Game Changing Moisturizing Tips

Moisturizing correctly is important to all skin types to achieve healthy skin.  Here are some game changing moisturizing tips to up your daily and nightly skincare routines to combat aging and achieve radiant skin.

Moisturizing Tips: Can Vitamin C & Vitamin B3 Work Together?

Since recently launching Hydrating Hero, we’ve received a number of customer inquiries asking  if Vitamin C serums can work with moisturizers containing Vitamin B3 (a.k.a niacinamide). Rest assured that these two superhero ingredients can work together. 

Many of you may know, we use these two incredible ingredients for the following reasons:

Vitamin C is ascorbic acid, a great antioxidant source that helps skin recover from UV damage.  Vitamin C also helps skin with hyperpigmentation and acne scars. Meanwhile, Vitamin B3 which brightens skin also helps with acne scars and improves skin texture by smoothing out fine lines.    

Zeichner, a director of cosmetic and clinical research at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, suggests that it’s completely fine to “layer your niacinamide-containing product along with your vitamin C serum” since the “ingredients complement each other by improving skin radiance and evening skin tone and texture.”  

Why has there been confusion or misleading information about the two ingredients not working well together?  

Cosmetic chemist Stephen Ko explains, “While the combination of Vitamins B3 C in certain conditions can form nicotinic acid (niacin), it takes a lot of time or heat. When you’re just layering products the amount formed is likely minimal. Niacin is undesirable because it can cause really bad flushing, which you shouldn’t confuse with simple irritation. Flushing is quite persistent and appears rash-like, though it’s temporary. So unless you’re seeing flushing, you’re likely fine with the combination.”

The other issue is that when vitamin C and niacinamide are combined they turn into a yellow liquid, leading most people to believe this causes a negative reaction making both products ineffective. I’ve even seen some claims suggesting that the vitamin C instantaneously oxidizes and you cannot use it anymore. But these fears are unjustified because the yellow combination is actually a result of a charge-transfer interaction that converts the niacinamide and ascorbic acid into niacinamide ascorbate. 

Rest assured, this combo is safe to use and still works to brighten the skin.

Moisturizing Tips: Timing is Everything 

Apply moisturizers right after washing your face.  Within 60 seconds to lock in moisture. It also allows your clean pores absorb all the goodness from your healthy moisturizer.  After washing your face, don’t towel-dry. Instead, apply your moisturizer to damp skin, which can help lock in hydration. 

“Don’t wait too long after washing to apply moisturizer,” Dr. Tanzi advises, because you want to seal in the moisture and keep your skin hydrated and soft. lizabeth Tanzi, MD, director of Capital Laser and Skin Care in Chevy Chase, Maryland

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Moisturizing Tips: Upward Strokes Matter

As you age, gravity pulls your skin downward, causing visible signs of aging such as sagging, fine lines and wrinkles.  The way you apply your healthy moisturizer is also important to combat aging skin. If you apply from top to bottom, you may be doing more harm than good. This is because applying from top to bottom causes you to continuously tug down on the skin, which can lead to sagging, says Dr. James C. Marotta, a facial plastic surgeon and skin care expert. 

Always apply your moisturizers in upward strokes. Also make sure you are being gentle on your delicate skin, neck and chest, especially around the sensitive eye area.  It may not be enough to reverse the effects of gravity but it won’t make the situation worse. In addition, gentle massage increases circulation, helps minimize puffiness and ensures that your skin absorbs as many of the nutrients from your moisturizer as it possibly can.

Moisturizing Tip: Protect Your Skin

Our team can not emphasize enough the importance of using broad spectrum sunscreen protection every single day.  It does not matter how expensive your skincare products are if you are not protecting your skin during the day from both UVA and UVB rays.  Use sunscreen in rain or shine or on cloudy days since ultraviolet rays are strong year round. 

Apply broad spectrum sunscreen after moisturizing.  As your moisturizer locks in moisture for your skin your sunscreen acts as a shield from ultraviolet rays.  Try Sun Warrior Sunscreen with SPF 50+ PA+++ Broad Spectrum Protection. 

An oil-free and fast-absorbing facial and neck sunscreen that delivers dual-action protection from harmful UVA and UVB rays. The lightweight formula is perfect to wear daily over your moisturizer, under makeup, or alone. The matte finish helps makeup apply easily with a smooth finish.  Excellent for all skin types: normal, oily, combination, dry, including sensitive skin.

Moisturizing: Don’t stop

When you apply your morning and nightly anti-aging and healthy moisturizer, don’t stop when you reach your jawline.  Make sure you also put the same amount of care into your neck and chest. Doctor Wechsler suggests using the same skincare products on your neck, chest, and even your hands because all of these areas will show signs of aging. Your facial skin care products target wrinkles and dark spots while your regular body lotion does not. On the flip side, don’t use your body lotion on your face as it can irritate sensitive facial skin and clog pores.

At Last: The Culprit 

Whatever your skin type, avoid certain ingredients that cause damage to your  skin and skin’s moisture barrier.  For example, retire your cleansers containing sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and sodium laureth sulfate (SLES) since they are the biggest culprits of damaging your skin.  Use a gentle yet effective cleanser that is not formulated with SLS, SLES and other harsh culprits stripping the natural lipids from your skin.

Solution: Select skin care products that are formulated with nutrient rich ingredients that helps skin hydrate and rejuvenate. Try Soul Story ‘s Hydrating Hero gel cream, powered with Korean Red Ginseng, Vitamin B3 and Actinidia Chinensis (a.k.a Kiwi Fruit Extract).  A healthy moisturizer for daily and nightly skincare routine.

Kiwi Fruit Extract is a rich source of antioxidants, vital for neutralizing harmful free radicals from within the body and the environment.  it contains a large amount of Vitamin C promoting collagen production and slowing down the appearance of aging skin. Kiwi also provides a good source of Vitamin E to help regenerate the skin, allowing skin texture to feel softer and smoother.