How to Properly Moisturize Skin

Everyone wants supple, baby soft skin that is clear and well moisturized. However, what is the best way to achieve this? Below, I outline three simple steps to help achieve the skin of your dreams.

Exfoliate/Prepare Skin

The first step to achieve perfectly moisturized skin is to exfoliate. In this step, you may want to avoid chemical exfoliation techniques and try out a process that simply removes top layer dry or rough skin. Exfoliation in this regard can be achieved with a loofah sponge, washcloth or even a scrub.

The best method of exfoliation is specific to your skin type. You may find that a salt or sugar scrub is too abrasive, or that a washcloth does not exfoliate your skin properly.  You will achieve optimal results if you take the time to try multiple exfoliation methods until you find the process that best removes all of the excess dry skin for your skin type. Once you find the technique that works best for your skin, you will want to implement this important first step in your moisturizing process.

After you exfoliate your skin, you should use a towel to dry your skin completely. This will ensure all dirt and excess dry skin has been properly removed from the epidermis.

Many different exfoliation techniques work for this first step. Using clay masks, facial scrubs, pumice stones (for feet or elbows), and even loofahs (for full body exfoliation) are great ways to remove excess dry skin.

Rehydrate

This is a step that nearly everyone skips. Surprisingly, the best way to rehydrate does not include the use of a moisturizer or lotion. The best rehydration method is to use just plain water. Yes you read that right, water. Believe it or not, water is the best moisturizer on the market.

Keep in mind, however, that all water is not made a like. If you have just undergone the process of removing excess dry skin via exfoliation,  you need to realize that your skin is now more susceptible to irritation if that water contains harmful microorganisms. Therefore, I would suggest rehydrating the skin using either distilled water or water that had been heated to a rolling boil and cooled to room temperature. This “clean” water should be devoid of microorganisms that can infect your skin. Keep in mind that I did not mention filtered or bottled spring water. Filtering water does not remove microorganisms.  Also, spring water does not ensure that water is without bacteria.

Apply clean water liberally to dry skin. I suggest you do this by placing water into a spray bottle and lightly misting your skin. The point of rehydrating clean dry skin is to let the water permeate the dry epidermis. Spritz the skin and let that water really soak in.

Filtered water may still contain microorganisms. Also, spring water does not ensure that water is without bacteria, mold or fungus.

Apply Emollient

After you have rehydrated your skin with clean water, dry lightly and apply an emollient, such as Zaybix Organics Restorative Face & Body Cream, to slightly damp skin. Emollient application should occur within one minute of rehydration in order to trap the moisture onto the surface of the skin.

The purpose of this step is to “lock in” the water. The emollient acts as a waterproof barrier to trap the moisture onto the surface of dry epidermis.

Before you proceed to this step, I need to clarify that an emollient and lotion are two different products. An emollient is a thick cream used to seal in moisture. There is usually little to no water listed as an ingredient in an emollient. Lotions, however, usually have water listed as a first ingredient and are lighter in consistency than an emollient.  Essentially, lotions are emollients mixed with water. Lotions are useful if you have slightly dry skin. However, if you need more moisture to combat stronger dry skin conditions (such as rough feet or hyperpigmentation), lotions are not extremely helpful.

Apply the emollient liberally to your skin and watch as this regimen leads to unbelievably supple skin.

As a quick takeaway, if you plan to use this regiment on your face, I would recommend trying this three step moisturizing routine exclusively at night. Emollients tend to have a bit more sheen than other moisturizers. Unless you do not mind having a shiny face, this routine is better suited for a nighttime routine. If you plan to use this technique for other areas of the body (ie, eczema patches, stretch marks or dry itchy scars, etc.) there is no reason to limit this regiment to nighttime.

Also as a second takeaway, heavy, abrasive exfoliation is not recommended everyday. However, if you can find a daily exfoliant and are able to try out this routine frequently, you will see the best skin of your life.

Let me know if you have any additional moisturizing tips in the comments below.