Moisturisers

Using a moisturiser is crucial if you want to take your skin care routine from newbie to expert - no matter your skin type! Think of cleansers and moisturising creams as the two slices of bread in a sandwich - they hold in all the goodness that goes in between, in this case the rest of your beauty routine. 

What Does Moisturiser Do?

It has a critical role in ensuring that your skin stays healthy and that the rest of your skin care routine is effective. It’s number one function is to keep skin hydrated - something often underestimated when it comes to the skin. Here’s the thing: hydration is absolutely essential to ensure that your skin works properly in the first place. 

Depending if it’s a day cream or a night cream, they do more than just lock hydration into the skin, too! The best moisturisers for daytime use tend to be formulated with SPF to protect skin from the sun - the number one source of wrinkle-causing UV rays. 

For anti-ageing, creams are formulated with ingredients such as peptides and retinol so they can work double duty on your skin. Just make sure to save any retinol creams for night time use! If your skin leans on the dry side, opt for moisturising creams that have oils towards the top of the ingredients lists - argan oil, shea butter, and squalane are all skin-nourishing ingredients that’ll add serious glow to dry skin. 

How to Choose the Best Moisturisers

All moisturising products are formulated with a blend of humectants, emollients, and occlusives. It’s having a careful balance of these that tailors each product to a skin type. One that’s perfect for oily skin might have mostly humectants but a smaller amount of emollients and occlusives - these two moisturising ingredients tend to feel heavy and greasy on skin.

Moisturiser textures that work best for dry skin include creams and balms - they tend to have thick, luxurious textures packed with moisture. If you have a normal skin type, creams or lotions are a great place to start. If you have combination to oily skin, opt for gels or gel-creams - they have the lightest texture and will feel the least greasy on skin. 

How to Use a Face Moisturiser

Ideally, they’re best used morning and night - in the morning, they help to hydrate and protect your skin throughout the day and at night, they help to protect the skin as it renews itself overnight. 

A good rule of thumb is to use around a 10c coin sized amount at a time. You can always use more if your skin is still thirsty, or less if this feels like too much for your skin. Pro tip - when applying your chosen face cream, use gentle upward strokes so that you’re not tugging on your skin too much and accidentally creating wrinkles!