The World’s Top 5 Skin Moisturizing Oils
Pamela Ponders: Since the weather is getting drier, I’ve decided to look for some cuticle treaments to help them from drying. I’ve noticed that a lot of them include very similar ingredients, like jojoba oil, apricot kernel oil, shea butter, and in particular sweet almond oil and lavender oil. Do these ingredients really help to moisturize and what exactly do they do? I’ve noticed a lot of body care products emphasize shea butter. I’ve also noticed them some body lotions have coconut oil in it, is this another beneficial ingredient?
The Right Brain Responds:
All the oils you mentioned can moisturize skin - but they’re not the BEST moisturizers. What are the best, you ask? Ah, that is the question. But first you have to sit through this quick explanation:
How Oils Moisturize
Moisture evaporates from your skin by slipping though tiny cracks and fissures. Oils form a barrier layer on top of the skin that prevents the water molecules from escaping. It’s all about stopping evaporation! This property is called occlusivity and it’s measured by a rating called Transepidermal Water Loss, or TEWL. (pronounced “tool.”) The TEWL value has been measured for various oils, and the ones that have the highest rating (in other words, the ones that stop the most water from escaping your skin) are as follows:
1. Petroleum jelly
(in a minimum concentration of 5%, reduces TEWL by more than 98%)
2. Lanolin
3. Mineral oil
4. Dimethicone
a type of silicone
5. Coconut Oil and Others
including other oils (like coconut oil), fatty alcohols, and waxes
Some of the other oils you mentioned are still beneficial - they can make skin feel softer and smoother. But if really want to keep your skin moist, you need to reduce evaporation with one of these top 5.
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thebeautybrains.com » Is Shea Butter Good For Your Skin Says:
[...] It works the same way as petrolatum and mineral oil, by forming a barrier layer on top of the skin that reduces the amount of water that evaporates through the skin. You can read our previous post on the world’s top 5 moisturizing oils if you want more info. It’s oily nature also softens skin and it smells good too! [...]
Christina H. Says:
The thing is, don’t a lot of people have skin sensitivities to lanolin?
Left Brain Says:
It turns out that the best medical evidence suggests that lanolin sensitivity is a myth.
See this The Myth of Lanolin Sensitivity
The author, Albert Kligman, is one of the premier researchers in the area of skin research. He was the guy who invented alpha hydroxy acids.
Splinky Says:
I totally agree with this. Recently I got off the “natural” kick and spending WAY too much for lotions that still did not work, and started using Queen Helene Cocoa Butter lotion(32oz for $1.99!) It’s got mineral oil and lanolin. Of course, it’s also got cocoa butter in it. My skin hasn’t been this soft and moisturized in ten years. My feet, which were beginning to look quite Hobbit-like, now look like they belong to a female again. It smells fantastic, and it’s got this wonderful cooling affect that will be great for after the sun.
Woo Says:
I use petroleum jelly all the time. Something else that I use is Olive Oil right after a shower. My skin is so soft and smooth for HOURS. The olive oil is actually supposed to be for my hair (I have relaxed hair) and I discovered its moisterizing abilities on my skin by mistake! But I heard that the greatest discoveries of society are those that were not found intentionally
thebeautybrains Says:
Some would say that ALL significant breakthroughs in science were the result of seeing something while looking for something else.
ashley Says:
i thought those 5 ingredients especially mineral oil are really bad for the skin. i’ve read in every organic skincare website/book that mineral oil blocks your pores and they’re unable to breathe.
Christiana Says:
Petroleum mineral oil lanolin etc.. may be good at keeping moisture in your skin/ hair but it is very cheap and can clog your pores.it will also not allow moisture into your skin/hair. these things are not healty for your skin and can be toxic when absorbed into the skin. the best things to use are jojoba oil and grapeseed oil because these oils mimic our natural oils also olive oil, almond oil, shea butter and cocoa butter are really good for sustaining moisture
thebeautybrains Says:
And your proof that the cosmetic grade petrolatum, mineral oil and lanolin are toxic is where? And how about your proof that these ingredients clog pores? Here is a scientific study that says exactly the opposite.
Meanwhile, there are a few studies like this that demonstrate jojoba oil causes contact dermatitis. For some, they should avoid this material.
the Fashion Spot - The Acne Thread #2 Says:
[...] keep the skin soft, flexible and feeling great. You can read more about skin moisturizing in this moisturizing post. The answer to your second question is NO. Moisturizing will not help to clear/prevent acne. In [...]
Can Skin Be Oily And Dry At The Same Time | The Beauty Brains Says:
[...] or moisture. A healthy amount of oil in the skin helps prevent water from evaporating (by reducing Trans Epidermal Water Loss or TEWL.) So, since oil helps keep water in locked in the skin, oily skinned individuals tend not to have [...]
Lucy Says:
While these are great barriers for the skin, they have little to none nutritional benefits to the skin, which should be fed with vitamins and antioxidants. Other than coconut oil, all the others mentioned are most synthetic which do nothing for the skin. I dont know why these are listed here because they are actually quite damaging.
thebeautybrains Says:
Your skin is not part of the digestive system so it doesn’t get nutritional benefits from any ingredient. Vitamins on your skin do not work the same as they do inside your body.
You are mistaken that synthetics do nothing for the skin. There is plenty of peer reviewed research to demonstrate otherwise. In fact, petrolatum is approved for use as a pharmaceutical grade skin moisturizer and is prescribed by dermatologists. That’s why it’s listed there.
Where is your proof that there is benefit in topically applying vitamins to “feed” the skin?
Can Skin Be Oily And Dry At The Same Time | 1800blogger Says:
[...] or moisture. A healthy amount of oil in the skin helps prevent water from evaporating (by reducing Trans Epidermal Water Loss or TEWL.) So, since oil helps keep water in locked in the skin, oily skinned individuals tend not to have [...]
Can Skin Be Oily And Dry At The Same Time | Beauty Secrets Blog Says:
[...] or moisture. A healthy amount of oil in the skin helps prevent water from evaporating (by reducing Trans Epidermal Water Loss or TEWL.) So, since oil helps keep water in locked in the skin, oily skinned individuals tend not to have [...]