Say Goodbye to Dry Skin: 5 Must-Have Moisturizer Ingredients for Happy and Healthy Skin
Happy Winter!
As a New-Englander at heart, I absolutely love all our beautiful seasons, especially winter! I am a huge fan of the snow and I feel all the magic every time it snows!
What I don’t love about winter is the harsh dry, cold air that disrupts our skin barrier and cause our skin to become dry, red, and inflamed. Since we’re in the thick of winter, I have been getting more and more questions in clinic about moisturizers and moisturizer ingredients that are great for all skin types. ❄️
I love getting this question because I recommend moisturizing your face, body, and hands all year round, especially during the winter to help prevent against the damage to our skin barrier that can lead to dry, cracked skin and even eczema in my susceptible patients.
Although there are certain moisturizers and specific ingredients to look out for for different needs, here are, in my opinion, the 5 best moisturizer ingredients for all skin types to look out for when picking your next moisturizer!
Essential Fatty Acids: Ceramides + Lipids
Ceramides are essential fatty acids that are naturally found in our skin to help strengthen and repair the skin barrier that can be damaged by our environment. Remember from high school anatomy that our skin is made up of a lipid barrier - those lipids (aka fats) are important in keeping harmful pathogens and toxins out of our body, and keeping our hydration in our body. When our lipid barrier aka our skin barrier is damaged, that’s when we are exposed to our environmental toxins, harmful pathogens, and we lose important hydration which is a recipe for eczema with a secondary bacterial infection!
These important fatty acids have shown to increase hydration within the skin while reducing the amount of water that escapes our skin (called transepidermal water loss) a major win-win! Squalane, a popular plant-derived fatty acid is a common ingredient in moisturizers, and one to look for in the ingredient list when shopping for your next moisturizer!
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is an important fat-soluble vitamin that is important for internal and external uses as an antioxidant. On the skin, it acts to hydrate, firm, and protect the skin barrier- all wonderful properties for a moisturizer to have! While getting adequate amounts of vitamin E in your diet from nuts and seeds is important for overall health, the best skin health properties of vitamin E will come from the topical preparations. Keep an eye out for vitamin E in the ingredient list when buying your next moisturizer!
Peptides
Peptides are small portions of proteins. Peptides are anti-aging and help plump the skin, reduce the appearance of fine lines, support the skin barrier, and decrease inflammation! Peptides have also been shown to reduce wrinkles by boosting collagen production within the skin! Other types of peptides can have more hydrating effects, but all-in-all peptides are definitely something I look for when I’m shopping for moisturizers!
Hyaluronic Acid
Hyaluronic acid is known as a humectant ingredient. Humectants attract and bind to water for added hydration and give the appearance of younger, plumper, healthier skin! Glycerin also acts as a humectant in skin care products. Something important to know about hyaluronic acid is that it can actually make your skin more dry by pulling hydration out of your skin if you don’t use it correctly. The best way to use hyaluronic acid is while your skin is still damp, and then finish with a moisturizer on top, better yet, find a moisturizer that has hyaluronic acid in it! That way, it will pull hydration from the water and moisturizing ingredients in the moisturizer and plump your skin!
Niacinamide
Niacinamide is a form of Vitamin B3 and is a soothing, anti-aging, and anti-inflammatory ingredient that can help with acne, pigment, and overall health of the skin. It also has been shown to help improve skin texture and reduce the appearance of pores. Niacinamide t is often found in moisturizers that are formulated to address uneven skin tone and texture. It is quite possibly my favorite skincare ingredients of all time for all of these reasons.
Apply Moisturizer Right After the Shower
The best time to apply moisturizer is right after the shower while your skin is still damp so you can lock in all that wonderful hydration!
Quick Tip: Shower in lukewarm water and don’t pat your skin completely dry. Make sure it is still slightly damp and slather all the wonderful moisturizing ingredients right away onto your skin!
4 Ingredients to Avoid in Moisturizers
Here are some ingredients to avoid in your moisturizers:
Sulfates & preservatives
Synthetic dyes
Fragrance/ perfumes
Alcohol & other drying ingredients
My Favorite Moisturizers
Glymed Plus: CBD-Micro Silver Miracle
Glymed Plus: Daily Repair Mega-Moisture Cream
Glymed Plus: Intense Peptide Skin Recovery Complex
Glymed Plus: Rosacea Relief
Glymed Plus: Treatment Cream
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Heal with us at Coastal Thyme Holistic Skin + Wellness
Discover a Natural Approach to Holistic Health: Meet Dr. Ashley Dumont, ND at Coastal Thyme Holistic Skin + Wellness in Portsmouth, NH! As a licensed Naturopathic Doctor, Dr. Dumont combines the best of functional and personalized medicine with naturopathic and holistic practices to provide individualized care for each patient.
She specializes in holistic dermatology, digestive health, hormonal health, natural fertility support, and offers customized IV nutritional therapy, nutrient injections, and vitamin injections. Dr. Dumont believes in using natural medicine and a holistic approach to promote wellness, and is dedicated to helping you achieve healthy, glowing skin and overall wellness. With her expertise in nutrition and bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, she can help you achieve balance and harmony in your body.
If you're ready to experience the benefits of naturopathic medicine, click here to schedule your appointment with Dr. Ashley Dumont at Coastal Thyme Holistic Skin + Wellness in Downtown Portsmouth, NH. New patients are welcome, and she can't wait to help you on your journey to optimal health!
