There has never been so much emphasis on skincare as there is these days. And that’s a good thing; it means we are becoming more aware. Aware about the products we choose to eat and apply, and how they will affect our skin’s health and appearance – both face and body.

But not all skin is created equal. The products that you put on your face may not have the same effect on other parts of your body. You’ll need to give every part of your skin exactly what it needs, in order to achieve healthy, glowing skin all around.

The Difference Between The Skin On Your Face And Body

The skin on your hands is tough to survive the rigors it goes through over the day.

Firstly, the skin on your face is much more delicate than the skin on other parts of your body, like your hands and feet, where it’s generally thicker. Your feet are supporting your whole body – the skin there needs to be tough!

And your hands – while it’s okay to be washing them numerous times a day, you only need to wash your face twice daily. That’s because the delicate skin on your face does not need – and in fact, it’s not recommended – to be washed more often than that. So you can already tell how different the skin on your face and body is.

Aside from that, while it is possible to get pimples on other parts of your body, you rarely hear people complaining about pimples and blackheads on their feet, for example. You do hear pimple complaints, however, with regards to the skin on the face. We all know that our body and face are different. But for some reason, people are still tempted to treat them the same way.

Concentration Matters

Take this scenario, for instance. You’re running late for work, but you know that your hands get chapped. You quickly pull out the hand cream to moisturize. Then you pull out your facial moisturizer before realizing that you had planned to buy more yesterday after you squeezed out the last drop, but you forgot. You quickly scan both tubes and happily note that the two creams contain (more or less) the same ingredients.

No-one will know if you use hand cream on your face today. I mean, you can wash your face with the same water you wash your body with, right? So the same ingredients that work for your hands should work well for your face, too. Uhh, no.

As with other things, like studying for an exam or playing chess, concentration is the key. The truth is that both creams may contain similar or even the same ingredients. However, the concentration of these ingredients in hand cream is very different to the concentration in your facial moisturizer. That’s because they’re made to penetrate the hard, thick skin on your hands. That’s not the harshness you need – or want – on your face!

In fact, using a moisturizer that is not made for your face – especially hand cream – can actually have the adverse reaction of helping you break out – just in case that’s what you were after. This is because hand creams are manufactured to protect your hands from harshness like cold and frequent scrubbing.

Therefore, they often include very concentrated amounts of wax, oils and other ingredients that are known to clog pores. While this is perfectly dandy in hand cream, it’s not exactly the best idea for your face, which is susceptible to those kinds of blemishes. So: same ingredients, different concentrations, and hence, different uses.

Using Facial Cream On Your Body

Face cream is made for your face, not your body!

If you have sensitive skin, it’s an especially bad idea to use body lotion on your face. Body lotions usually have fragrance added, which is known to be irritating if used on your facial skin. As for foot cream, you do not want the chemicals at that concentration going anywhere near your face. Believe me.

On the flip side, using your facial moisturizer on your body is also not ideal – namely, because it won’t do much in the way of moisturizing. Since the concentration of active ingredients are not high enough to meet the needs of the skin on your body, you’re basically just not doing anything. You’re better off investing that little more time and money into buying a proper body lotion and hand cream, so all of your skin is getting what it needs.

Conclusion

In short, just like you don’t use eye shadow instead of nail polish, you don’t want to be using moisturizers or other products for areas that they aren’t made for. It’s true that the beauty industry is full of products that you truly do not need. But in this case, separate products for different types of skin is absolutely necessary.

So don’t forget to pick up a few more tubs of moisturizer and lotion on your way back from work. Separate ones for your face, for your hands, and for your body, of course!