To Moisturize or Not to Moisturize, That is the Question.
Do We Need To Moisturize?
We believe our skin was designed to take care of itself and we think it does a miraculous job of doing so. We posed the question do we need to moisturize our skin? “If the skin’s barrier function is not impaired by physical damage, environmental stress, disease or infection, I don’t believe we have to moisturize says Natasha, our House of Hilt Chief Alchemist and CoFounder. “However, most of us want our skin to look esthetically pleasing and to feel good so this is where moisturizers can help us achieve that look and feel.”
Finding the right moisturizer is a complex situation. “Finding an effective one is even harder as the advertised ingredient benefits are often glorified and do not produce the results you are looking for or promised, and even if the ingredients are of good quality and potency, they are bound in fillers that are used to emulsify
the products which block the effectiveness of the active ingredients and can cause breakouts and milia (small white bumps in the skin.)” adds Natasha. At House of Hilt we do not use fillers in our products so your skin is soaking up all of the powerful ingredients to create the change you are looking for.
The key to finding the right moisturizer is to first follow your intuition and your own feeling of what you need and like. A good question to ask yourself is, do you feel the need for a moisturizer? If so, what kind of finish do you like, a glossy finish or a matte (non-shiny) finish? If your answer is glossy, then you’re looking for hydration, something creamy or an oil and don't mind a little shine.
If you feel oily, are concerned about breakouts and don’t like a glossy finish or thick creams then look for a thinner cream resembling a lotion, a medicinal facial oil or gel like serum, formulated for oily or combination skin. This will provide more of a matte look and will keep you feeling hydrated, but not shiny.
According to Natasha “What’s important to remember is that you should always moisturize after cleansing your skin because it offers temporary hydration to assist your skin in its return to a balanced state.” So, surprisingly, you do not need to moisturize unless you are looking to enhance your complexion, help your skin stay hydrated, or to repair a skin imbalance under the recommendation of a Physician.
