How To Use After-Bath Moisture Boosters
    If you have normal skin, using lotions after bathing is fine.  You might choose a lotion that’s part of
    the same line as your bath cleanser, especially if you use scented products and want the depth of
    fragrance that “layering” products can provide.

    But if your skin is more than just slightly dry, slathering on a lotion probably isn’t enough.  People
    use lotions because they’re easy and convenient, but many are mostly alcohol and water.  Here’s
    how to hydrate properly.

    Soak first, then add oil.  Bath or body oils come in hundreds of formulations.  There’s plain old
    baby oil, exotic scented oils, oils you pour – even oils you spray.

    But most of these products are only marginally effective, especially if you’re pouring them in
    before you step into the tub.  Why?  Because if you put the oil in the tub before you get in, a surface
    of oil will form over your skin, actually preventing water from hydrating it!

    To get your bath oil’s maximum moisturizing benefits, soak in plain water for a few minutes.  Then
    pour in your oil.  When you get out, a film of oil will form on your skin and trap the water that has
    soaked in.

    For even better results, apply oil after you get out of the tub.  Put it on right out of the container – the
    dose is 100 times better.  It’s also safer; oil in the tub can be very slippery.

    Moisture-rich creams and ointments.  Seriously dry skin needs a richer emollient to lock in the
    water it has absorbed.  If the emollient isn’t heavy enough, your skin can feel drier than ever once
    the water evaporates.

    A good suggestion is a heavy-duty cream, something that doesn’t pour.  Petroleum jelly rates high
    on the lists of many doctors.  So do products like Eucerin, available in a cream or lotion, which
    doesn’t have the thin consistency of traditional lotions, and Aquaphor, an ointment.  Bath products
    formulated with lanolin can also be effective on dry skin.  Some dermatologists say lanolin is an
    important sensitizer, however.  So don’t use moisturizers formulated with lanolin if you know you
    have sensitive skin.
17,858 Expert Authors Sharing Their Best Health Articles
Article Categories
Counter