I felt like a rebel last night. After I had cleansed my face then applied my BHA, I didn’t moisturize. I didn’t feel like I needed to. When I stepped out of the shower my skin did not feel dry or tight, and after I applied the BHA it felt as though it had been moisturized already. So it got me thinking, do we really need to moisturize our skin? Or is that just something the cosmetics industry tells us that we need to do?
I wrote a post a couple of weeks ago about not moisturizing my T-Zone, so I guess I’m now just taking it one step further. I had such good results with not moisturizing my T-Zone that I thought …why not just skip that whole step altogether. I’m still moisturizing my face in the morning, but not at night.
I’m leaving tonight for a trip to the U.S for two weeks, spending most of my time in Las Vegas and Sedona. I’m wondering if the dry hot air will send me back to moisturizing at night? So is this just a humidity thing or if we’re eating well, exercising, taking supplements and looking after our body, then perhaps our skin just balances out to ‘normal’ - as in not oily and not dry and we no longer need to moisturize?
Dr. Hauschka’s say on all of this
I remember reading a while back on Dr. Hauschka’s website that we actually shouldn’t moisturize our skin at night at all. I thought this was a load of bollocks at the time because I had quite dry skin …but now I’m wondering if there’s some truth to it.
This is some text from the Dr. Hauschka’s website:
While you sleep your skin is actually hard at work regenerating itself, balancing oil production and expelling impurities. Regular application of night creams interferes with these essential tasks, and over time skin becomes less able to care for itself. Covering the skin with moisturizer 24 hours a day sends a signal to sebaceous glands to cut down on moisture production, resulting in even drier skin that becomes dependent on moisturizing products just to appear “normal.”
One question Dr. Hauschka - for those of us with acne brought on by an overproduction of oil from our sebaceous glands, wouldn’t it mean that using a moisturizer is a good thing because it reduces the oil production?
I don’t know if this is really true, but I have noticed a difference with the skin on my legs. Since I started moisturizing my legs after every time I shave or wax them, the skin on my legs has become dryer and dryer. Now my legs seem to be one of the first places that I get dry skin. I feel as though this wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t moisturize them so much to begin with.
Dr. Hauschka recommends using a toner at night instead of a moisturizer. The toner is a water based product that contains healing oils which are supposed to balance out oil production. I’m considering trying this range next (I’m gagging to start using natural products again), but I’ve always detested using toners …so I wonder what will make this one any different.
I jumped onto Google and did a quick search for “Do we need to moisturize” but was so bombarded with sites trying to sell their moisturizing products that I gave up. To be honest, I really think that we need to work with our own individual skin and do what it asks for anyway. We also weren’t born with a moisture deficiency so it’s not like I’m going to die from not moisturizing. As long as I don’t get old looking skin or a breakout, I’m happy.
For now, I’m quite content working with my skin and giving it what it wants, when it wants. If it feels dry then I’ll moisturize, if it doesn’t, then I won’t.
If you have any experience with not using a moisturizer, let me know, I’d love to hear from you. Maybe we can start a no-moisturizing club or something (kidding 
)
Fran
Fran Kerr is the founding editor of High on Health. To cure your acne, sign up to Fran's FREE acne cure mini-course or download her latest how to guide, Eat Away Your Acne.
22 responses ↓
i live in a hot and sunny climate …and in summer the tem goes up to 50C …
so my very oily skin becomes dry! (my skin likes to play tricks on me)
i use lancome multi-vital “high potency moistureiser woth micro-nutrients”
its expansive …but it has spf 15 and it moisturizez really well.
i only mosturise when my skin tells me to ..
i dont want to mosturise to much ..i dont want breakouts..
fran your an angel ..i cant thank you enough for the site
I don’t use moisturizer. I’ve always had oily/combination skin. I’ve also used the water only cleansing method…had good results with both. If and when I feel like I need to moisturize, I use aloe vera jel. I don’t use any moisturizer on my body and haven’t had any issues with dry skin. I think it’s also important to avoid taking hot showers. I think mainstream media plays a large role in making us believe that we need all these products to be “beautiful”.
50C!! wow Sara, that is amazing. The hottest I’ve been in is 40C and I thought that was bad enough.
Debra- I’ve always wanted to try the water only method but have been so scared to. Do you still exfoliate?
I live in the caribbean and the dry summer we have perfect weather but now that its rainy season it rains for sometimes 2-3 hours nonstop then its just starts to get so hot and sunny.even though I’m young my skin gets so oily in my T-zone.I remember moisturising for the first time and it broke me out.It did make my skin feel nice though.I was wondering if theres anything that people with oily or combination skin can use to dry out their skin a bit or reduce all our oils drastically.
Hi Fran! I am so glad that you are coming to Arizona! Sedona Is amazing! Its soo beautiful the red rocks and everything just makes you feel so calm. I live in Phoenix which is about 2 - 3 hours south of sedona and here the air is hot and dry no humidity at all except for like in the summer when it rains but other than that its dry so I have to moisturize at night and in the morning. At night I use Nivea creme but I make sure to buy it on-line because the european one is much better for your skin and it is. I love it its amazing its almost like it repairs my skin and makes it healthier but its on the thick side but its okay for me it causes no acne problems. In the morning I use eucerin calming creme its okay but I’ve been thinking of using extra virgin olive oil as a aftershave and day moisturizer. I hear its really good for your skin even acne prone skin. I’ve been having some prblems with acne on the chest and back (gross I know) but I have been using aloe vera gel as a body moisturizer and it has really helped its almost gone! I think everyones skin is different and you need to do what is best for your skin if you think you need moisturizer then use it if not then don’t.
Would putting olive oil on your skin make you burn more easily in the sun?
I live in England so it’s not often hot but today my moisturizer made me really oily and shiny, so I think I may stop using it too, unless I think I need it.
Utah is right next to Las Vegas and Utah is where I live! So you’ll be pretty close. It seems like you get to travel a lot!
I had a flaky face for a few days and it is so hard to get rid of! It’s worse than acne, and it makes acne worse.
50C doesn’t mean much to me, I’m still used to using Farenheit.
Hey Fran! I actually live in Vegas and I’ve noticed that if I wash my face with a cleanser, its absolutely necessary for me to use a moisturizer. If I don’t, my skin tightens up and the next day I’ll find a whole island of pimples! Lately, I’ve been experimenting with my skin. It seems to me that my skin cannot tolerate the whole washing my face two times a day because it gets pretty red and new pimples begin to appear. I assume it’s because my skin is weakened and is irritated by washing it too much, hence the ACNE. In that case, I only wash my face at night now (with a cleanser and moisturizer) and in the morning I only wash with water and it doesn’t feel as tight as oppose to when I do use a cleanser. I don’t really get as much pimples as I used to….but I have numerous scars…WHEN WILL THEY DISAPPEAR?!
by the way….the hottest its been here in Vegas…SO FAR is 120 degrees fahrenheit!
Zack- I’m having second thoughts about Sedona, this heat is crazy! Careful with the olive oil. It has a medium clogability, so chances are it won’t clog your pores, but it can. Considering you’re living in a very dry climate at the moment though it should be okay. Usually it’s a problem in humid climates.
This dry hot weather and the air conditioning indoors is also drying me out like you wouldn’t believe. I’m having to up my facial and body moisturizer big time.
Tegen- I used olive oil as the main oil in the OCM during summer in Australia and it didn’t make me burn more easily.
Maria- That’s so great that you’ve been moitoring your skin and you’ve worked out that using the WO method in the morning is best for you
I know what you mean about the scars. In most mirrors I look as though I barely have any scars, but in some lighting and in some mirrors, I can see them quite visibly. It just takes time and regular exfoliation. We just have to be confident that they will eventually go away.
Hi Fran! This heat is crazy huh? But I always thought it got hotter in Australia than Arizona? Okay but get this where I live in Phoenix its way hotter than Sedona even hotter than Las Vegas. Even crazier I have No air conditioning in my car and I burn really easily even with sunscreen so when I drive I where a sweater on my arms! I have to im really pale. I even bought a black umbrella for when I have to go outside even to walk from the parking lot the the store. BTW I think I found my HG sunscreen Blue lizard sunscreen for sensitive skin. But I was wondering its says its a Australian sunscreen, Is that true? Try to enjoy Sedona even with this heat. Bye.
hi Fran, actually my skin is oily and last time I met my doctor, he told me that i don’t really need to moisture my skin even in night… and i’ ve never used moisturizer since that time and i do not feel dry.
Fran-
I exfoliate once in a while, but sometimes I do a spot treatment exfoliation where I think is necessary.
Hi Zack, not as hot where I am in Australia, it’s rare to get up to 40C. But we have a huge hole in the ozone layer above us there so like you I carry an UV umbrella around it and use it to protect me from the sun when I’m walking. My friends tease me sometimes but oh well
Hi Fran,
I trided Dr Hauschka but it freaked my sensitive skin acne prone skin out. I would read the reviews on make up alley aswell, but i was using the line for acne prone oily skin.
I’ve never moisturized at night! Lately my skin has been dry at night but even then I tend to not moisturize because I just feel like my skin needs to breathe as much as possible at night, so I try not to put a ton of stuff on after cleanser. I thought most people don’t use a cream at night? Hmm. I guess it just depends on what your skin needs.
I never moisturize, it makes my skin looks shiny, plus its so annoying if you sweat. back at my home town there’s only summer, so you’d have to cope with teh weather.
I was talking to the woman who does my dermalogica facials (who i trust to give me nonbias advice eg she recommends cheaper alternative products) and she said moisturising is important for HYDRATION of the skin. Which is needed for people who don’t drink enough water (almost everybody). Even if they have oily skin, this is not a sign that their skin is hydrated. I have oily skin and she looked at my face under a special light and was able to tell me my skin is dehydrated. If you have a good moisturiser your skin will not be made more oily, just more hydrated, which is important for all skin types.
hi fran sometimes my skin is nearly perfect but other times i have like 8 pimples just on my chin and like maybe 2 on my fore head. I used to get all the pimples on my fore head and not my chin but now all of a suden im getting them on my chin instead of my fore head. What does this mean? does this mean that they are finally going away?? or are they soon going to go away?? i am 15 now when do you think they will be gone for good!!!!!!???????????????
Hi JJ, since there are times when your skin is really good, you’ll probably just grow out of it.
In the meantime there are things you can do. For starters - join my mini-course if you haven’t already. The course will give you a good idea as to why you’re getting acne and how you can clear it.
For my in depth support, jump into the forum and post a message or have a look around at the other threads, there are heaps of other teens in there just like you that you could get help from.
I know you need a cleanser and a moisturizer but do we really need a toner? Which is a good brand to start with?
When I got a facial I was told to use a moisturiser ONLY at night, and just splash my face with water in the mornings… I’ve got a great Pevonia Bontanicals Mattifying Oily Skin Mask and I love it. It’s light, doesn’t leave my horribly oily skin oily, it makes it nice and balanced…. There is so much conflicting info out there!
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