Moisturiser and moisturising our skin has been around for thousands of years now, being an important part of keeping our skin healthy. But using it properly in our skin care routines can be confusing, specifically with how often we should moisturise. So in this article, we dive into everything you need to know about how often you should moisturise. Read on and discover the keys to moisturising frequency, guides for different types of skin, and much more!
How Often Should You Moisturise?
Let’s get straight into addressing the question of how often should you moisturise and look at the main factors.
Skin Type
The first and biggest thing that affects how often you should moisturise is your skin type. For dry skin, we recommend moisturising at least two times a day – in the morning and at night. It’s also best to use heavier moisturisers, or those that use oils, to keep the skin hydrated. These heavier creams also create a stronger skin barrier to prevent moisture loss.
For normal and combination skin types, it’s best to moisturise once or twice a day. The key with managing this skin type is to have a balanced skincare routine, with lighter water-based moisturisers being the most suitable. And for oily skin, moisturising once a day or once every two days is still important to maintain hydrated and smooth skin. The key is to pick a non-comedogenic and oil-free moisturiser that won’t clog pores.
Environment
Your current environment is another massive factor in how often you should moisturise. In humid climates, such as in tropical areas or in summer, the air around you has more moisture. This moisture keeps skin hydrated at better levels, decreasing the need for you to apply moisturiser. But in cold or dry climates, more moisture in our skin evaporates, increasing the need for more frequent moisturising.
Temperatures also affect how often your skin needs to be moisturised. Extreme temperatures, whether hot or cold, have a drying effect and throw out skin balance. And related to this is your exposure to artificial heating or cooling. Heaters and air conditioners reduce the humidity of your indoor environment, so spending lots of time in air conditioned or heated rooms will increase the need for moisturiser.
Sun Exposure and Lifestyle
The sun is another thing that affects how often you should moisturise your skin since it dries it out. The heat and UV rays from the sun suck moisture out and damage skin cells, making it important to not only moisturise but also use sunscreen.
Understanding Your Skin’s Current Condition
Under Moisturising
The stage in knowing how often you should moisturise is to assess what your skin is like right now. To understand if you aren’t moisturising enough, look at and feel your skin. If your skin is tight, is flaky, or is scaly and cracking, this means the skin is dry. In this case, you are not moisturising your skin enough.
To address an under moisturised skin, moisturise more frequently for a brief period of time. Once your skin goes back to normal, and recovers its protective barrier to maintain moisture, reduce how often you moisturise. You can also try switching your moisturiser, as different types and brands use different active ingredients.
Over Moisturising
On the other hand, it’s also important to know when your skin is being over moisturised. This is because skin that is over moisturised becomes congested and at risk of breakouts. To check for over moisturisation, see if your skin is greasy or starts breaking out with your current or new skincare routine. And another sign is when moisturising products pile or do not absorb into the skin.
When your skin is over moisturised, we recommend cutting down on the frequency of your moisturisation. You can also try using other types of moisturisers that are lighter and work better with your skin.
Special Tips for Specific Situations
Moisturising After Showers
We all love a nice hot shower to cleanse ourselves after a long day of being out and about. However showers, and specifically hot showers, strip away our skin’s moisture and natural oils, wearing away at its protective barrier. Soaps also wash away moisture from our skin, making moisturising afterwards all the more important. Try moisturizing your face with face cream first along with the rest of your body right after showering to help get the best absorption.
Moisturising Before Makeup
For the days when you want to wear makeup, we recommend you to apply moisturizer beforehand. This not only helps hydrate your skin for longer, but also helps your makeup application by preventing patchiness.
Adjusting Moisturising Frequency Over Time
How often you should moisturise also changes over time, as our skin experiences changes in a way similar to the rest of our body. This is because of a number of reasons, including ageing, hormone fluctuations, and the seasons.
Age
As we age, the outermost layer of our skin, called the epidermis, becomes thinner and more vulnerable to damage. There’s also a decrease in sebum production, the oil our skin makes to keep itself from drying out. Combined, these factors increase the need for more frequent moisturising to keep the skin healthy.
Pregnancy
During pregnancy, the hormones in our body change a lot. Because of this, our skin can either experience increased oiliness, acne breakouts or even eczema and psoriasis on the other end of the scale. Depending on what happens to your skin, we recommend adjusting according to the previous instructions above and whether or not it has become drier or more oily.
Get Your Skin Hydrated Properly!
Understanding your skin, using appropriate products, and adapting to your current conditions are all needed to answer the question of how often should you moisturise. Optimising your skin routine to your skin type, environment and the like will give you the skin you’ve been dreaming of all year round. And if you’re interested in more tips and tricks about anything skincare, head to our blog and check our other articles today!