The most basic ingredients in moisturizers are a combination of humectants, emollients, fragrances and preservatives. Humectants, such as urea, glycerin, and alpha hydroxy acids, just to name a few, are substances that absorb water from the air and hold the moisture in the skin. For humectants to be effective they need high levels of humidity.
Emollients such as lanolin, mineral oil, and petrolatum are ingredients that fill in the spaces between the cells in the skin thus providing a smoothing effect. There are basically two types of emollients; they are either water based or oil based. My daytime facial moisturizer is water based but my night time facial moisturizer and body lotion is oil based. A good example of an oil based lotion would be Eucerin. I use Eucerin for my body moisturizer and it feels wonderful after shaving my legs. Eucerin seems to lavish my legs with much needed moisture.
There is an array of moisturizers on the market and finding the
right moisturizer can be trial and error.
However, when you find the right one, your skin will reward you
with a beautiful complexion and smooth finish.
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Here is my "can't live without" product! Olay Daily Hydrating Lotion
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