An Essential Guide to Facial Moisturizers

When you were younger, you could abuse your skin and it would faithfully look smooth, firm, and glowing. It probably seemed like it would stay that way forever. That is, until you looked in the mirror one morning and noticed a fine line that wasn’t there before. I don’t know how old you are, but if you’re approaching 30 or have already passed it, the appearance of fine lines is natural. To help yourself, you’ll need to make the most of facial moisturizers.

What’s happening to you is a gradual drying out of skin; this is because of a slowdown in your body’s production of the proteins that keep skin soft, pliant, and firm. The two most important skin proteins are collagen and elastin, you may recognize their names. Skin cells are the only source of collagen and elastin.

So, knowing that, what should you look for in a facial cream?

Look for ingredients that kind of pinch your skin cells and tell them, “hey, wake up, start producing collagen and elastin like you did before”. Basically, you want natural substances that jumpstart your skin’s engine.

One cutting-edge natural substance like this is called Cynergy TK. Unlike many hyped ingredients, this one has actually been tested in clinical trials on human volunteers. The company that developed it published these exciting results: “A sustained 14 percent improvement in skin moisture retention over 18 days. And a sustained improvement in skin elasticity of 42 percent over the same time period.”

A dramatic impact like this can only be achieved by stimulating new collagen and elastin at the cellular level.

Now, there are some facial moisturizers that actually list collagen on the label. Avoid these products. The collagen molecules in this kind of collagen are too large for your skin to absorb. The only way to receive the firming and smoothing benefits is to get your body to start making its own collagen. It would be so much easier if you could just rub new collagen into aging skin, but that’s just not how biology works.

Other ingredients you’ll find in an effective facial cream are natural oils like macadamia and avocado oil. These give your skin a luxurious, velvet-y feel. You will also commonly see mineral oil on labels, but this is one oil you don’t want coating your skin. Mineral oil is also called petrolatum; it’s a byproduct when crude oil (drilled out the ground) is converted into gasoline (that you put in your car).

Why is mineral oil in facial moisturizers?

Well, for one, it’s cheap. And two, it actually does work as a moisturizer, but it only works by clogging pores so moisture is locked into skin. It covers skin, preventing it from “breathing” and naturally eliminating toxins. A buildup of toxins in the skin often leads to acne.

Your next step? Take what you learned about natural oils and creating new collagen and elastin and look for a facial cream with powerful natural ingredients in it. At my website, I detail a full list of the most effective and most harmful ingredients you’ll find in facial moisturizers.