Tidal Wave Moisturizerfor Acne

A moisturizer is a product, often a lotion, that you apply after facial cleansing to seal moisture to your skin. Using a moisturizer can have a lot of positive skin effects, including protecting the skin, keeping it soft and preventing acne caused by dry skin. Moisturizers typically do not add significant moisture to the skin, but rather lock in the existing moisture, so they are best used immediately after washing your face.

Moisturizers usually have several types of ingredients that collectively work to moisturize and protect skin. Some of these ingredients are water, occlusives, humectants and vitamins. While water adds a bit of moisture, occlusives seal water in and humectants draw water to the surface of the skin. These ingredients work best when used together because humectants can actually have a drying effect without a sealant like occlusives. Without any moisturizer at all, water evaporates from the skin, which has a drying effect.

Hyaluronic acid is a substance that your body naturally produces to help maintain skin hydration. As you age, the amount of hyaluronic acid that your body naturally produces decreases, which can make it harder for your skin to retain enough water to appear plump. The good news is that there are moisturizers and other skin products that contain hyaluronic acid to offset this process. If you have dry skin, adding hyaluronic acid to your skin care routine can help your skin stay hydrated.

Hyaluronic acid is a humectant, which means that when it is applied to skin, it draws the water in your skin to the surface and hydrates the outer skin cells. This effect occurs within minutes and can last throughout the day, which makes skin appear younger and healthy.

Squalene is a compound that humans naturally produce in the sebaceous glands to help keep skin moisturized. Similar to hyaluronic acid and collagen, the production of squalene decreases with age. Squalene also serves as an antioxidant that protects the skin from free radicals. In the past, squalene was derived from shark liver oil, but a plant-based version of squalene was created after ethical concerns arose. However, squalene is not stable enough to be put into cosmetics and must first be hydrogenated into a different compound called squalane.

Squalane is a derivative of squalene that can be added to cosmetics, such as moisturizers, to provide all of the coveted effects of natural squalene. Squalane mimics your body's natural moisturizing process to keep your skin moisturized, hydrated and protected. Squalane is gentle enough to be used by people with all different skin types, including very sensitive or acne-prone skin.

There is not one best face moisturizer, but you will want to make sure that you select a moisturizer that is labeled as non-comedogenic, contains sunscreen and has both humectant and occlusive ingredients. If you have oily skin, a lightweight moisturizer is your best bet. If you have dry skin, you may want to select a heavier cream. You can also use two separate moisturizers in the morning and evening. For example, you could use a moisturizer with sunscreen in the morning and one with retinol in the evening.

You should apply your moisturizer as the final step of your skin care routine, immediately after cleansing and applying any treatment products, such as an acne cream or anti-aging serum. Dab the recommended amount of moisturizer onto different locations of your face and then spread the moisturizer in a circular motion upwards and outwards to help the moisturizer blend in.

You can apply hyaluronic acid in a couple ways, depending on the product's form. If you have a serum, cleanse your face and apply any special treatments, then add a few drops of the serum before applying your moisturizer. A simpler option is to use a moisturizer that contains hyaluronic acid, which can be applied directly after cleansing and treating your skin.

Retin-A can have an irritating and drying effect on skin, so you should select a very basic moisturizer simply designed to hydrate and protect sensitive skin. Moisturizers that contain hyaluronic acid or glycerin, as well as emollients like coconut oil and ceramides are the best bet. While using a product with retinol, like Retin-A, you should avoid moisturizers with alpha or beta hydroxy acid or salicylic acid, which might further irritate the skin. Most importantly, be sure to use a moisturizer with sunscreen because Retin-A increases sensitivity to the sun.