Facial moisturising creams and lotions are essentially a mix of oil and water and also some additional ingredients!

They are intended to make your skin not only feel good but look good too. Although the word “moisturiser” is used for creams and lotions, they don’t technically add water to or moisture the skin, they simple place a fine film on the surface of your skin and prevent your own skin’s moisture being lost, so in effect they have a “barrier function” for the skin, keeping water in and pollutants and irritants out.

The need for the correct moisturiser in high humidity climates is essential, as fluctuations in the level of humidity greatly affect the skins hydration.

It’s important to choose your moisturiser according to your skin type, and to make sure that it either contains or is based on a plant oil and not the mineral oil, paraffinum liquidum, as this can clog your skin’s pores.

One way to see if your moisturiser is rich enough for you is to do a simple test called the “tight test”. Apply your cream and just wait for a minute or two, if your skin still feels tight, you could move up to another richer and heavier cream.

Before you splash out on purchasing a new cream, why not try the small pots or samples first to see if they suit your skin, and your purse!

So if you have dry skin, choose a rich cream packed with emollients, which contain the essential fatty acids your skin needs for deep moisturisation. Believe it nor not, olive oil is a great moisturiser for very dry skin.

For normal /combination skin with an oily T-zone, you’ll need a lighter moisturiser especially formulated for that skin type. Choose a lightweight cream with anti-oxidants and essential fatty acids. Some creams on the market today come with a built in protection against air-borne pollutants which cause free-radical damage to your skin. Even if you have oily skin, and you skip your moisturiser you may actually stimulate your glands to over-produce more oil in order to protect your skin. So smooth a little oil-free moisturiser sparingly over your skin. Oil glands cluster in the T-zone, so your skin tends to get shinier as the days goes on, so to reduce excessive oiliness on your skin, simply use a little mattifying gel after your moisturiser.

To prevent further damage and aging to your delicate skin, always use an SPF 20 at the very minimum. Look for one that contains a blend of titanium and zinc oxide.

The good news is you don’t have to spend a small fortune on a jar of cream, whether it’s high-tech, natural, botanical or organic, the most important thing is to find that great moisturiser cream that makes all the difference to your skin!