Where Commercial Moisturizers Get Their Power
Many commercial moisturizers promise to give your skin the texture of satin and a healthy glow, but it is not always clear where these products get their strength from. Amazingly, many of the most scientifically advanced moisturizers are actually based in natural ingredients that have been used for their moisturizing properties by people for several centuries.
Although plenty of synthetic moisturizers have been created in labs and tested by researchers, a large percentage of the most effective commercially available skin care products designed to nourish and moisturize have their roots in nature.
Aloe vera has been in use to soothe burns and replenish dry skin for many years. In the 1970s, researchers for mainstream cosmetic companies began to catch on to this enduring trend, and started to investigate why aloe vera had been a popular skin care material for so long. It was discovered that the thin, watery gel that naturally collects in the hollow center of every aloe vera spike provides deep, nourishing moisture when applied to skin.
The rich, water based coating your skin gets from pure aloe vera is one of the most effective moisturizers known to man, which makes it an ideal cure for coping with a skin crisis like a sunburn, or for putting an end to every day dryness. Processed aloe vera is included in many commercial moisturizers, and many moisturizing formulas developed by cosmetics researchers looking for the ultimate skin care products get a helping hand from this member of the cactus family.
Aloe vera is a succulent plant, which means that it is at home growing in beachy areas and in some deserts. Another powerful moisturizing agent comes from even drier climes. Shea butter is produced from the fruit of the Karite Nut tree, which populates the African savannah.
Shea butter is one of the most intensive moisturizing materials on the planet. Rich in a specific kind of fats that provides nourishment to skin cells without causing pore clogs or blemishes, shea butter can offer a gently protective coating to your skin that can help keep damage at bay.
Cinnamic acid, which is found in shea butter, has been shown to offer natural protection against the sun’s UV rays. UV rays often spell trouble in the short term in the form of a sunburn, and trouble in the long run in the form of accelerated aging and potentially raised risk of some skin cancers including melanoma.
Shea butter can help stop these kinds of problems before they start, while keeping your skin smooth and soft. Shea butter is also rich in many vitamins and nutrients that can keep skin glowing with health.
