When buying a new moisturizer, you should always check a product’s ingredients; when in doubt,
test it on a patch of skin first to make sure it doesn’t cause any adverse reactions. Also, be aware that
just because a product has a certain ingredient listed on a label, that doesn’t necessarily mean it has
enough of it to produce visible results.
What About the Texture?
When we choose a moisturizer, we can’t help but think in terms of skin type. Younger skins need
gels, while combination skins can use lotions. Dry, mature skin requires a heavy artillery of creams
and serums. As before, let your current skin condition be your guide. If you feel that a lightweight
cream can do a much better job for your face, then go for it. Some thick creams are less heavy and
occlusive than oil-rich lotions.
All creams and lotions are called cosmetic emulsions. Lotions are oil-in-water emulsions, while
creams are water-in-oil emulsions. There are more complicated emulsions, such as oil-in-water-in-
oil, serums, gels, sprays, and milks.
Moisturizing lotions tend to be thinner and more suitable for daytime use, especially if you wear
makeup. Creams are generally made with heavier fats and waxes and are often applied at night.
How Many Moisturizers Do We Need?
In general, any product that hydrates the skin on your face will do the same for the rest of your
body. However, better facial moisturizers usually contain a higher concentration of active ingredients.
Even if you choose to improve your existing moisturizer, would you waste $100 worth of colloidal
gold to dilute it in ten ounces of body lotion and get a concentration that will nullify all the goodness
of this precious extract, or would you rather infuse your facial cream with this potent ingredient and
see real results?
Of course, you can use many body products on your face and vice versa. Wou can take a perfectly
green body lotion—the one without preservatives, synthetic fragrance, and mineral oil—and turn it
into a powerful facial cream by adding antioxidants and soothing plant extracts. Be creative. Your
only limitation may be the price (the ingredients in facial creams are probably too expensive to lavish
on your entire epidermis) and texture (many body moisturizers, especially those for hands and feet,
are too heavy; extra oils could travel into your eyes or even clog your pores).
It’s impossible to stock a moisturizer for every condition of your skin. This way, you will need an
artist’s brush and loads of time to precisely apply an oil-absorbing, pore-tightening gel on your nose,
an antiaging, lightening serum and a coating of SPF on your cheeks and forehead, a rich antiwrinkle
cream around your mouth and on your neck, and a lightweight antioxidant serum under your eyes. Who
has the time or money to do that daily?
I firmly believe that a good, decently formulated moisturizer can be safely and beneficially used on
all areas of your face. If you have a challenging skin problem, simply add a face oil blend or a serum
suitable for this condition. The following products contain a lot of antioxidant and soothing agents that
help regulate sebum production, relieve inflammation, and prevent premature aging. You will find
more about antiaging green skin care and green ways to handle acne later in this chapter.