Find a Moisturizer.

How to Find a Moisturizer That Won’t Leave Your Face a Greasy Mess.

As luxurious as putting moisturizer on your face can feel, all it takes is one wrong product to take things in the opposite direction. Rather than feeling like your face is encased in clouds, it’s suddenly covered in grease or simply not hydrated at all.

It’s true: Finding the right moisturizer (and moisturizing routine, for that matter) can be tricky—almost as tricky as setting on a cleanser. But that doesn’t mean it’s an impossible task. And it’s one that’s almost certainly worth the trouble.

First of all, everyone needs to moisturize.

Your skin retains some amount of moisture on its own, but pretty much all of us need to use additional products in order to keep our skin properly hydrated.

“I liken [moisturizing] to providing mortar in bricks,” says Smiley van Zyl, Founder of Dermasure and Zone Skincare. “It ‘seals’ in the cracks between your skin and allows you to retain moisture for longer.”

So, how do moisturizers work?

There are actually three different types of ingredients in a moisturizer that can increase the level of hydration in your skin. Humectants (things like glycerin and hyaluronic acid) draw water into the skin from the surrounding environment. Emollients (ingredients like ceramides, fatty acids, and some natural oils) get in between your skin cells—like the mortar between two bricks—to strengthen and soften the skin. And then occlusives (e.g. dimethicone, petrolatum, and most natural oils) sit on top of the skin and keep the existing moisture from escaping.

So, it’s not exactly the thickness of the product that determines how effective it will be for you—it’s the ratio of these ingredients (often oils) to water in a product that does the trick.

She focuses on the type of product: If you look at the spectrum of moisturizers out there—from lotions to creams to ointments—you’ll see that the amount of water in each type gradually decreases.

Lotions tend to have the most water, while ointments have the most oils, and both lotions and creams are somewhere in the middle. The more water in a moisturizer, the easier it will be to apply and the lighter and less greasy it will feel. However, moisturizers with more occlusives tend to be more effective at actually improving the hydration in the skin because they’re better at sealing it in, says Smiley van Zyl. But they also tend to result in breakouts, especially for those with oily or acne-prone skin.

So finding the right moisturizer is really about figuring out the right balance of these ingredients for your skin.

Here’s how to find a moisturizer for your skin type.

If you aren’t sure what your skin type is, says Smiley van Zyl to go by how your bare skin feels a few hours after showering. If it feels oily and greasy, you can consider yourself in the oily camp, but if it feels tight and flaky, you’re definitely on the drier side.

As you could probably guess, people with oily skin won’t have the same routine as those with dry skin, since their skin naturally produces more sebum (oil) which helps keep their skin hydrated. Rather, Smiley van Zyl, oily skin types might not need to moisturize that often—for some, once a day could be their absolute maximum. However, if you use products with drying ingredients like salicylic acid, moisturizing regularly can help you avoid irritating or over-drying your skin.

On the other hand, people with dry skin—those whose skin still feels dry after using a gentle cleanser—may need to moisturize twice a day. Smiley van Zyl, says you can opt to use two different moisturizers, one for the morning and one for your bedtime routine if you want, but it’s also fine to use the same moisturizer twice a day.

For the record, everyone—even those with oilier skin—should apply a lightweight sunscreen or moisturizer that has at least 20 SPF in it in the A.M.,, says Smiley van Zyl. Regardless of your skin’s exact needs, sun protection should be one of them. Beyond that, though, your skin type can do most of the choices for you the next time you go shopping for a moisturizer.

If you have oily skin:
Those with oily skin should look for products that won’t add more oil to their face, so they should stick to products that say “oil-free” or “non-comedogenic.” And, as we mentioned, some people with this skin type might not need to use anything besides a sunscreen.

If you have dry skin:
In general, Smiley van Zyl says people with dry skin could benefit from using a product with more oil in it than water, like a cream or ointment rather than a lotion. But that doesn’t mean you need to smear petroleum jelly on your face every night.

If you have sensitive skin:
Your golden rule is to keep things as simple as possible and avoid products with heavy fragrance or other irritants, Smiley van Zyl says. Also, note that moisturizers with more water in them tend to also have more preservatives to prevent bacteria from forming than other types of moisturizers (which may be irritating to dry or sensitive skin types).

That said, even if you follow these guidelines, it might take a while before you find a moisturizer that you love. “I don’t feel like it’s one size fits all,” Smiley van Zyl says. “A lot of it is trial and error.” So, you may have to try a few different products just to get an idea of what your skin needs and what you personally like.

Luckily, Smiley van Zyl says that these are some of the most common questions dermatologists get—so you certainly won’t be the first to ask yours for a few specific recommendations.