In summer as well as in autumn and winter, the skin is exposed to different weather conditions. But no matter whether heat or cold, the skin needs one thing daily: moisture. In our following article, we want to tell you why our pure natural Hello Sue oils always require a few drops of water during application to give the skin the moisture it so desperately needs.
Only with water do oils give moisture to the skin
When using pure natural oils for skin care, one thing must be especially considered during application: oils do protect against moisture loss, but alone they do not provide moisture to the skin. Oils therefore always need to be combined with water to give the skin the moisture it so desperately needs.
To understand why this important oil-water emulsion is needed, it is first important to look at the skin and its function as a protective barrier:
On our skin surface there is a protective film, the hydro-lipid mantle. It consists of sebum, sweat, lipids, amino acids, and corneocytes and protects our skin from drying out as well as from the penetration of harmful environmental influences and germs. This mantle can only be penetrated when oils are used in combination with water for body care, because oil alone remains on the first skin layer and thus cannot penetrate into the deeper skin layers. So, to ensure that not only moisture penetrates the skin but also the active ingredients of the oils can reach the deeper skin layers, a little water is always needed to trigger this important oil-water emulsion. The combination of oils with water therefore not only provides moisture but also helps the skin strengthen its protective mantle with the help of these important nutrients, so that moisture is better retained.
There are two reasons why our facial and body oils should always be applied to damp skin:
1. Only with the help of the oil-water emulsion is moisture given to the skin.
2. The ingredients of the oils only reach all three skin layers in combination with water and can thus exert their effectiveness on the entire skin and its protective mantle.
Conventional moisturizers often try to imitate this protective mantle by bringing water and emulsifiers together into this important emulsion. But these emulsifiers destroy the important protective skin barrier, so that the skin ultimately dries out and cannot retain the ingredients it so desperately needs.
Susanne has therefore explicitly decided to avoid water in her oil compositions, because water always poses a risk of germs, so preservatives or alcohol are always needed. But these in turn cause the skin’s own regenerative power and its protective mantle to be damaged, leading to skin dryness. “We want to break this vicious cycle,” says Susanne, “by using water-free compositions and only allowing natural ingredients on our skin.”
A strong skin barrier protects against moisture loss
“The skin can do so much on its own,” Susanne always tells us, “it only ever needs a little natural support.” It is therefore important to support the skin only with natural ingredients that strengthen the skin barrier to protect the moisture so important to the skin. Every Hello Sue formula thus contains a variety of oils that include unsaturated fatty acids and antioxidants that support this protection. Thanks to these natural ingredients, skin elasticity can be preserved, the skin’s lipid layer strengthened, and thus the skin protected from drying out. “I love our base oils apricot kernel oil and olive oil, because they contain so many benefits for the skin. They are rich in unsaturated fatty acids and have antioxidant effects, which give the skin and its protective mantle exactly the right support they need.” One must not forget that the skin is exposed to so much in our world that a good skin barrier plays a crucial role for us and our body. And the aging process of the skin can also be counteracted with a well-functioning skin barrier and sufficient moisture. “Wrinkles, especially laugh lines, are something beautiful to me and belong to life and existence,” Susanne says with a smile, “but one should still make sure to give the skin enough moisture and nutrients so that it can age healthily.”
Application: A few drops of water are enough
Protecting the skin not only from moisture loss but also giving it moisture is easier than you think. It is best if you apply our body and face oils, for example, after showering. Leave a few drops of water on the skin so that the oil and water form an emulsion that can then be easily massaged in with circular movements. Our face oils also absorb best when massaged into the face with a little water, so you always need a smaller amount of our oil. Since our Hello Sue oils are not already mixed with water, all our products have their full high concentration of important ingredients such as fatty acids, vitamins, and antioxidants. This way, the skin still receives its full measure of protection and care, so the skin’s lipid layer is strengthened. Only when cleansing should you apply our Cleansing Face Oil to dry skin, because when cleansing the skin it is especially important to remove residues and old skin flakes. The contained castor seed and safflower oils help to draw impurities out of the skin by removing old skin flakes and regulating sebum production. Afterward, you can wash off the cleansing oil with warm water and apply one of our Face Oils to damp skin.
If you want to learn a little more about why it is so important to us that our Hello Sue oils & balms have a water-free formula, then take a look at our blog post Why we avoid water.
