You might be using it for skin dryness, or you might be using it to keep your skin healthy and young. No matter what the purpose is, we all look for moisturizers once in our lives. For ages, we have been using natural things to keep our skin nourished. However, as we have entered the modern age, so have our ways of dealing with problems. A mere look in the market today loads our eyes with hundreds of health and beauty products out there. Take moisturizers for example. You might think that all moisturizers are the same. But you might easily be wrong. Today, there are many different types of moisturizers available in the market, and all these perform different functions. Let’s have a look.
3 Different Types of Moisturizers
Moisturizers, although of different kinds, have one purpose – to keep our skin nourished. But all these three different kinds follow different paths. It is like a group of people has to reach the mountain peak but all three follow different paths.
So, before we dive into the question of moisturizers, let’s understand how our skin works.
Human skin has three different layers and these three different layers serve different purposes. And if you are wondering about any relation between three layers and three types of moisturizers, don’t.
So, here are the three different layers of our skin and the purpose they serve:
- Epidermis
- Dermis
- Hypodermis
The epidermis is the outermost layer of the skin and its primary purpose is to act as a barrier between the body and the environment. Consider it like the raincoat you wear to protect yourself from rain. But there is a bit more to it than what we see. It is made up of several layers of cells that continuously shed and regenerate, with the top layer composed of dead skin cells that are constantly sloughed off.
Then comes the middle layer called the dermis. It contains several things like blood vessels, follicles, sweat glands, nerve endings, collagen and elastin fibers, etc. And what is its purpose? Well, it is responsible for the skin’s strength and durability, as well as its ability to heal itself.
Now, the last, hypodermis (or subcutaneous tissues) – It is the deepest of all and contains fat cells, connective tissues, larger blood vessels, nerves, etc. Because it has fat in it, its primary purpose remains to insulate the body.
But why did we tell you about the skin layers at all? Well, it is because the three types of moisturizers out there work on different layers.
Here are the three different kinds of moisturizers:
- Occlusives
- Humectants
- Emollient
Occlusives are the simplest kinds of moisturizers and work on putting a protective barrier of lipids on our skin’s top layer (epidermis). This protective layer prevents water loss from the skin and thus keeps it nourished. If you have extremely dry skin, go for this kind my friend. Petroleum jelly, lanolin, beeswax, etc. are some of the most common forms of occlusives.
Now, humectants are exactly the opposite of emollients and work by drawing moisture from the environment around them, thereby locking it. Isn’t this very efficient? A few common examples of humectant moisturizers include glycerine, hyaluronic acid, and urea.
Emollient is the scientific guy that works in the very scientific way possible. This type of moisturizer fills the gap between skin cells and thus prevents water loss. If you’ve ever heard of shea butter, ceramides, plant oils, etc., know that you’ve heard of emollients.
Know that most products in the market contain a blend of two or more of these types of moisturizers. While picking, it is best to know your skin type and thus choose the one that is best for you. Once you have your type in mind, buy it from sites like eBay and save yourself a few bucks to buy a few extra products.