As a child all I wanted to do was sit on the veranda and read a book. It was cool and mostly quiet in a home full of boys. Another thing I loved to do, was to walk around my mother’s tropical garden and pick her flowers, definitely not her roses! I would pick hibiscus and bougainvillea petals among others. We would use an orange flower with a strong long green stem, excellent for sword fights with my brothers. Sorry, I don’t know its name. The petals I would put in water hoping to make perfumes. I wasn’t successful. Best of all, we would suck the nectar from these precious flowers.
Living in our gated home, we were protected. Surrounded by the beauty that nature offers, one is bound to take it for granted. Mangos and avocados so creamy you could simply slather on your face. Little did I know then it was to become a thing. Then the citrus fruits: tangerine, orange and a combination fruit of orange and tangerine or similar my father had had grafted. Even the cactus thrived. The garden was well kept and delicious.
Many of us still take our skin for granted. Our faces get all the goodies cosmetic companies have to offer, but what about the rest of our body? Our skin is the gated home that houses all that nature has afforded us. It is the largest organ the body has, and stretches to cover everything we hold dear, our internal organs. Just as I would help my mother and the gardener water her garden, to ensure the soil was moist and the thirsty plants fed with what they needed to keep them beautiful. Our skin craves moisturisation.
The aging process, did I have to say that? Well, I just did. From the day we were born we start aging; gracefully or otherwise. It doesn’t show because babies have the most beautiful skin. It’s smooth and supple and amazing. Teens have an abundance of collagen which declines a lot faster when we get older. Then we get into our twenties and thirties and there’s still a fair bit of millage left. Here comes the roaring forties! We begin to pay for the sins of our youth. The neglect of our skin then we rush to fix it. What does one do when our skin comes of age?
We all have different topical needs for our skin, but it boils down to this. Oil or water? Which one does your skin love? For some, oil-based moisturisers are what suits their skin. Now, I use the term moisturiser loosely, as moisturiser conjures images of moisture and therefore water. For want of a better word, we shall agree on the oil and water moisturisers.
We have already established, that our skin is the largest organ our body has, and we need to take care of it, or it will rebel against us. A garden without water becomes dry and dies. Years ago, my friends and I went to a plant sale to support the young people who organised it. I got a tiny cactus. Now, I’m not like my mother. I plant strawberries in a pot for my daughter, and that’s it. I love gardens but I get too busy with other things, or that’s my excuse. I put the tiny cactus on the windowsill, thinking I’ll remember to water it from time to time. Well, it died! My family thought it hilarious; I mean who kills a cactus! It requires little water so, I tried to revive it, but it had gone the way of the dodo. In the same vein, we cannot afford to ignore our skin. The good thing is that, unlike the cactus, there is hope for us yet.
There are three main types of moisturisers. Water, oil, and gel. Let’s focus on the first two. Each contains little or no water. Moisturisers create a barrier between the outside world and our skin. Some contain humectants that draw water to the skin, which is a great thing. Glycerine is a perfect example of a humectant. Look out for lotions and creams that contain glycerine.
Water based moisturisers contain 60 to 80% water. Lotions contain 70 to 80% water and thick creams contain up to 60% water. Dry and flaky skin benefit from creams they tend to coat the skin with a film that prevents the loss of moisture from the skin by acting as a protective barrier. Lighter lotions are best suited to those with skin not prone to drying. Lotions are also beneficial in the summer for most skin types but don’t forget the sunscreen. In the winter, when our central heating rages havoc on our skin by drying it out like dried seaweed, we need creams or body butters. Body butters may be water based or oil based here we need to make that choice of which is best for our skin.
Oil based moisturisers have little or no water in them. Examples are, seed butters like shea, mango and avocado butters whipped or in their raw state. Mango and shea have similar properties, but I find mango to be more luxurious than shea. However, shea is my go-to as it’s numerous uses outweigh that of mango butter. Then there are body oils. These are best used straight out of the shower to allow penetration into the skin. Especially dry skin types, oils are best used when the skin is moist. Next up are the oil based body butters. These are a combination of seed butters and vegetable oils whipped or blended to serve as a barrier to the harsh elements of nature.
Sadly, my mother passed away five years ago. Her beautiful garden is in decline, I mean it’s green everywhere no bright colours of pink, red and purple. I guess someone thought it was best or easier to keep it green. I live across the Atlantic and would have to cross the Sahara to water the plants. There will be no sword fights because the orange plant has disappeared so has the hibiscus. There is no nectar to suck from her flowers. Although now, I’ll leave it to the bees. Next time you shop, remember to choose a moisturiser fit for a queen which doesn’t cost the earth but suitable for you.
Photo: Melanieco Photography