Best Moisturiser For Your Skin Type

For many people with oily skin it feels like an ongoing battle trying to keep your skin somewhat mattified for any length of time, so finding the best moisturiser for your skin type takes time too. Often the outcome of a moisturiser not suited for oily skin is for the skin to become dried out or your pores getting clogged. Many products that claim to be mattifying actually just dry the skin out leaving it looking flaky and dehydrated. A common faux pas that people with oily skin make is skipping moisturising all together in a bid to reduce the amount of oil produced, but this is actually the opposite of how oily skin should be treated. Sebum is what's produced from the sebaceous glands, and people with oily skin produce more of this. That means that if you let your skin dry out, it will only produce more sebum to counteract it. 

What to look for:

• Oil-free moisturisers - such as the NIVEA Oil Free Moisturising Day Cream is a fast-absorbing moisturiser for oily skin containing antioxidants to protect the skin, and has a slight mattifying finish to reduce additional shine you might get from other moisturisers
• Light formulas to prevent pores from becoming clogged with thick creams

At the other end of the spectrum lies people with dry skin, skin can feel tight and can become painful and sore. Many people think that to counteract dry skin you have to repeatedly pile on the moisturiser but that's not the case. In fact, what can happen when doing this is your pores become clogged and blemishes may start to appear. What you must aim to do is find a moisturiser for dry skin that keeps your skin well hydrated and implement this into your skincare routine. Try the NIVEA Rich Moisturising Day Cream specially formulated for dry skin.

What to look for:

• Moisturisers containing hyaluronic acid  - this gives your skin a much-needed hydration boost and works to keep your skin moisturised and radiant so you don't have to keep applying products throughout the day
• Jojoba oil - jojoba oil contains anti-inflammatory properties which help to reduce redness caused from skin dryness, and vitamins to help repair skin damage
• Vitamin E - contains lots of antioxidants to keep the skin feeling healthy but also keeps skin feeling moisturised. It also reduces relief from itchy or sensitivity due to dry skin

The biggest challenge of all perhaps is finding a moisturiser for combination skin - wanting to find a really hydrating moisturiser for the drier parts of the face but an equally light and grease-free moisturiser for areas of the face like the T-Zone. It's possible that using 2 moisturisers suited for those 2 different skin types could would work well, but finding one that you could use all over your face would be ideal. 

What to look for:

• Vitamin E - this helps to hydrate the dry parts of the skin while ensuring the formula remains light for oilier parts, try the NIVEA Light Moisturising Day Cream with vitamin E formulated for combination skin specifically.
• Vitamin A - this helps to normalise oil production of the skin and keep it balanced while also making sure it remains hydrated
• Tip when using a moisturiser for combination skin - apply more product to the drier areas of your face, such as your cheeks, and go lighter on the oilier parts of your face to help even out your skin

Having normal skin gives you slightly more freedom in terms of what ingredients you can apply to your skin without causing issues, and many people think that because they don't have many significant issues with their skin that they don't need to apply moisturiser. In fact, just because you don't have dry skin doesn't mean your skin doesn't get dehydrated and feel unbalanced. That's why it's important to make sure you're still moisturising your skin if you want to keep it feeling healthy and happy.

What to look out for:

• Hyaluronic acid - as mentioned earlier, this provides your skin with a brilliant hydration boost and in return leaves your skin feeling healthy and replenished
• Shea butter - shea butter is an emollient that helps to reduce water loss from the skin and leaves it feeling beautifully soft, it also smells wonderful!

No matter what your skin is like the best moisturiser for your skin type will include SPF. Moisturiser with SPF give your skin the necessary protection against the sun's UV rays and this is beneficial to all skin types:

• If you have oily skin using a moisturiser with SPF will help to stop your skin from being damaged from UV light which often increases the production of sebum causing your skin to become more oily
• If you have dry skin UV light dries it out even further so protection against these with a moisturiser with SPF will make a big difference in helping to keep your skin hydrated and healthy
• The same can be said for combination skin, in order to help keep your skin balanced you need to apply SPF to help prevent damage leading excess oil production and dry areas becoming drier
• Even if you are not using SPF to help manage a specific skin type, SPF should always be worn daily to help prevent skin cancers caused by the sun and help combat signs of aging on the skin.