Why do you need both water and oil to moisturize your skin?

A client asked recently why it is important to always use rose hydrosol with facial oils, serums and balms.

I will start by saying that it does not need to be specifically rose hydrosol. I like recommending rose because it is wonderful for the skin and it works well with most people. You can always opt for a different kind of hydrosol: Frankincense, chamomile, lavender, sandalwood … all depending on your skin needs.

In the context of holistic skin care practice, we love using hydrosols because of their healing properties and support, which they offer to encourage healthy skin function. They pair wonderfully with facial herbal oils, serums and balms and complement each other in the process of healing and moisturizing the skin. But if you ever run out of hydrosol you can use purified water or herbal infusion. Herbal infusion however is not a simple ‘mist and go’ and will require more work.

In simple terms your skin naturally produces sweat (the water component) and sebum (the oil component) and together with other components they create a protective layer on your skin which is called the Acid Mantle. This protective layer is part of the broader Skin Barrier which besides prevention of moisture loss, keeps out viruses, bacteria, foreign substances and modulates skin immune responses.

When we work with a holistic approach to skin care, we like to observe and learn from natural skin behaviour.

Rather than forcing the skin to behave in a specific way by treating it with harsh chemicals or invasive procedures, we choose to gently support natural skin function and we mimic what skin naturally does.

Face oils, serums and balms are waterless formulas yet your skin needs both water and oil (sweat and sebum) to create the protective layer. This is one of the main reasons why we always need a water component (hydrosol) applied together with an oil component (face oil, serum, balm).

If only oil is applied to the skin it will most certainly dry the skin out over time. It will create an imbalance and have a ‘suffocating’ effect on the skin.

The ratio of hydrosol to oil, serum or balm depends on your constitution, present skin condition and the particular season of the year. Your skin care professional can help you determine all of the above.

For most, summer and hot weather calls for a generous mist of hydrosol and a little less oil. Why? Because in hot weather we sweat a lot (water loss) and we naturally produce more sebum.

As the weather gets colder, you will find that tissues contract, sweating has much diminished and applying more oil, serum or balm feels very good and helps your skin maintain its balance.