When The Water In Lotion Evaporates, Does It Dry Out My Skin?

Okay, we have been asked this a couple times at events. So, let's talk about it.

Lotion is mostly water. Water does evaporate. Your skin is not normally dried out by the water loss from lotion, but, is instead dried out from the lack of a covering to trap moisture in the epidermis. So, here's the skinny on lotion. Get it? Skinny. Skin. Lotion goes on skin. Okay I digress.

Why does my skin feel dry after a couple of hours of wearing lotion? Okay, another good question. We don't make medical products. We make cosmetics. So we will discuss the cosmetics and drying of skin. Please consult your healthcare professional if you have concerns about a skin condition or treatments. We don't do that here. So let's begin.

What happens? Once the water from lotion evaporates, if the lotion has no occlusive oils or butters, you may begin to experience transdermal water loss. Transepidermal Water Loss (TEWL) is the amount of water that passively evaporates through skin to the external environment due to water vapor pressure gradient on both sides of the skin barrier and is used to characterize skin barrier function. (www.science.com)

Transepidermal water loss can contribute to a cosmetic skin issue, which a more pronounced appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. For a complete approach to temporarily improving the appearance and feel of skin. use skincare products that contain effective moisturizing ingredients that won’t cause irritation or dryness. This can have a very positive impact on the smooth and radiant look and feel of your complexion.

Our Lotions are great to assist in reducing the amount of TEWL. How? Okay. I will tell you.

There are two ways in which lotion can help you moisturize your skin. The first way is to put an occlusive layer on skin to prevent the loss of your skins natural moisture. It essentially traps the moisture inside. We use shea butter and cocoa butter in our lotions for this purpose. The second way is to pull moisture onto your skin with a humectant. We use glycerin for this purpose. Moisture from the environment is drawn to the top of the skin and bind the water to that top layer of your skin.

So, see, lotions are a great way to moisturize. The key to purchasing a good lotion is to look for the ingredients that are used to restrict or limit TEWL and ingredients used as humectants. While you're at it, make sure the oils in your lotion are non-comedogenic. On the comedogenic scale, our leave on products have any average rating of 2. This means a skin-care product or cosmetic is specially formulated so it isn't likely to cause blocked pores for most skin types. Don't be shy about pulling out your phone and asking Mr. Google what each ingredient is and it's purpose to make sure the oils and butters in our lotions are appropriate for your skin type. Homemade bath and body products must have a label with ingredients in the same way national brands must have labels. Read them. Ask us questions. Those of us who formulate our products appreciate the questions and the candor of our customers. It's also a good idea to make sure your lotion isn't made with a bunch of fillers which have no skin benefits, and make sure our lotions are not near or past the expiration date.

So, go ahead. But and use your D.Sherell Soaps & More lotions, oils, balms, and butters. They work well, and they smell amazing. That's the end of my not so subtle, shameless plug. Happy moisturizing!