When a new buzzword comes out in the beauty industry, most people want to see what it’s about and try it on for size themselves; and that is exactly what is happening with moisture sandwiches. Moisture sandwich is a term which originated on social media, most likely reddit, and refers to putting watery products on top of already moist skin to lock in moisture before adding a creamy, low-evaporation product on top of that to further lock in the moisture. Moisture sandwiches can be created for your facial skin, lips or any other skin tissue for that matter. At its most basic level, moisture sandwiches are about layering skin and facial products in a way that is optimal for locking in moisture. This can be done in a variety of ways and, here we will discuss some suggestions for how to do this if you are interested in trying.
HOW TO CREATE A MOISTURE SANDWICH FOR LIPS
Lips can be a habitually dry area of the skin for many people. We can drink water and apply lip products or balms but, even in spite of all that, some people are simply prone to chronically dry lips. In this situation, a moisture sandwich for your lips may be the best method of action. To perform a moisture sandwich for your lips, begin the process after leaving the shower, drinking water or any other time when your lips are naturally moist. After this, you can put any water-based product on your lips such as a lip gel or Aloe Vera in order to create the first layer of the moisture sandwich. After this, you can add a balm or an oil-based lip moisturizer in order to create the final layer of the lip sandwich. Between these various layers, even chronically dry lips should remain moisturized.
HOW TO CREATE A MOISTURE SANDWICH FOR FACIAL SKIN
In addition to chronically dry lips, some people have facial skin which just doesn’t want to retain moisture. This can lead to issues like flaking, more visible fine lines and itching. The ordinary application of moisturizers can play its part, but, if you have truly dry skin which doesn’t absorb humidity well, you may need to take the next step and try a moisture sandwich. In order to perform a moisture sandwich on your facial tissue, much like your lips, you should begin shortly after you have left the shower, drank water or any other time when your skin is well hydrated. While your skin is still damp, you can liberally apply any water-based moisturizer. Then, immediately thereafter, and while the skin is still moist from application of the water-based moisturizer, you can apply a creamier, oil-based skin product in order to prevent the natural evaporation of the water-based humidity on the surface of the skin.
BENEFITS
Moisture sandwiches can be a great skincare solution for dry skin. However, it is important to follow the guidelines for doing one correctly or you may just be unnecessarily piling on products without actually reaping the maximum amount of benefits and reward. The whole idea is to use non-evaporative (oil-based) products to lock in the moisture of water-based humidity. For this reason, you really have to know what you are doing because performing the process out of order will not leave you with the same results.
RISKS AND DRAWBACKS
For many people, moisture sandwiches are great. However, for those with acne or skin skin conditions which may be sensitive to clogged pores, moisture sandwiches may not be recommended. Even people with combination problem skin such as those with acne and dry skin may find that their skin conditions are inflamed by moisture sandwiches. For this reason, anyone who does have this type of skin should check with their dermatologist first before using this skin treatment.
OFFERING MOISTURE SANDWICHES AS A SPA OWNER
As moisture sandwiches are currently a buzzword which is making its rounds on the internet and social media, you may want to consider offering this service to your clients. As a professional spa owner, you will have more knowledge and experience with various water-based and oil-based products and should be able to leave clients with better results in your spa than they would have been able to accomplish on their own in their homes.
CONCLUSION
While the rough science behind “moisture sandwiches” may not be anything new, the idea to apply it as a skin treatment certainly is. Also, while it goes against more traditional skincare wisdom in that it actively encourages a sealing off of pores in order to retain moisture, there is, at least, a good amount of anecdotal evidence that it is effective and many people are happy with their results. Therefore, if you are inspired to try this skin treatment and don’t have any of the skin issues which would be contraindicated, go ahead and see if it leaves you with softer, more supple, moisturized skin.