Problem! Please help!

[xraisonxdetre]

My skin has been beyond dry recently and I find that my SN products just aren't cutting it anymore. I had to turn to my Kiss My Face moisturizer (yuck) but it did the trick and my skin has stopped flaking (it was BAD..realllyyyy bad). Anyways, now I've started using oils but I don't know to layer the products anymore. Oil needs to be put on a wet face, so would I put it first, and then my Super Serum? That just doesnt make sense bc oil/moisturizers are supposed to be the last step, as a sealant. But then if I put the oil on last, it is too oily bc there is no water/hydration to really get it into the skin. Plus, you end up using a lot more oil than you really need (at least, I do). Any ideas???

[Cupcake]

Okay, the universal rule when layering is to go by the textures. Put the thinnest textures on first and the thickest or most viscous on last. The reason is that for example a water / hydrosol is very thin and an oil is very thick - water cannot pass through something thicker to soak into the skin through an oil because the thicker molecule size of the oil blocks it. A crude example, but think of putting tar or bitumen on your roof to stop the rainwater soaking through - the tar is thicker and keeps out the rain as rain can't pass through it.

Equally, when you use a heavier texture last, the water or serum that you put onto the skin before that is sealed in because that thicker layer of oil or moisturiser helps prevent those precious waters from being lost through evaporation. Just as waters can't pass through oils on the way into the skin, they also don't evaporate out of the skin through the oily coating either.

That's why we have serums - to add the hydrating waters and precious ingredients, and moisturisers - to add the nourishing oil-based top coat to seal in the hydration underneath.

Now - back to your question: you say oil needs to be put on a wet face. That's because the oil is there to seal in the water into the skin and to add a softening / smoothing top coat for comfort and protection. As long as you know that your serum is suitable for your skin, yes go ahead and put it on first. It has the thinner texture - think of it as being a little heavier than a water or hydrosol but much thinner than a moisturiser or oil. The moisturisers sold here are gelled oils - all the goodness and known properties but in a texture which makes it much easier to use a smaller amount of oil, spread it around evenly and avoid overloading the skin. Well worth trying a sample.

Hope that helps a little

[xraisonxdetre]

Hey!

Thank you so much for explaining all that Def helped A LOT. The problem I'm having is that the raspberry moisturizer isn't heavy enough It was perfect for summer but now its just not cutting it. So I've been using argan oil. Putting it on plain just doesnt seem to soak in as well. But I don't know how to put it on with water on top of serums if that makes sense?

[Cupcake]

Okay, there's two parts to that. The water / serum are doing the same job. It's simple mechanics really. Think of a skin cell a bit like a child's balloon. When it's all blown up full of air, it's holding as much air as can be. That's called 'turgid'. When the air has leaked out slowly and it's gone all wrinkled and floppy, that's called 'flaccid'. Skin cells are just the same. The membrane around the skin cell - like the balloonn - is porous and the fluid inside (the 'waters') can pass through ('osmosis') and be lost. On the skin surface, they can very slightly evaporate. That's why we use moisturisers to seal in that layer.

When skin is not producing enough natural oils ('sebum') or you're not using a rich enough moisturiser, the skin cells on the surface go flaccid. This looks dehydrated, crinkly, crepey ('tissue-paper-scrunched-up') in appearance. Over time, that becomes major wrinkles etc. It can also cause flakey, itchy dry skin. Assuming the skin is otherwise healthy and the underlying problem isn't some sort of dermal problem like an excema etc (although this basic mechanics can help a little there too). Regular gentle exfoliation stops these dried-out dead skin cells building up and helps the fresh, turgid, healthy looking ones stay near the surface. The microdermabrasion cream that SN sells is heavenly for exfoliating gently. There's also a gel version. AHA's and BHA's can also help, but best ask someone else as that's a complicated conversation because of how they can interact with other topical products.

Okay... the point of all that... The water or serum just helps to replace / top up the fluid within the surface layers of skin cell so that the overall appearance is smooth and plump, not flaccid and dehydrated. Plump skin cells also are like Lego building bricks - when they're healthy, they have the structure to support the skin as an organ so that it functions properly. The pores are strong and function right, etc. Often you'll hear people talk about having oily skin - the problem is often that the skin is dehydrated and over-producing sebum to compensate - making the pores too large in the process. When the skin is balanced by using a hydrating serum (I found Green Tea and Aloe Serum particularly hydrating and still gentle) the pores function better, regain their proper size and shape and the whole skin tissue works much better.

So you don't need to worry about water + serum + whatever. Serum is fine. Hydrosol is fine. Whatever gets the water into the cells is fine. The difference is just the added goodie nutrients that you want to throw into the mix. There's plenty info about those on each of the SN product pages.

Argan oil is a heavy oil, very rich and nourishing. It's famously used as the basis of Liz Earle's Superbalm and new SuperSkin ultra moisturisers for mature skin.It's a heavier oil than those used in SN formulas - generally speaking. Also the gelled oil formula SN uses allows oils to be very evenly distributed. I love Jojoba, but neat regular jojoba oil is too heavy on my skin, but the way that making it into a gelled oil changes it's texture makes it sooo much easier to work with. Definitely ask Karen if she can make a gelled oil in the Argan Oil. Meanwhile, I found that Hemp is a heavier oil than Raspberry. Also the Firming Moisturiser is richer in texture slightly than the Intensive. But if you don't find a match at SN, until you get some feedback from Karen if Argan Gelled Oil is possible, I suggest picking up some simple Jojoba Oil somewhere as that is the very closest in texture to your skin's own sebum and just patting on 2-3 drops, total, onto damp skin straight on top of your serums / hydrosols etc.

[xraisonxdetre]

Thank you SO much Cupcake! I'm glad I can stick to my SN routine and just add the argan oil on top of it Its been working really well for me! I AHA/BHAs but over the summer I found that I could use them multiple times a week without any problems, but now, even the SN BHA toner dries me out a lot. I thought my oily summer skin was bad, but my super dry winter skin is just as hard to work with! haha

[Rhys]

I generally do serum and let it sit for a bit, then hydrosol or PRT, and mix argan oil with the Oatmeal Hydrating Serum over top of that - my skin is desperately dry, too, but the hydrating serums are - hydrating - and they mix well with oils.

[JenW]

One more suggestion to add to the mix......with weather getting dryer I have been adding a pump argan oil to my one pump of Raspberry Moisturizer (usually use 2) and mixing in my hands before applicaiton. It is kind of the best of both, richer than Raspberry Moisturizer alone, but not as oily as the oil alone.

[xraisonxdetre]

Those are great ideas! I use the rose hydrating serum and the raspberry moisterizer so I try it with both and see which works betters! Thanks so much for all your input!!

[egerandi]

Hah! Awesome, I've been doing the same with the Firming moisturizer

I spritz my face with a mixture of water and hydrosol with a bit of aloe and glycerine in it (you could also try a drop of honey), mix a pump of Firming with a couple drops of Argan in my hand (that was the one that was already in a dropper bottle, at reach as I use it for hair too), then put on face and spritz again, pat in.

Jojoba would work nicely too, or any oils that your skin likes. Oh, and if not already, you should add the oatmeal or the green tea serums before the first spritz. That helps to hydrate your skin.

[xraisonxdetre]

Hey everyone! Thank you for all the tips! Yesterday I mixed my raspberry with the argan and it worked really really well. This morning I used rose hydrating serum with the argan oil and that worked really well too! I mostly use serums at night, so I think this combination is good (in the mornings I don't have the time to put on multiples layers lol mostly bc i just cant wake up early enough!)

egerandi- i only just saw your suggestion now. I don't use a spritzer after reading this, I'm thinking about making one! Do you make your own? I used to use green tea on my skin all the time, but I just got tired of having to make it all the time and worrying about how to tell when its gone bad.