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As we keep advocating, your skincare routine is incomplete without a moisturizer. The skin needs hydration to stay in shape and healthy and when you deprive it of that, then your skin will hate you for it.
Think about how you feel when you’re thirsty — you become uncomfortable and restless right? That’s exactly how your skin feels when its thirsty (dehydrated). You need to give your skin its thirst of hydration, although staying hydrated inside-out is recommended — by drinking enough water, not only does it flush out toxins from the system, but also helps hydrate the skin, but that’s not enough for skin surface hydration.
You still need to apply a deep hydrating skin moisturizer for intense hit of hydration and moisturization. The best moisturizers is said to have the combination of humectants, emollients and occlusives.
Humectants — to pull moisture from the air to the skin. Emollients — to soothe and smoothen skin surface, filling in surface cracks, thereby alleviating the skin of dryness, and occlusives — to seal in moisture and prevent moisture-loss. It helps trap in moisture in the skin, preventing it from evaporating thereby maximizing skin surface hydration.
In quest for the best moisture-rich moisturizer on the market, I bumped on The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA and after putting this moisturizer to the test, I think it’s time to share my personal experience with it.
The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA.
The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA or NMF for short, is infused with multiple amino acids, in combination with fatty acids, triglycerides, urea, ceramides, phospholipids, glycerin, saccharides, sodium PCA, hyaluronic acid and many other compounds that are naturally present in the skin. This moisturizer has all three recommended ingredients that make up a good moisturizer (humectants, emollients and occlusives). Some of these main ingredients will be explained below.
- Hyaluronic acid: Hyaluronic acid is naturally occurring glycosaminoglycan (carbohydrates) found in our body. The largest amounts of it are found in your skin, connective tissue and eyes. As a humectant, hyaluronic acid draws moisture from the outmosphere to hydrate the skin surface, giving your skin that satisfactory hydration effect without leaving behind a greasy feeling. Hyaluronic acid also extends its potentials to reducing the looks of wrinkles and fine lines by giving the skin a plump and supple effect, which helps fill in lines and improve overall skintone and texture. You can read an honest review on The Ordinary hyaluronic acid serum.
- Glycerin: Glycerin is also a humectant, a type of moisturizing agent that pulls water into the outer layer of your skin from deeper levels of your skin and the air.
- Ceramides: Ceramides help to restore the skin’s barrier by holding the cells together. By so doing, skin feels smoother, plumper and more moisturized. Ceramides, however, work more like occlusives, but are not technically considered as one.
- Amino acids: The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA contains multiple amino acids such as; arginine, histidine and proline, to help restore visible skin damage, soothes the skin and supply antioxidant properties, strengthen skin surface thereby making fine lines and wrinkles less deep.
- Phospholipids: Phospholipids provide a barrier for the skin; it hydrates and assists the skin for repair. They are described as having heads and tails, the ‘head’ of a phospholipid is hydrophilic which means attracted to water whilst the ‘tail’ of a phospholipid is hydrophobic that repels water.
- Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride: Derived from coconut oil and glycerin, it’s considered an excellent emollient and skin-replenishing ingredient. It’s included in cosmetics due to its content of fatty acids that skin can use to replenish its surface and resist moisture loss. Caprylic/capric triglyceride can also function as a thickener, and can work as a preservative of sorts to make the active ingredients in cosmetics last longer, but its chief job is to moisturize and replenish skin. This ingredient’s value for skin is made greater by the fact that it’s considered gentle.
- Allantoin: Allantoin, also known as aluminum dihydroxy allantoinate, is an extract from the comfrey plant, which is native to temperate climates of Asia and Europe. Allantoin acts as an emollient, which soothes and keeps your skin moisturized and prevents dryness and irritation. It helps the dead skin cells fall off, helps the skin keep in more water, and leaves the skin feeling smoother and softer.
- Linoleic Acid: This is an Omega-6 essential fatty acid, which forms an occlusive layer over the skin to help make the skin’s barrier stronger so it can effectively keep/trap water in the skin and irritants out.
Packaging.
NMF comes nicely packaged and perfectly sealed in tube packaging, all you have to do is apply pressure to dispense the product for topical application.
Texture.
It has a thick-texture. A little goes a long way. It glides-smoothly on the skin and absorbs into the skin quickly without leaving a greasy residue or feeling.
Size.
The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA comes in two sizes, 30ml and 100ml. (100ml is used in this review).
Ingredients:
Aqua (Water), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetyl Alcohol, Propanediol, Stearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Arginine, Aspartic Acid, Glycine, Alanine, Serine, Valine, Isoleucine, Proline, Threonine, Histidine, Phenylalanine, Glucose, Maltose, Fructose, Trehalose, Sodium PCA, PCA, Sodium Lactate, Urea, Allantoin, Linoleic Acid, Oleic Acid, Phytosteryl Canola Glycerides, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Lecithin, Triolein, Tocopherol, Carbomer, Isoceteth-20, Polysorbate 60, Sodium Chloride, Citric Acid, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Pentylene Glycol, Triethanolamine, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin.
My Honest Review On The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA.
Did It Deeply Hydrate Your Skin?
The best decision I have ever made. The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA has made me ditch my previous moisturizers for good. The fact that it deeply hydrates my skin without leaving a greasy residue or feeling still baffles me, because my previous moisturizers do leave a slight greasiness behind (which eventually vanishes after some minutes), but NMF absorbs almost immediately after application and leaves skin adequately moisturized and hydrated.
Upon I have an oily skin, this moisture-rich moisturizer never felt heavy on my skin, or weighed my skin down, although, it’s a thick moisturizer, but it felt light-weight on my skin and absorbs quickly too, (without a greasy feeling).
Did It Break You Out?
Absolutely not. Initially i was apprehensive at first, before plunging to purchasing the moisturizer, because i feared it may break me out due to the fact I have an oily skin which makes my susceptible to acne breakouts due to clogged-pores. But non of that ever happened, my skin loves and accepts it. Infact The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA is here to stay in my skincare routine forever.
What I Like About The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA.
- Easy to use.
- Well packaged.
- Pocket-friendly.
- Absorbs quickly (doesn’t leave a greasy residue).
- Adequately hydrates and moisturizes the skin.
What I Dislike About The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA.
- Product texture is a little bit thick for my liking, owing to the fact that i have an oily skin, I don’t like my skin feeling weighed-down or overburden. I love weightless hydration which makes me a huge fan of light-weight moisturizers. But this moisturizer amazes me with its tricks, upon its thick-texture, my skin still loves it. I don’t know the science behind this, but all that matters is my skin feel adequately moisturized after application and I’m glad about it. This moisturizer will serve me more on winter or dry seasons (when the skin needs more hydration, due to dry climate).
Possible Questions & Answers.
Q: Can individuals with oily or acne prone skin use The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA?
A: I myself have oily and acne prone skin, and have enjoyed the skin hydration and moisturization effect of The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA without any issues. The fact that this moisturizer is non-greasy on the skin makes it non-comedogenic (won’t clog pores) which is suitable for individuals with oily or acne prone skin. However if you find it too thick for your liking and fear it could break you out, you can discontinue use.
Q: Can individuals with dry skin use The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA?
A: Yes of course. The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA has the combination of humectants emollients and occlusives which supplies intense hydration while also sealing in moisture into the skin, thereby keeping the skin optimally hydrated.
Disclaimer: This is a personal experience with The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA, you may have a whole different experience as skin type differs so as result differs too.
UP NEXT: See The Best Moisturizers For Dry Skin.
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