The 5-minute rule. How to moisturise the skin after a bath?

By Merry Kay / in Uncategorized

Sometimes, unconsciously, and often due to lack of time, we skip skin moisturising after bathing. This way, we contribute to the appearance of irritation, a feeling of tightness and dry skin. Check what is the 5-minute rule in skin care after bathing.

As a rule, we are sticklers for cleanliness – we like long, relaxing baths or quick, refreshing showers. Unfortunately, our skin is not that fond of frequent bathing. Cleansing the skin has its advantages, but it always involves the removal of the natural hydro-lipid barrier. By taking frequent baths, we lose protection against the loss of moisture – the effect is dry and irritated skin.

What happens to the skin during washing?

The skin during bathing or showering is affected by various types of washing agents contained in cosmetics, for instance, Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES). They allow the removal of all impurities from the skin. Unfortunately, they change the natural pH of the skin and wash out the necessary fats that protect the skin. Lipids are natural fats that our skin needs. They form a hydro-lipid layer that limits transepidermal water loss. Frequent baths violate the functions of the water-lipid barrier and contribute to skin dehydration. The epidermis is degreased, and thus the water evaporates faster from the interior.

Moisturizing the skin after bathing

That is why proper skin care after bathing is so important. It is not enough to use a shower gel with additional moisturizing ingredients. It will not dry out the skin as ordinary soap does, but it still contains cleansing substances that disrupt the hydrolipid balance of the skin. The use of a cream, balm or oil after bathing is extremely essential. If we lack the time for proper moisturising, we can use a cosmetic in the form of a spray – it is easier to apply.

The 5-minute rule

When it comes to the daily skin care routine, you must remember about the so-called 5-minute rule. What does it mean? 5 minutes – we only have so much time to moisturize the skin from the moment of getting out of the tub or out of the shower. After this period of time, the skin begins to dry out strongly, because not only the water that remained on its surface after bathing evaporates but also the water from inside the skin cells. The rule of five minutes says that within this time, immediately after a bath:

dry the skin with a towel to get rid of water that remained on it;
use the right moisturizing and protective cosmetics.

How to prevent skin dehydration after a bath?

The 5-minute rule is a valuable hint as to what can be done to prevent water evaporation from the skin. However, it is worth taking care of at the stage of choosing bath cosmetics. Make sure that the washing cosmetics contain oiling ingredients, eg PEG-7 Gliceryl Cocoate, Cocamide DEA, Cocamide MEA, Laureth-6.

They prevent the skin from dehydrating after bathing. What’s more, such products limit the drying effect, because they rebuild the hydro-lipid barrier of the epidermis. How does it work? The nourishing components replenish skin deficiencies during the baths. This way, they supplement their shortages and reduce the adverse effect of cleansing products.

Other ingredients that are also worth looking for in shower lotions and gels are protein hydrolysates. They also have a positive effect on the skin because they create a protective film on the skin and limit the evaporation process. The best among them are hydrolyzed almond protein (Hydrolyzed Sweet Almond Protein), rice (Hydrolyzed Oryza Sativa Protein) and milk (Hydrolyzed Milk Protein).

Another option is adding a bit of a natural oil to the bath, eg olive oil, argan oil, almond oil, etc. The oils also strengthen the natural lipid coat of the skin and to a small extent support the proper moisturizing of the skin. Unfortunately, this option does not work when we are the lovers of quick showers.

What to use to hydrate the skin after a bath (or a shower)?

According to the 5-minute rule, the most important thing is to protect the skin against water loss just after drying the skin with a towel. However, the question arises how to moisturize the skin after bathing to obtain best results possible? There are several options, so each of us can choose the most suitable one. The easiest way is to reach for: