moisturizers making dry skin worse?
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free skin care · Mon May 09, 2011 11:18 pm

Hi all,

I tried googling this but as you can imagine, I got pages of hits on moisturizers for dry skin rather than the question I'm asking. I also came up with nothing on a search here.

So, do you know why some moisturizers dry out the face and do the opposite of moisturizing? Especially when they are not formulated for acne prone skin?

There are several lines I can't use because they actually leave my skin much dryer and tighter and do not moisturize at all. They make it worse than if I had used nothing. A few lines I can think of immediately are: Dr. Perricone, Dr. Haushka (spelling?), Merlot face creams, and many others. Some body lotions as well.

My guess is that they are not pH balanced. Does anyone have any theories? Thanks!

free skin care · Mon May 09, 2011 11:58 pm

My guess is that it may contain irritating ingredients. Such chemicals can irritate the skin and do things that it's not supposed to do. An example would be for oily skin... when it's exposed to irritating ingredients, the skin responds by producing more oil to protect itself. Not sure about the science behind dry skin becoming drier though.

But what I would suggest is to go through the ingredient list and compare it to beautypedia.com. You may find that your products contain more irritants than you would like. Hope this helps!

free skin care · Tue May 10, 2011 8:11 am

oasisjc wrote:

My guess is that it may contain irritating ingredients. Such chemicals can irritate the skin and do things that it's not supposed to do. An example would be for oily skin... when it's exposed to irritating ingredients, the skin responds by producing more oil to protect itself. Not sure about the science behind dry skin becoming drier though.

But what I would suggest is to go through the ingredient list and compare it to beautypedia.com. You may find that your products contain more irritants than you would like. Hope this helps!

Thanks Oasisjc! I originally thought that as well and did peruse that site. But I think it's a different issue (or a maybe combination of the two?). Because I can put on various chemically (both cheapy and expensive) creams that don't do this dramatic tightening and drying out of the skin. And nothing stood out in the ingredients that was different.

I'm just wondering if anyone else has experienced this or if my suspicion about pH levels might be accurate? The effect is pretty much the same as washing your face with hand soap and not moisturizing afterward. Yuck!

free skin care · Tue May 10, 2011 8:50 am

Oh actually yeah, pH can play a role in the tightening of the skin (another way to irritate it). But this didn't really cross my mind because Dr. Perricone and Haushka products should be properly balanced. In fact, most skincare lines should already be pH balanced since this was such a big issue in the past that should've already been corrected by now. You can always buy pH test strips at the pharmacy/chemist to see if it really is pH balanced or not

Mon May 23, 2011 9:05 pm

You might like this thread, BelleFlower:

Study suggests: - Skin cream can make skin drier
http://www.essentialdayspa.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=31227

free skin care · Tue May 24, 2011 1:47 am

BelleFlower wrote:

So, do you know why some moisturizers dry out the face and do the opposite of moisturizing? Especially when they are not formulated for acne prone skin?

besides imbalance pH, I also think that's because of imbalance of water and oil under ur skin. That means the differences b/w dehydration and dry skin. And some moisturizers contain more oil content, thus not correct what your skin need; and this will dry out the skin even more.

Tue May 24, 2011 6:17 am

I have always had dry botchy skin when I used moisturizer. Thanks to Obagi, that prob is gone now.

Tue May 24, 2011 11:04 am

There alot and good respond in this product called MEKAR SEMILU. Its natural ingredient.
Can try to have a look the blogspot at beautymekarsemilu.

There a good soap called Propolis soap which is can help to treat sinusitis, acne, abscesses, ringworm, acne scars, skin itch, ringworm, herpes and helps brighten skin and soften the skin.May also help treat newborns baby, such as rashes and skin problems of infection (eczema). Suitable for dry skin and children who have skin problems.

Also the Rice Milk and collagen facial wash that can make your skin brighter & healthy white, plus use their Day Cream & Pearl Cream was so...amazing..

free skin care · Tue May 24, 2011 11:53 am

Have you tried an all natural moisurizer like pure jojoba oil? Its cheaper and it should be non irritating......

free skin care · Tue May 24, 2011 2:05 pm

For what it's worth, lines like Dr. Hauschka actually design their moisturizers to retrain the skin to produce its own moisture, or stop producing so much moisture. Case in point, their Normalizing Day Oil (a pure oil) is meant for oily/acne-prone skin, but their Moisturizing Day Cream is a very light moisturizer which is meant for the driest of skins. Their philosophy is that over time your skin will acclimate to producing its own natural moisture if it's not over-slathered in thick product that's traditionally designed for dry skin.

Certainly not claiming this philosophy works well for everyone, but I know that my own skin is less oily when I use pure oil moisturizers, and I get the greasies when I use a light moisture lotion. So perhaps your skin doesn't agree with that approach, but also perhaps you didn't give it a try long enough? Either way, I hope this thread provides you w/ some good info and alternatives!

free skin care · Tue May 24, 2011 4:24 pm

BelleFlower wrote:

Hi all,

I tried googling this but as you can imagine, I got pages of hits on moisturizers for dry skin rather than the question I'm asking. I also came up with nothing on a search here.

So, do you know why some moisturizers dry out the face and do the opposite of moisturizing? Especially when they are not formulated for acne prone skin?

There are several lines I can't use because they actually leave my skin much dryer and tighter and do not moisturize at all. They make it worse than if I had used nothing. A few lines I can think of immediately are: Dr. Perricone, Dr. Haushka (spelling?), Merlot face creams, and many others. Some body lotions as well.

My guess is that they are not pH balanced. Does anyone have any theories? Thanks!

If its an occlusive moisturizer such as vaseline, mineral oil, silicones "cones", then all they do is work a barrier on top of your skin that does not let your natural skin moisture escape or evaporate, thus sealing it in.

Humectant based moisturizers like the oil-free ones contain sodium PCA, hyaluronic acid, etc. take moisture from the environment and air and cause ironically cause dry skin in humid/desert environment where there is a lack of moisture.

So it depends on which type of moisturizer you are using, there is also the oil in water or water in oil emulsion moisturizers which just sink into your skin increasing your skin's water supply.

My recommendation for a good moisturizer that doesnt dry out is Cerave PM, its pretty good. There is also the Xtend-Life moisturizing line which deeply moisturizes as well.

free skin care · Wed May 25, 2011 6:20 am

LightenNlift wrote:

BelleFlower wrote:

Hi all,

I tried googling this but as you can imagine, I got pages of hits on moisturizers for dry skin rather than the question I'm asking. I also came up with nothing on a search here.

So, do you know why some moisturizers dry out the face and do the opposite of moisturizing? Especially when they are not formulated for acne prone skin?

There are several lines I can't use because they actually leave my skin much dryer and tighter and do not moisturize at all. They make it worse than if I had used nothing. A few lines I can think of immediately are: Dr. Perricone, Dr. Haushka (spelling?), Merlot face creams, and many others. Some body lotions as well.

My guess is that they are not pH balanced. Does anyone have any theories? Thanks!

If its an occlusive moisturizer such as vaseline, mineral oil, silicones "cones", then all they do is work a barrier on top of your skin that does not let your natural skin moisture escape or evaporate, thus sealing it in.

Humectant based moisturizers like the oil-free ones contain sodium PCA, hyaluronic acid, etc. take moisture from the environment and air and cause ironically cause dry skin in humid/desert environment where there is a lack of moisture.

So it depends on which type of moisturizer you are using, there is also the oil in water or water in oil emulsion moisturizers which just sink into your skin increasing your skin's water supply.

My recommendation for a good moisturizer that doesnt dry out is Cerave PM, its pretty good. There is also the Xtend-Life moisturizing line which deeply moisturizes as well.

This must be why La Mer works for me. I think my skin is dehydrated from water because oils on their own don't seem to do much in the long-term.

free skin care · Wed May 25, 2011 6:32 am

Many products contain irritating ingredients as oasisjc mentioned. These irritants can natural or man made.

Fri May 27, 2011 1:48 pm

I agree with some of the other posters. It could be irritating ingredients. Perhaps some are causing contact dermatitis and making the skin red and/or flakey and irritated! It has happened to me beore with body wash, soap, and moisturizer.

free skin care · Fri May 27, 2011 9:37 pm

I use cetaphil moisturizing cream and love it. I apply it all over my face and do not avoid any breakouts. Hopefully whatever moisturizer you use is non comedogenic so it should not cause you to break out more. Having dry skin can actually break you out more so my advice would be to use that moisturizer girl! Good luck to you!

free skin care · Sat May 28, 2011 3:04 am

Have you tried Clove's Lilly Pilly cream? My mum's got dry and sensitive skin and she loves this product. Its got shea butter, vitamin E, olive squalene etc..Squalene is great apparently for super dry skin. Might want to give that a try?
I wish I had dryer skin- my skin is SUPER oily lol. Anyways good luck with searching for your holy grail product!

free skin care · Sat May 28, 2011 4:05 pm

paulspnao wrote:

I use cetaphil moisturizing cream and love it. I apply it all over my face and do not avoid any breakouts. Hopefully whatever moisturizer you use is non comedogenic so it should not cause you to break out more. Having dry skin can actually break you out more so my advice would be to use that moisturizer girl! Good luck to you!

While Cetaphil is great for getting rid of those flakes, it doesn't have beneficial ingredients in terms of skin health. It just provides moisture, but no antioxidants or anything like that

free skin care · Mon May 30, 2011 2:47 am

I　will apply facial oil if I think the moisturizer is not enough for me. I agree with you. Dr perricone moisturizer is horrible...... It is very very light moisturizer. I don't think good for anyone except very oily skin.....

Mon May 30, 2011 4:11 am

Hi, the simple answer to your question is water. Moisturisers and lotions contain more water than oil. Your skin will gratefully absorb the oil content (unless it is mineral oil) but the water will stay left on the skin surface to evaporate taking with it your own natural protective barrier. Bit like chapped hands when not dried properly. The result is skin left dryer than ever.

If you want to use a cream moisturizer make sure that it does not contain horrible skin unfriendly mineral oil( Parrafinium liquidum) because apparently it compromises your skin's own protective barrier, and most importantly make sure that whatever cream you use contains more oil than water, if you can find one.

The simpler alternative is to use a facial oil without any water to dry out your skin.

free skin care · Wed Jun 22, 2011 1:34 am

I find that Dr. H irritates me as well because it contains too many essential oils, and Perricone might have too much vitamin C. Look for things like ph but also for specific ingredients, like alcohol, peppermint, essential oils (esp citrus) that are known irritants.

free skin care · Wed Jun 22, 2011 3:52 pm

gracehath wrote:

Hi, the simple answer to your question is water. Moisturisers and lotions contain more water than oil. Your skin will gratefully absorb the oil content (unless it is mineral oil) but the water will stay left on the skin surface to evaporate taking with it your own natural protective barrier. Bit like chapped hands when not dried properly. The result is skin left dryer than ever.

Interesting. So water in moisturizers actually dry the skin? DAMN.

free skin care · Wed Jun 22, 2011 4:49 pm

LondonJamie wrote:

gracehath wrote:

Hi, the simple answer to your question is water. Moisturisers and lotions contain more water than oil. Your skin will gratefully absorb the oil content (unless it is mineral oil) but the water will stay left on the skin surface to evaporate taking with it your own natural protective barrier. Bit like chapped hands when not dried properly. The result is skin left dryer than ever.

Interesting. So water in moisturizers actually dry the skin? DAMN.

It depends on the amount of water. There's also a significant role of glycerin too because if there's too much of it, it'll absorb water away from your cells and into the atmosphere.

free skin care · Thu Jun 23, 2011 12:10 am

Moisturizers work in two ways with two types of ingredients. Humectants such as hyaluronic acid, glycerin, propylene glycol, which work by attracting water to the skin. The second are emollients such as oils, shea butter which soften and forms a protective layer on top to prevent water loss. If your skin is very dry you may want to try a hydrating serum followed by a moisturizer. It could be your skin needs to be both hydrated and moisturized.

free skin care · Thu Jun 23, 2011 9:08 am

I used to have extremely dry skin, it's alot better these days. I do use alot of different products. I find Paula's Choice Moisturising Boost Hydrating Treatment Cream really nice, just a suggestion!

free skin care · Thu Jun 23, 2011 10:26 am

Bermie2 wrote:

I used to have extremely dry skin, it's alot better these days. I do use alot of different products. I find Paula's Choice Moisturising Boost Hydrating Treatment Cream really nice, just a suggestion!

I agree. I used it when I had some peelies after coming home from a trip and it was all healed within a couple days

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