Dry skin is a common condition that troubles a lot of people at some period during their life.  Indeed, it is believed that, at any given time, twenty-five percent of people are laboring under the inconvenience of dry skin to a lesser or greater extent.  If you currently belong to that twenty-five percent you will want to know which moisturiser can treat your dry skin most effectively.

Do not tempted by the common mis-belief that different moisturising brands generally have similar ingredients and similar properties.  They do not.  So, which one is best for you?

Personal skin care products vary greatly from product to product, and for good reason It is simply not practicable to create a moisturising cream that all skin circumstances and types respond to equally. There is simply not a “one size fits all” solution when it comes to skin care.

The human race is a collection of unique individuals. What is considered to be an ideal moisturiser for one person will sometimes be completely unsuitable for someone else.

In addition, everybody has their own unique circumstances.  Dermatitis is just one common skin condition.

Modes of working will vary from person to person. One person may be employed in a factory environment where a stuffy atmosphere is laden with microscopic industrial by-products.  This person will have very different skin care requirements when compared to another individual who finds themselves in the open air for much of their working life.

The weather plays a role in any skin care regime as well. Some barrier creams will be more suited to the warm, dry summer weather whilst other barrier creams work best when faced with the icy winds of wintertime.

When selecting to purchase a moisturising product you need to understand that they are broadly segregated into 3 main groupings Namely, creams, lotions and the newer innovation of the mousse based products. So, what are the main differentiating factors that divide these groupings?  Also, for each grouping, what are their main benefits and drawbacks?

Products that are creams are dominated by their main ingredient, which is petroleum jelly.

The origins of petroleum jelly, or Vaseline as it is more commonly called, is nineteenth century US oil industry. The origins literally spring from an unwanted by-product, rod wax, that gathers around the top of the pump rods in 19th century U.S. oil wells. This rod wax was the foundation of a barrier cream that was originally patented by chemist Robert Chesebrough in 1872. At the time Chesebrough proclaimed that his product was something of a wonder all-embracing medicine, advising that it should be ingested daily to ward off and protect against all kinds of diseases and ailments. The name Vaseline was adopted because, in the course of his experimentation with rod wax, Robert Chesebrough housed each test formulations in decorative vases. Hence, “vase – line” – “elaion” is the etymological Greek root for “oil”.

It is this

petroleum jelly that results in the overwhelming majority of moisturising creams being heavy, sticky and slippery. Whilst giving a thick coating for your skin, creams may be unsuitable, especially on the hands, as they can leave your skin slippery. Thick moisturising barrier creams will also tend to clog the pores or your skin. This renders them mostly unsuitable to use on the face if you have an acne condition. Sticky cream products may also, in addition, cause other problems.  For example, when spread on the hands for jobs that involve donning gloves for a long period.  In these cases, the glove material can work the barrier cream residue into clumps around your joints.

Thick, sticky, heavy and greasy moisturising creams are generally believed to be most appropriate for wintertime use when dry skin is often a major concern.

Lotions, on the whole, use a lesser amount of petroleum jelly or none at all. Thus, they are generally not so heavy as creams and, accordingly, smooth across the skin more easily and are therefore easier to apply. Apart from aqua – which is just a fancy name for water – their chief ingredient will usually be an oil such as Sunflower or Olive oil. Indeed, recordings detailing Olive oil as a substance used in the realms of skin care dates back more than 5,000 years. The Egyptians, Greeks and Romans all used Olive oil in various ways to enhance their skin.

Perhaps the chief drawback of using a lotion is that, after applying, a tacky residue often endures. The high oil content can be slow to dry and this leaves many people with an unpleasant slimy feeling. In addition, people with naturally oily skin will be reluctant to add yet even more oil to their skin’s surface.

Thus, moisturising lotion skin enhancers are widely assumed to be more appropriate for use during the hotter times of the year.  Dermatitis is a skin problem not particularly suited for treatment by lotions.

The almost inevitable evolution of the skin care sector, with the introduction of mousse based products, has recently taken place. Many believe that mousse products will eventually supersede traditional creams and lotions. Certainly, a mousse product will be naturally very light and easy to apply. A mouse formulation will also spread much easier and evenly over your skin. For this reason, much less is needed per application. This will allow your epidermis to breathe and 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.

On the negative side, most mousses come as aerosols which have previously received a bad press as they were linked to environmentally harmful 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 barrier and moisturising products are widely used by people as a year round solution to their dry skin problems.

Whatever your choice of moisturiser, remember to apply it regularly and consistently. Your skin will love you for it.

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