While it’s obvious why dry skin needs moisturizer, if you have oily skin maybe you’ve wondered whether you really need it. Since oily skin seems to have no problem in preventing dryness (unless you have some form of combination skin) then moisturizer can seem pointless.
But, moisturizers come in all shapes and sizes and have different functions, apart from keeping the skin hydrated. There are heavy moisturizers that help nourish dry skin and there are lightweight gel moisturizers that help lightly moisturize oily and combo skin.
Regardless of skin type, you can definitely find a moisturizer that will benefit your skin. Here are some tips to remember when shopping around for a moisturizer, according to skin type:
Dry Skin
Dry skin is characterized by flakiness, dry patches, a tight, uncomfortable feel to the skin, and sometimes itchiness and irritation. A thicker moisturizer with hydrating ingredients is best suited for this skin type to help seal in moisture and keep the skin hydrated longer.
To keep the skin moisturized for longer, it’s better to use oil-based or butter-based moisturizers to attract moisture to the skin. These types of moisturizers help keep dry skin moisturized by forming a type of seal on the skin to prevent moisture loss.
Oily Skin
Oily skin is characterized by larger pores, shiny/oily skin, and is more prone to acne breakouts. While oily skin is more likely to break out, one benefit of oily skin is that the skin is kept moisturized enough so that fine lines and wrinkles are less visible than on other skin types. This skin type can best benefit from lightweight moisturizers to prevent clogging up pores.
Gel-based moisturizers are ideal for oily skin types, and it’s important to look for moisturizers that are non-comedogenic and oil-free. Additionally, moisturizers meant for oily skin include ingredients that actually help balance sebum and control breakouts (see our Dermafix Blemish Moisturizer).
Combo Skin
It can be tricky to find a good moisturizer for your skin if you deal with both dryness and oiliness on different areas of your skin. But, you don’t necessarily have to buy two separate moisturizers to target the drier areas of the skin and the oilier areas (unless you get really dry skin and may need something a little stronger for that).
Combo skin can benefit more from moisturizers similar to those used by oily skin types, the water-based, balancing type of moisturizers. But, while oily skin types may reach for the mattifying moisturizers, combo skin types should stick to hydrating moisturizers to also help the drier parts of the skin.
Sensitive Skin
Sensitive skin is typically pretty reactive to products with fragrance or essential oils and is a bit tough to find the right moisturizer for mostly because you can have sensitive skin that is also dry or oily or even combo. In this case, it’s best to stick to simpler formulas with soothing, repairing and hydrating ingredients.
Some good ingredients to look out for include: Oat, Ceramides, Hyaluronic Acid, and Aloe. What the moisturizer includes is just as important as what it excludes so make sure the moisturizer is fragrance-free, paraben-free, and alcohol-free.
