Glycerin – how does it work? (FIRST DRAFT. WILL BE UPDATED CONTINUOUSLY.)
– Excuse the poor language. This is only a first draft and I will update it as I go. –
A lot of companies use glycerin in their products and argument that glycerin takes moisture from the lower skin layers (dermis) and binds the moisture to the outer skin layer.
This will result in the feeling of a currently moisturized skin, but what comes to my mind then is: what are the longterm consequences of taking moisture from the deeper layers of the skin? How do the deeper layers feel when lacking moisture? I don’t mean that a single treatment using a glycerin based creme or soap will cause huge problems, but what happens when you use it regularly throughout your life? Moisture being taken from the deeper layers of the skin to the top layers repeatedly means moisture must be taken from somewhere where it belongs? Doesn’t it? This starting an unnecessary process of the dermis where it basically forces itself to “correct” its very own nature. You see, because our epidermis comes in contact with our toxic environment all the time causing inflammations, reactions and allergies, we are now by using glycerin causing additional stress and factors that are also affecting the dermis to fight for balance.
This becomes an evil circle where we try to fix an overlying problem without finding the root-cause, as with many of our modern day diseases. But this is another topic.
What I am certain of is that all skin layers need moisture without loosing it from somehwere else in the body. In our modern lives showering everyday is a must since we come in contact wtih so many toxins and pollutions (clogging our pores etc). These are usually washed away using harsh astringens such as sulfates. Yet again we are back to this vicious cycle of removing the skins natural protective barriers and causing a imbalance… requiring moisturizers (of course containing glycerin).
Further topics that I will study on:
-What exactly is our natural moisturizer? Is it only sebum? What are the properties of it?
-Natural glycerin has been found in coconut oil, is it a better substitute? Different types of glycerin?
-What are good moisturizers for short-term and long-term benefits?
-So is my hypothesis right? Does glycerin cure the root cause of dry skin or is it simply masking the root-problem?
interbeauty 