Surprised! It is natural because thousands of personal care products in the market claim their oil-based products to hydrate or moisturise the skin/hair.
But this is absolutely wrong.
Let us understand real science.
Hydra/Moisture means water. And as we all know, water & oil repel each other. How can oil give hydration or moisturisation to the skin since there is no water part in oil? To moisturise or hydrate hair/skin, we need molecules which can attract and hold water in it. The simple example is glycerin, and more advance example is hyaluronic acid. They both can retain moisture in them and so are called as moisturisers.
An ideal way to care skin is to apply a water-based product like a toner with glycerin/hyaluronic as a moisturiser and then apply light oil over it to lock the moisturisers inside the skin and keep it well-nourished in all kind of environments. If your skin still feels dry you can use moisturiser as a final step after applying a toner and skin oil.
For hair, toners are not in trend, but conditioners do a similar job. And if we apply natural, oil-based serum over it, it can retain conditioner's moisturisation and prevent frizz.
Just remember!
Always prefer to use natural moisturisers and oils rather than synthetic ones like propylene glycol, mineral oil or silicone oil.
So far, we understood what does a word moisturiser, or moisturisation/hydration mean? Now, let us know why water and oil both are equally important for healthy hair/skin?
Oils have a vital role in keeping the skin's moisture level intact as it prevents the skin's water loss and maintains skin lipids. On the other side, water gives vitality and helps skin run its functionality.
Usually, any creme or lotions, that is opaque white has oil and water both in it. So it can moisturise as well as nourish the skin.
However, there is a small caution!
If not made well, Creme contains a tiny portion of oil & moisturisers in it and that too in synthetic form. Applying such kind of creme may give temporary moisturisation with limited or no nutritional value. So choose toner over creme for proper hydration and then natural oil-based serums to locate the hydration and provide the complete nourishment. Lastly, as discussed above, if your skin still feels dry, a naturally made creme can be used.
Here is the list of most commonly found natural moisturisers.
- Glycerin (Plant-Based)
- Propanediol
- Xylitol (Sugar Based)
- Natural Hyaluronic Acid
- Sodium Lactate (Plant-Based)
Apart from these moisturisers, there are quite a few plant extracts which give moisturisation to hair/skin.