Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, people have upgraded their hand soap game. There are so many soaps on the markets, and the truth is that many of them are filled with harmful chemicals that are difficult to pronounce. Are there non-toxic hand soaps in stores? Some brands use reputable ingredients, but they may also use fragrances or other substances that can disrupt the skin barrier. 

Unlike making body butters, lip balms, or bath bombs, making your own non-toxic soap is a very simple process. When you go to purchase ingredients for the soap, you will also need to acquire a soap dispenser. You can either purchase a foaming soap dispenser, or any old hand soap dispenser. If your old hand soap is running out, give it a good rinse, let it dry, and use that for this DIY hand soap. 

Castile Soap

Is castile strong enough to kill germs? The short answer is: no, but it is still effective. Rather than killing bacteria, castile soap, which is a surfactant, removes germs and bacteria (like dirt and grease) with the aid of running water. That makes castile soap an excellent ingredient for cleaning your hands. Liquid castile soap, such as Dr. Bronner’s, is free of synthetic ingredients or foaming agents. It is a blend of ethically sourced carrier oils and aromatic essential oils.

Dermatologists like to say that castile soap speaks the language of the skin. That means that it incorporates three essential moisturizing components: humectants, emollients, and occlusives, all of which benefit the skin. 

Humectants

Humectants are substances that attract water from the air or from deeper layers of the skin. Coming in naturally derived, unchanged, or synthetic forms, humectants bind with water and break down dead skin cells. They typically break down those skin cells first, making it so your pores remain unclogged. Once humectants loosen dead skin cells, they draw moisture from the air or deeper layers of the skin. 

Emollients

Emollients are ingredients in skin care products that help to relieve dryness or skin irritation. Skin care experts refer to emollients as skin barrier creams because they help form a protective film on the skin’s outer. Dermatologists usually recommend emollients for skin conditions that cause dryness, for example, eczema and psoriasis. Emollients attract moisture to the skin, help prevent moisture loss in the skin, and work to soften peeling or scaling skin. An emollient differs from a moisturizer because it works to soften the skin, whereas a moisturizer contains other ingredients that bring water into the skin.

Occlusives

Occlusives are moisturizing agents that help form a protective barrier on the skin’s surface. Typically, they are waxy or oily and almost act like plastic wrap for the skin. What we mean by this is that plastic wrap forms a barrier between food and the outside environment. Similarly, occlusives aim to prevent harmful pathogens or particles from entering the skin, while keeping the skin moist at the same time. They help protect against dehydration, infection, and environmental damage, making them a great addition to any skin care regimen. 

DIY Non-Toxic Hand Soap

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup filtered water
• 1/4 cup liquid castile soap
• 20 drops lemon essential oil
• Soap dispenser

Instructions:

• Pour the water into the soap dispenser, followed by the liquid castile soap. 
• Add 20 drops of lemon essential oil, which works to remove odors and provides a refreshing aroma. 
• Screw the top on the soap dispenser, shake well, and use when ready.

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Some people have sensitive skin that is prone to dryness. Looking at yourself in the mirror in the middle of the day can be quite scary. You see fine lines, dry flakes, or sallow skin, and you become terrified. While it isn’t fair that others have naturally moisturized, supple skin, there are hacks that can improve hydration. It’s time to take back control of your skin and use the following hacks to rectify your dry skin. 

Load Up On Antioxidants

If you want to hydrate the skin, you have to examine your diet. You need more than emollients, humectants, and lips to nourish the skin and keep it as supple as possible. When it comes to how many antioxidants you should consume per day, there is no numerical answer, but the more the better. Dermatologists point out that the more you neutralize unstable molecules, which stem from free radical formation, the longer you can protect your skin cells. Not only do antioxidants protect your skin from free radical damage, but they also improve your skin’s ability to retain moisture. Additionally antioxidants decrease inflammation to enhance skin barrier function. Antioxidants help reduce transepidermal water loss, a process in which water leaks out of the epidermis into the air around you. 

Shower Sandwiching

Before you jump to conclusions, don’t take a sandwich into the shower. Shower sandwiching is a favorite ritual among people with dry skin. Apply body oil before and after a shower, also known as shower sandwiching. Applying oil after a shower is a familiar practice, but the before part is surprising for some. When you oil up before a shower, the oil barrier prevents excessive water loss in the shower, helping you avoid any irritation. Standing in a hot shower for too long can dissolve the body’s natural lipid barrier, making it more susceptible to dryness and irritation. When you layer a protective shield of oil beforehand, the skin has a buffer against the hot water. After you get out of the shower, reapply the same body oil over slightly damp skin to trap moisture in the skin and nourish the skin barrier. 

Nourish Your Skin Barrier

If your skin barrier is healthy, your skin should remain hydrated and smooth, as opposed to flaky and dry. If you suffer from dry skin, chances are that you need to rebuild your skin barrier. Seek out ingredients like ceramics, which are like building blocks within the skin. Ceramides work to regenerate the skin’s natural barrier. Additionally, you can incorporate other ingredients into your skin barrier-boosting routine. Panthenol, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and glycerin all work to trap moisture and prevent transepidermal water loss. 

Choose The Right Lip Balm

A lip balm is simple in theory, but it should contain three things in order for it to be effective. There’s nothing worse than applying a lip balm that leaves your lips drier than they felt before application. A great lip balm should keep your lips hydrated for hours, so you only need to reapply a couple times throughout the day. In order to keep your lips hydrated, a lip balm should contain occlusives, emollients, and humectants. Occlusives create a protective seal on top of the skin, humectants attract water, and emollients support the barrier and repair micro cracks in the skin. Together, this trio can effectively hydrate your lips.

Multi-Moisturizing

When it comes to hydrators, the texture can make or break the experience. There are those who prefer spreadable formulas because they provide all-over coverage. Other people prefer dense creams that sink in the skin. The hydrating solution you use ultimately comes down to what you prefer and how the moisturizing experience is for you. Depending on the time of year and how your skin feels, you may need to switch creams, lotions, or body butters. Multi-moisturizing is a great way to care for your body. This concept is not new and it used to involve applying multiple formulas to your face to target your skin’s unique needs. You may need to use different products depending on what particular areas of the body need. Larger areas may require spreadable lotions, while areas that require extra attention may need body creams. And hand cream is a must to replenish moisture on the hands!

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Water plays an integral role in regards to your overall health. It’s the beverage of life that helps to keep your skin healthy, smooth, and radiant, yet so many people don’t drink enough of it. For this reason, it makes sense that every skin care aisle contains products that promise to hydrate and moisturize the skin. Although people use these terms interchangeably, they are not one and the same. Both hydrators and moisturizers work to nourish the skin, but knowing the difference can help you determine which is right for your skin.

What’s The Difference Between Hydrating And Moisturizing?

Moisturizer is an umbrella term for the following types of moisturizers: emollients (fats and oils, occlusives, and squalene (oil). The terminology gets a bit of a makeover when it comes to beauty products, though. In fact, a 2017 study found that there was some gray area when it came to distinguishing hydrators from moisturizers. Moisturizing is all about trapping moisture and sealing it into the skin in order to form a protective barrier. This helps prevent water loss and keeps the skin as soft and smooth as possible. Moisturizes are oil-based ingredients, which is how they prevent water from escaping the skin. 

Hydration refers to the water content within the cells that makes them plump and bouncy, making them reflect light well. If your skin cells are dehydrated, they shrivel up and your skin can look dull. If you use a topical hydrator, though, you work to infuse your skin cells with water and improve your skin’s ability to absorb nutrients and moisture. Humectants, for example, are great hydrators because they increase the skin’s hydration by attracting water molecules from the environment to your skin. Additionally, humectants draw moisture levels from deeper layers of the skin, bringing them from the dermis to the epidermis. 

Which Is Best For Your Skin?

With so many creams, lotions, balms, ointments, moisturizers, and hydrators to choose from, how do you know which one is best for your skin? The truth is, most of them do the same exact thing. Most skin lotions contain both occlusive, emollient, and humectant ingredients, so they moisturize and hydrate at the same time. Whether the product comes in gel, balm, oil, or cream form doesn’t affect how it performs. The form merely affects the experience of applying the product to your skin. 

For Dry Skin

If you have dry skin, a thicker moisturizer will help restore your skin to its natural plump state. This isn’t always true because your skin may not be dry; rather, it may be dehydrated, in which  case a hydrator is necessary. If you want to know whether or not your skin is dehydrated, you have to pay attention to your skin’s condition. The skin has a natural lipid barrier that protects itself from environmental damage and water loss. Dry, flaky skin is an indication that it doesn’t produce enough lipid cells to form that protective barrier. That’s why a moisturizer may come in handy if you suffer from dry skin. 

For Oily Skin

It’s important to note that oily skin can still be dehydrated. In fact, dehydrated skin can increase oiliness and the issues that come with it. Oily skin typically indicates that the skin barrier is compromised, which makes it more difficult for the skin to retain moisture. Moisture escapes the skin and it becomes dehydrated, and produces more oil as a result. The only way to break this cycle is to give your skin the proper hydration that it needs. Look for water-based, non-comedogenic hydrators and moisturizers because water-based products don’t clog your pores and feel lighter on the skin. 

For Dehydrated Skin

The only way to fix dehydrated skin is to rehydrate it. That means that you have to actively add water back into your skin, and the best way to do that is by applying a hydrating serum that contains hyaluronic acid. This ingredient retains 1,000 times its weight in water, so it helps to plump up those skin cells to get your skin looking youthful and refreshed again. Aloe vera and honey are also great ingredients to look out for. Above all else, drink plenty of water and eat water-rich foods if you want to hydrate the skin.

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The skin is a complicated organ composed of many layers that keep the body protected from external environmental stressors or microorganisms. It’s an organ that works day and night, with the uppermost layer of the skin, the skin barrier, protecting you from DNA-damaging elements. As a result of our polluted environment, people use extra powerful skin care products and harsh spa treatments that may weaken skin barrier function. What does that mean for your skin?

What Is The Skin Barrier?

The skin barrier is part of the skin’s top layer, known as the stratum corneum. It contains corneocytes and a lipid interface that glues them together. Together, the lipid interface and corneocytes are like the brick and mortar structure of the skin. The lipid interface comprises free fatty acids, cholesterols, and ceramics. In an optimal state, the skin barrier sheds the top layer to naturally exfoliate itself and keep the skin’s moisture intact. Problems occur when the skin barrier is not functioning optimally. 

Why Should You Keep The Skin Barrier Strong?

If the skin barrier is overly permeable, it has a leaky quality, similar to a leaky gut. That means that pathogens, bacteria, and other microorganisms can pass through the skin barrier and cause internal problems, including hives, allergic reactions, or eczema. Supporting the skin barrier is not just to keep your skin looking as healthy as possible. According to a 2019 study, there is a link between skin dysfunction and various health conditions caused by inflammation. The study found that using barrier repair moisturizers helped to reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines in the blood. That highlighted the skin’s protective role in overall health. If you want to encourage a healthier skin barrier, use the following supportive ingredients. 

Shea Butter

Derived from the fruit of the shea tree, shea butter is a natural fat that provides the skin with deep hydration and protection. The natural fatty acids and vitamins in shea butter offer emollient properties that help to lock moisture into the skin. These nutrients also aim to promote collagen production and decrease the breakdown of existing collagen. 

Humectants

Any ingredient that pulls in and holds water is considered a humectant. Glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and beeswax are all humectants, but they cannot heal the skin barrier on their own. Humectants do keep the skin moisturized while you repair the skin barrier function. According to dermatologists, humectants hydrate the epidermis while sealing in and retaining water with an outer layer of lipids. Apply humectants topically before an occlusive cream or oil to repair a compromised skin barrier. 

Aloe Vera

Aloe vera is rich in exfoliating enzymes, anti-inflammatory properties, antioxidants, and vitamins A and C. Because of these health properties, aloe is great for the skin, no matter if you suffer from acne, burns, or dry skin. Aloe works to cleanse the skin, but also hydrate it in the process. The hydrating properties of aloe vera make it an excellent choice for anyone who suffers from dry, sensitive, or dehydrated skin. 

Colloidal Oatmeal

Colloidal oatmeal, oat extract, and oat oil all work to form a protective seal on the skin. For people who have sensitive skin, colloidal oatmeal is a very helpful ingredient. According to research, oat extract’s anti-inflammatory properties work to soothe inflamed skin. Colloidal oatmeal exhibits several clinical properties, which stem from the chemical polymorphism. The high concentration of polymorphism is responsible for colloidal oatmeal’s ability to protect the skin and help it retain moisture. Additionally, colloidal oatmeal may boost creamed levels in the skin, which works to keep skin cells together. 

Manuka Honey

Renowned for its ability to repair, Manuka honey is very effective at healing wounds, burns, and other topical damage. Several studies concluded that Manuka honey inhibits the growth of harmful bacteria, which explains the ability to accelerate wound healing. Due to the impressive antioxidant profile, Manuka honey exhibits powerful anti-inflammatory compounds that fight against dermatitis, acne, and eczema. These skin conditions, and more, tend to stem from a damaged skin barrier.

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Most commercial skin or hair care products that have moisturizing properties contain at least one humectant. More often than not, humectants exist in leave-on hydrating products, including lotions, creams, and serums. Humectants attract water and help draw moisture to the outermost layer of the skin. This process helps to improve overall complexion and keeps the skin moisturized.

What Are Humectants?

Humectants are agents that attract water molecules and retain them. They pull water from the skin’s second layer, the dermis, and bring it to the top layer, the epidermis. In doing so, they help to reduce dryness, improve complexion, and reduce the appearance of fine lines. Humectants are beneficial for people with sensitive skin, dry skin, or people who have drying skin conditions like eczema. Common natural humectants include sugar, aloe vera, honey, beeswax, and sorbitol. 

How Do Humectants Work?

Think of humectants as water magnets, pulling moisture from the air into the skin. They work similarly if you use hair care products that contain humectants, drawing moisture to help your hair look less dry. Not all humectants work in the same way, though. Some supply the skin and hair with moisture directly, while others double as exfoliants, removing dead skin cells and debris before leaving your skin a little smoother. The exfoliation process and moisture attraction assists with cell turnover, which is integral for healthy-looking skin. Lastly, you cannot use humectants interchangeably for the skin and hair. That’s why some humectants in hair care products may not be in skin care products and vice versa. 

After applying the humectant, it attracts moisture. After exposure to the air, it starts attracting moisture from surrounding oxygen and deeper layers of the skin. In doing so, the moisture remains on your skin’s surface to keep it hydrated for a longer time. Using humectants, then, may help prevent water loss throughout the day. By reducing dryness, you can help create even skin texture and fewer fine lines and dry patches. 

Types Of Humectants

The three primary moisturizing ingredients in skin care products include humectants, emollients, and occlusives. They work in different ways, but together they help to lock moisture into the skin to create a physical barrier against drying. To get a better idea of the humectants that exists, read about a few of the best natural humectants below. 

Aloe Vera

Aloe is naturally rich in water, especially the innermost layer. In addition to the inherent moisture, the mucopolysaccharides (sugars in aloe) assist with moisture retention. In fact, several studies found that the topical application of aloe vera helps increase the water content of the statum corneum. 

Oats

The polysaccharides (long sugars) in oats help bind water to the skin’s surface. That’s not the only reason that oats are excellent for adding moisture to the skin. Colloidal oats contain lipids that have emollient properties, helping to fill in micro-cracks in the skin that may contribute to irritation or dryness. The emollients and humectant in colloidal oats make them an excellent option for people with dry skin conditions. 

Honey

If you use honey on the skin, it’s best to opt for organic, raw unfiltered honey because it doesn’t contain added sugars or preservatives. The rich antioxidant and antimicrobial nature of honey helps to fight dryness, psoriasis, fine lines, and infections. In addition to the humectant properties that contribute to moisture retention, honey helps to calm inflammation and promote wound healing. 

Glycerin

Most hydrating products contain glycerin, which typically comes from vegetable oils or animal fats. It mixes well with other ingredients and helps to soften skin while enhancing moisture retention. Not only does it help hydrate the skin, but it also improves skin barrier function, which can prevent moisture loss. Additionally, enhancing skin barrier function may accelerate wound healing and reduce any irritation on the skin.

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Chapped lips, dry elbows, itchy shins, and cracked hands all indicate that the colder months have arrived. Most people are at war with elements during winter, fighting for silky smooth skin that looks nourished and moisturized. You don’t have to fight the good fight anymore because we have a DIY salve that will help your skin retain moisture like never before. 

What Causes Dry Skin In The Winter?

The top layer of your skin, known as the epidermis, contains a lipid barrier and skin cells that keep the skin from drying out. This barrier also prevents harmful pathogens or substances from entering the body. The combination of environmental factors and age naturally weaken this barrier. Now add the excessive hand washing and use of hand sanitizers as a result of COVID-19 and you find yourself with skin that looks that you just jumped in flour. The temperature of the water, alcoholic sanitizers, and less moisture in the air during the winter months all contribute to dry skin. Luckily, you can replenish the moisture you lose with the right ingredients. 

It’s All About The Right Moisturizers

If you want to lock in moisture to the skin, you need the right ingredients. Think of your skin like a bottle of carbonated water. If you leave the cap off, the carbonation won’t last very long. Keeping the cap on makes the bubbles last longer. Moisturizing is all about putting the right cap on your skin, creating a strong barrier that helps your skin retain moisture. The salve in this article contains several ingredients that keep the skin hydrated, but the two that stand out are detailed below.

Beeswax

Beeswax is hypoallergenic and works to protect the skin. It’s the natural waxy substance that hives produce, and it has myriad uses, but the buzz we’re concerned with is how it benefits the skin. The natural antibacterial properties work to combat eczema and acne, while the anti-inflammatory properties create a barrier between the skin and the environment to protect the skin without clogging pores. Beeswax is also rich in vitamin A, which helps support skin cell reconstruction. Finally, beeswax acts as a humectant, meaning that it attracts water to the skin to keep it hydrated and supple. 

Olive Oil

This classic cooking oil is one of the best kept beauty secrets that is most likely in your kitchen. Just like beeswax, olive oil has humectant properties, which help to attract moisture to the skin. Olive oil also contains vitamins E, K, and other antioxidants that offer anti-aging benefits, helping your skin look younger and softer. The great thing about olive oil is that it helps to hydrate your skin whether you apply it topically or ingest it. If you are prone to breakouts or have sensitive skin, do not apply olive oil on your face. 

DIY Moisturizing Salve

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons beeswax pellets
• 1/2 teaspoon vitamin E oil
• 1/8 teaspoon alcohol-free vanilla extract
• 8 drops black spruce essential oil
• 4 drops frankincense essential oil
• 4 drops lavender essential oil

Instructions:

• Add the olive oil, coconut oil, beeswax pellets, and vitamin E oil to a heat-safe glass jar.
• Create a double boiler by pouring some water (about a couple inches) into a small saucepan. Carefully place the jar in the center of the saucepan.
• Keep the pan over medium-low heat until all the ingredients in the jar are completely melted. Before removing from the heat, stir to combine. 
• Once you remove the glass jar from the pan, add in the vanilla extract and essential oils. Stir gently to combine and then pour the entire mixture in a small glass jar. Let the mixture solidify at room temperature before using it. 
• It’s best to apply a small amount on dry hands, dry feet, or dry areas of skin at night to allow the moisturizing properties to soak in overnight. 

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