Is Your Moisturiser Ageing Your Skin?
There are many givens in life – everything changes, growth often involves suffering, when you give way in traffic you probably won’t get a thank you, you must use a moisturiser on your skin daily… these are some of the things we just accept. However sometimes we must stop and question whether something is really good for us, and I firmly believe that using a moisturiser daily is not necessarily good for our skin and is most probably bad.
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying don’t moisturise. What I’m saying is that commercial water-based moisturisers – a mixture of oil, water, and maybe one or two active ingredients, used indefinitely, will ultimately weaken skin and hinder the skin’s ability to produce its own oils and sebum. And these oils are the natural moisturising factors (NMFs) that keep skin soft and supple.
Natural oils were traditionally used in skincare up until the early 20th Century. However mass production looked for cheaper alternatives, and olive and almond oil were replaced with mineral and soy bean oil. And we’re at the stage now where oil is seen as the enemy and is wrongly associated with greasy skin and spots. So water-based skincare products are now the norm, but the problem is that the water in these moisturisers loosens the skin surface proteins that protect the skin, and as a result skin becomes weaker. And weaker skin leads to less protection and the skin being more susceptible to damage by free radicals, the sun, bacteria and viruses.
A 2009 study showed that the long term use of moisturisers may harm the skin’s barrier function. Open Document →
Another problem is that commercial moisturisers can be so effective that skin forgets how to soften itself. Imagine if you found yourself in a very dry environment, your skin would produce more NMFs. However if you slather it with moisturiser it will think that all is fine and NMF production would become idle. So your skin becomes inefficient at moisturising itself.
Also moisturisers often contain mineral oil and other ingredients that create a layer on the skin which can be likened to wrapping skin in cling-film. It makes skin appear soft because it is preventing moisture escaping from the lower layers, however skin isn’t really moisturised, it just appears to be moisturised.
Using moisturisers trap skin into a vicious cycle. But what then is the answer when it comes to keeping skin moisturised, supple and healthy? We need to go back to basics, and there are certain rules that have to be observed:
Skin must be able to moisturise itself and NMF production mustn’t be compromised.
Use a facial oil as a base, and you can then massage in a small amount of your moisturiser on top.
Don’t wash off the NMFs that the skin produces overnight, in the morning.
Avoid petrochemicals, especially petrolatum and mineral oil.