Best Emollients For Dry Skin
Emollients are ingredients in skin care products that soothe dryness or irritation. Also, they form a film on your skin’s outer layer and help to keep moisture in. Additionally, there are two main types of emollients: occlusives and humectants.
Occlusives Vs Humectatants
Occlusives form a thick, greasy coating on your skin and don’t dissolve in water. Occlusives include petroleum jelly, mineral oil, lanolin, and liquid paraffin.
Humectants attract and bind water to your skin, increasing its moisture. These ingredients feel less thick and greasy than occlusives but wash off more easily in water.
Some natural emollients for dry skin include plant butter, vegetable and fruit oils, animal fats, mineral oils, and esters. Also, you can find emollients in moisturizing skin care products such as creams, soaps, moisturizers, and ointments.
Humectants For Skincare
- Hyaluronic acid absorbs 1,000 times its molecular weight in water.
- Sodium PCA absorbs its weight 250 times.
Other humectants in personal care products include:
- Glycerin: Glycerin, or glycerol, is a clear substance that occurs naturally in animal and plant tissue, including humans.
- Sugars: Other humectants include Honey, seaweed, propylene glycol, sugar alcohols like xylitol and sorbitol, molasses, urea, peptides and amino acids, and panthenol (Vitamin B5).
Benefits Of Using Emollients For Your Skin
Emollients are ingredients in skin care products that soothe dryness or irritation. Additionally, they form a film on your skin’s outer layer and help keep moisture. Therefore, emollients can help improve and control your symptoms and heal your skin. Some benefits of using emollients for skin include:
- Soothing and healing dry skin due to almost any cause, including eczema, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, hypothyroidism, diabetes, kidney disease, burns from radiation treatments, and diaper rash.
- They treat other skin irritations, such as burns from radiation treatments and diaper rash.
- Also, they improve and control your symptoms and heal your skin.
Some of the best plant oils to use as emollients include:
- Olive oil is rich in oleic acid and an excellent emollient for dry skin.
- Avocado oil: It is rich in vitamins A, D, and E and is an excellent emollient for dry and sensitive skin.
- Marula oil: is rich in antioxidants and fatty acids and an excellent emollient for dry and aging skin.
- Sweet almond oil: It is rich in vitamin E and is an excellent emollient for dry and sensitive skin.
- Coconut oil: It is rich in fatty acids and is an excellent emollient for dry skin.
- Argan oil: It is rich in vitamin E and fatty acids and is an excellent emollient for dry skin.
How To Use Plant Oils As Emollients
Plant oils can be used as emollients in a variety of ways. Here are some tips on how to use them:
- You can apply plant oils directly to your skin as a moisturizer. Pour some oil into your palm and rub it onto your skin. Also, you can mix plant oils with other ingredients to create your custom skin care products.
- You can add plant oils to your bath water to help soothe dry skin. Add a few drops of oil to your bath water and soak for 15-20 minutes.
- You can use plant oils as a massage oil. Pour a small amount of oil into your palm and massage it onto your skin.
How To Store Plant Oils
Plant oils should be stored in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight to prevent them from going rancid. Also, you can store them in a dark glass bottle with a tight-fitting lid to help protect them from light and air.
