Are you experiencing dry and itchy skin? If you suffer from dry skin, especially at this time of year, discover in this post why ceramides are key to keeping your skin hydrated and healthy...
Dry skin is usually defined as lacking key lipids, it looks fragile and is not very elastic, dehydrated, and in more extreme cases, scaly. To the touch, it is uneven, rough, even sensitive, and prone to aging more quickly than combination/oily skin. The hydrolipidic content (that mixture of water and oils that protects the skin, which we have mentioned on numerous occasions) is below normal levels. Taking this characteristic into account, dry skin can be classified as:
- Dehydrated dry skin: With low water content, it sometimes appears shiny, with enlarged pores, and even blackheads.
- Alipidic dry skin: Low oil (fat) production, the appearance is more fragile and the skin is sensitive, reacting to almost everything.
No ceramides, no barrier
Ceramides are natural lipids (fats) that are part of our body and, like all good things, their production decreases with time. Their existence is fundamental for proper skin function, as all layers of the epidermis contain them. To understand how they work and why they are so important, let's imagine that the structure of the outermost layer of the skin (the stratum corneum) is like a brick and mortar wall, where the bricks are the main cells (corneocytes) and the lipids are what hold them together and, in the same way, keep the skin structurally strong. Of these lipids, 50% are ceramides, which is why I always call them the "cement" of the skin. Hence, when dry skin is treated with a product that contains ceramides or stimulates their synthesis, it becomes soft, velvety, and less vulnerable to external factors that alter it, such as cold weather or heating, low humidity in the air, and hot water, etc.
In summary, ceramides...
- Restore and strengthen the barrier function.
- Prevent the skin from losing water, thus improving its hydration and elasticity.
- Repair and balance the skin's hydrolipidic mantle.
- Keep skin healthier for longer.
- Combat, prevent, and improve eczema, and improve atopic, sensitive, and irritated skin.
Where to find them?
I personally recommend combining ceramides with fatty acids, as these enhance their properties and benefits much more than if used separately.
Natural oils are a very rich source of ceramides and fatty acids:
- Jojoba oil. Contains up to 96% ceramides.
- Safflower oil: 78% ceramides
- Grape seed oil: 73% ceramides
- Poppy seed oil: 70% ceramides
- Sunflower oil: 68% ceramides
- Hemp oil: 60% ceramides
- Corn oil: 59% ceramides
- Wheat germ oil: 55% ceramides
- Cottonseed oil: 54% ceramides
- Soybean oil: 51% ceramides
- Walnut oil: 50% ceramides
- Sesame oil: 45% ceramides
- Rice bran oil: 39% ceramides
- Pistachio oil: 33% ceramides
- Peanut oil: 32% ceramides
- Linseed oil: 15% ceramides
- Olive oil: 10% ceramides
From the Twelve collection for treating dry or weakened skin, I really like Intelligent Frontier Facial Oil. Thanks to its powerful blend of unsaponifiable vegetable oils of sunflower, wheat germ, soybean, and olive, it contains a significant percentage of ceramides, making its composition highly biocompatible and leaving the skin nourished. It has a high repairing and regenerating power so that the internal structure of the skin, its foundations, are strong, solid, and compact. On the other hand, for the body, a top treatment is Rewarding Body Balm, which in this case, among its potent active ingredients, features jojoba and sunflower oil. Remember also that I always formulate at a pH of around 5, as it is at this pH that the enzymes responsible for producing ceramides are most active.
Age doesn't matter
Since our skin suffers a multitude of daily aggressions that can affect the functioning of its protective barrier throughout our lives, I am of the opinion that it is never too early (or too late!) to incorporate products that contain ceramides or improve their production into our beauty routine.
