We start the new week with another Beauty Talk by our beauty expert Keshia Caudron. Today she answers the most common question: “Which step should I not skip in my skin care?” Are you curious? Then read the article!
Happiness is a habit. So is your skincare!
“Keshia, what steps are the most important in my skincare?” I get that question daily. What always comes back in my answer? Day Cream. A good day cream is an indispensable basic step. And – I kid you not – as important as brushing your teeth. Why is that? I explain it to you here. Let’s dive in!
A jar full of protection
First of all, let me clear up a misunderstanding: a day cream is not the same as a body lotion. A day cream was developed especially for your face. The basic ingredients of a day cream and a body lotion will not differ that much, but the texture will. Plus: the skin of your face is exposed to more harmful influences than the rest of your body, which means it has to deal with other challenges: lines, pimples, sebum production… A day cream will therefore contain more active ingredients than a body lotion. Conclusion? Don’t use your body lotion on your face.
What does a day cream do?
Do you have dry skin? Then you will reach for a cream a bit faster than when your skin is oilier. Nevertheless, every skin needs a cream. Remember the English term for day cream: moisturizer. That gives away the main purpose of a day cream: to hydrate, to provide moisture. A moisturizer ensures that the barrier function of the skin does its work optimally and that the skin does not lose moisture. Your day cream also introduces substances into your skin that retain moisture even better. These substances are particles that work like a sponge. And yes, even oily skin needs moisture!
I like to call a day cream a ‘protector’. It protects your outer skin layer, your skin barrier. If you don’t take care of your skin barrier, it gets damaged. And then you get skin challenges such as redness, itching, irritation, rash …
Your skin barrier determines 90% of your skin condition. A strong skin barrier makes for a better skin condition and a weak skin barrier makes for a worse skin condition. And your day cream? It not only protects your skin barrier but can also repair it or soothe it when it is damaged.
Does my skin need a moisturizer?
I said it before: every skin needs a moisturizer. It goes without saying that dry skin needs moisture. But what about oily or combination skin? People often think that a moisturizer is out of the question, because the skin would become even greasier. But nothing could be further from the truth. Why is that?
Your skin produces its own moisture in the deeper skin layers, where your collagen and elastin fibers are. Those fibers keep your skin supple and strong and flourish when they have lots of moisture around them. Too little moisture in your deeper skin layers can cause premature skin aging, regardless of your skin type. So whatever skin type you have, you’ll want to keep all the moisture!
Your oily skin can also have a damaged skin barrier, for example by using excessively drying cleansers. This can cause acne to emerge more strongly. Your own systems will also produce more sebum to compensate for the lack of moisture. More sebum is the opposite of what you want for combination to oily skin!
At Elysian Beauty & Care we have a variety of moisturizers. From dry skin to normal and even for mixed skin. These are my favorites from Germaine De Capuccini:
– Hydractive Cream: For normal to combination skin or warm climates
– Youthfulness Activating Oxygenating Emulsion: For normal and mixed skin
– Timexpert Vitamine C Correction Cream: For normal and dry skin
Shop you favourite day cream now online. Need help picking the right one? Keshia has an amazing free guide (in Dutch only) to help you pick the right one for your skin. You can download it here.
