Our skin is a complicated structure, but today we’re only focusing on two basic components : oil and water.

Oil, otherwise known as “sebum” is produced by tiny sebaceous glands. The job of the sebum is to cover the skin like a protective wrap against outside harmful elements, like bacteria, dust, pollution.

Too little oil results in dry skin, while too much oil results in oily skin.

Water is necessary for most of the body functions and is a very large component of every cell. Even if we drink enough for our body, the first organ to lose water content is the skin. This is why we need to moisturize in addition to drinking.

Too little water results in dehydrated skin. This is skin that shows tiny scratches, almost like  they were made by a fine needle, going in all directions. Chronically dehydrated skin will develop wrinkles regardless of age.

OIly skin is very often dehydrated because of harsh, cheap cleansing products which strip the skin not only of too much oil, but also of precious water.

Moisturizers are formulated to respectively suit oily and dry skin and using the wrong moisturizer can result in break outs (oily skin) or diminished but still present dehydration (dry skin).

It is customary to use a moisturizer for day time because our various activities will invariably result in water loss. In addition to replacing water, moisturizers are also protecting the skin against water loss.

Many moisturizers contain SPF, which saves us the use of 2 products instead of just one. The problem here is that SPF needs to be re-applied during the day and no one I know is ready to take off their make up in mid-day, just to re-apply moisturizer!!

The solution is to use mineral powders with SPF and apply this several times a day.

I look forward to your comments and questions. Have a great week!