Using Sunscreen Before or After Moisturiser - Know Your Skincare
A skincare routine is a norm these days. The sun is in its glory days of the year, and the heat is getting unbearable. Although it is suggested that you avoid stepping out in this scorching heat, life cannot stop because of the sun. To avoid the effects of the sun, the ancient Egyptians used rice bran extracts, jasmine & lupine extracts because of their ability to absorb the sun’s rays. This led to the inevitable invention of sunscreen later in 1938. It was a Swiss chemistry student, Franz Greiter, who suffered from major sunburns on his climb to Mount Piz Buin and later went out to prevent this in the future by inventing the first version of the modern sunscreen.
Today we have a series of sunscreens for oily skin, dry skin, and other skin types. They have evolved a lot, and you find waterproof sunscreens and much superior protection than when it was first invented.
Sunscreen vs Moisturizer: What Should You Apply First?
Let’s cut to the chase and get the answer to the much-awaited question. What to use first? Sunscreen or moisturizer? We have already seconded the fact that you need a lot of moisturizer for dry skin and a comparatively lighter-based/water-based moisturizer.
There is a raging debate in the medical world about whether to apply a moisturizer or sunscreen first. A straight-up answer to this could not be agreed upon. However, there is an explanation to why this is the case:
If moisturizer is applied under sunscreen, it will most likely create a barrier between the skin and the sunscreen, blocking the sunscreen from entering the skin and doing its job.
Although if the moisturizer is applied over the sunscreen, it can interfere with the efficacy of the sunblock. Again, not something you’d want.
So the conclusion, though not very conclusive, came to be this.
If you’re using a chemical-based sunscreen, apply it before the moisturizer, as it needs to penetrate your skin to be effective.
On the other hand
If you’re using a physical/mineral sunscreen, it is suggested to use it after the moisturizer.
Applying Sunscreen: When & How to Do it?
The answer to when you should apply sunscreen is elementary. You use it every day. But what if it’s a cloudy day and there’s no sun? Well, you still need sun protection as up to 80% of the sun’s UV rays to reach the earth even on a cloudy day. Therefore, you must reapply sunscreen every 2 hours of exposure to the sun or immediately after you’ve gone out for a swim or have excessive sweating.
The basic rule of applying sunscreen is to take up an ounce (a handful) of sunscreen and spread it across your body. For the face, a gentle massage with loads of it is deemed necessary, especially if you’re applying sunscreen on dry skin. Try using sunscreen with a higher SPF protection. It is suggested to use sunscreen with at least SPF 30 protection. Also, look for a sunscreen that protects from UVB & UVA rays. Most sunscreens provide protection only from the former.
Applying Moisturizer: When & How to Do it?
Picking a moisturizer is a difficult task. You like the viscosity of one, the smell of another, and the effect of a third one. Then comes your skin type, which shatters all that you like about a moisturizer and makes you pick according to your skin type (which is the right thing to do, duh). So let’s begin with why you need to moisturize your skin.
Your skin is extremely sensitive to environmental adversities. As a result, our skin, face, neck & ears are extremely prone to skin cancer. These are the areas where the skin sheds more often and are the most touched parts of our body, requiring regular moisturization. Moisturizing prevents multiple skin problems and makes sure that your skin is healthy and retains water.
Moisturizing for different skin types requires a different routine and a different type of moisturizer as well. While picking a moisturizer for oily skin, ensure it has a light base. Usually, a water-based moisturizer works best on oily skin. Use a moisturizer once a day, and you should be fine. For dry skin, moisturize regularly and use thick, oil-based lotions/moisturizers. Using a moisturizer more than once a day becomes more necessary if you have dry skin, especially during winter.
Thus, you can conclude that using a moisturizer for oily skin or any skin kind along with sunscreen is a little complex, and the order of their application is dependent on the type of moisturizer/sunscreen you’re using & your skin type.
To find the best sunscreens and moisturizers suitable for your skin type, head to Earth Rhythm and get what’s best for you.
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The basic rule of applying sunscreen is to take up an ounce (a handful) of sunscreen and spread it across your body. For the face, a gentle massage with loads of it is deemed necessary, especially if you’re applying sunscreen on dry skin. Try using sunscreen with a higher SPF protection. It is suggested to use sunscreen with at least SPF 30 protection. Also, look for a sunscreen that protects from UVB & UVA rays. Most sunscreens provide protection only from the former.
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