances and choose simple formulas with few ingredients. Look for vitamin E, colloidal oatmeal, elastin and hyaluronic acid.
5. Using Lotions in the Wrong Areas
This one is pretty self-explanatory. Face moisturizers are for your face. Hand creams are for your hands. Body lotion is for the rest. They all have certain ingredients to take care of the needs of different areas of the skin.
6. Not Moisturizing Oily Skin
If your skin is oily, you don’t need to apply moisturizer, right? Everyone needs some help hydrating and repairing skin. The key is simply to choose ingredients that don’t clog pores, such as jojoba oil.
7. Being Too Rough
Treat your skin like royalty. It deserves and needs some tender, loving care after a long day. Instead of rubbing in moisturizer roughly — which can damage skin and lead to wrinkles — give yourself a calming massage. Move your fingers in a circular motion softly.
Dermatologists recommend being especially gentle with fine skin, such as the areas around your eyes and your eyelids. Instead of using your index finger, choose your pinky. You’ll be a lot softer that way.
Keep in mind that your skin can change as you age. Stress and weather can also dry it out. You'll never regret taking great care of your skin!
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