Many people don’t take hydration seriously until later in life. But isn’t it smarter to protect healthy skin instead of buying expensive wrinkle creams after the damage happens? Avoiding these common moisturizer mistakes can help you enjoy luxurious skin longer.

1. Choosing the Wrong Moisturizer for Your Skin

Your skin has specific needs. How can you tell which ingredients to look for?

• Sensitive: If your skin frequently has problems with irritation and redness, look for products that say fragrance-free or hypoallergenic. Choose moisturizers with a short list of skin-friendly ingredients, such as hyaluronic acid, colloidal oatmeal and aloe vera.
• Dry: For moisture-starved skin, you need to pull out the big guns. Heavier skin creams are the answer. These products use ingredients such as lanolin, mineral oil and glycerin to draw in water and keep it there.
• Oily: If you’re prone to acne breakouts, choose a lightweight moisturizer that hydrates without blocking your pores. Look for water-based products that say non-comedogenic. Salicylic acid, glycerin and niacinamide keep your skin supple and bright.

2. Applying Moisturizer to Dry Skin

One of the main ways moisturizers help hydrate your skin is by drawing water deep into your skin and locking it in. That way, when you go outside, the sun has a harder time stripping away your skin’s moisture.

To maximize the hydration benefits, you should be applying moisturizer as soon you get out of the shower. That way, your skin gets tons of moisture to keep it happy, refreshed and healthy.

3. Being Too Rough

Giving yourself a gentle massage when moisturizing is a great idea — with emphasis on “gentle.” Give the ingredients time to sink in while you make small circles around your skin. If you’re too rough, you can accidentally trigger inflammation and irritation.

4. Looking At Price Instead of Ingredients

You shouldn’t buy the cheapest moisturizer, but you don’t have to buy the most expensive one, either. Sometimes, high prices have more to do with brand names than the quality of the ingredients.

Here are some relatively inexpensive ingredients that can provide major hydration:

• Coconut oil
• Aloe vera
• Honey
• Glycerin
• Olive oil
• Almond oil
• Rosemary, lavender or tea tree essential oils (3–5 drops)
• Chamomile tea

The beauty companies don’t want you to know about this, but making DIY moisturizer at home isn’t that difficult.

5. Putting Body Lotion on Your Face

Body lotion is for your body. Facial moisturizers are for your face. Wow, this tip is easy to remember. Lotions contain ingredients that help smooth rough elbows or give your skin a pleasant aroma. These ingredients are simply too strong for the delicate skin of your beautiful face.

6. Not Cleansing First

When you’re in a hurry, you may be tempted to slather on some moisturizer quickly before you head out the door. Unfortunately, when you do this, you trap dirt and bacteria in your pores. Always take a minute to cleanse your face before applying moisturizer.

7. Not Using Moisturizer at All

Some people think that if you have oily skin, you don’t need to moisturize. The irony is that not moisturizing can cause oily skin! The body’s emergency response to skin dryness supercharges oil production.

Everyone needs moisturizer. You just need to choose the right ingredients. “Listen” to your skin and enjoy wonderful benefits.