A new K Beauty trend for dry skin? Yes please. Thank you 😀
While we’re at home, faced with the cold weather and lockdown, our skin is drying up more and more every day. So there’s one thing we can do, aside from our beloved sheet masks and rich moisturizers: it’s slugging.
What is slugging? 💦
Slugging is a skin care trend that skinfluencers have been raving about, which includes coating your face in petroleum-based products or Vaseline. This practice prevents transepidermal water loss by sealing your skin’s barrier, and keeps moisture in your skin.
So, by applying Vaseline after your usual night skin routine, it protects your moisture barrier and boosts the glow.
If your skin is dehydrated, dry or flaky, slugging can help lock-in much need moisture. However, if you have oily or combination skin, then another way to do it is to apply the Vaseline only on targeted areas that need an extra shot of moisture.
By putting the Vaseline on specific areas like patches of dry kin, or fine lines and wrinkles, it’s a good way to avoid having your whole face sticky during the night. It’s mostly recommended around the eyes, on the laugh lines and on the forehead.
But are petrolatum products safe?
Petroleum jelly is made with a mixture of mineral oil and glycerin. It’s very safe to use and it’s also widely recommended for babies with eczema as it helps to heal and avoid rashes.
Also, it turns out that Vaseline does not clog your pores. It works as an occlusive, which means that it simulates a functioning moisture barrier for those of us who don’t have one. So because it’s trapping everything underneath, you want to make sure that you’re layering it over clean skin and the trick is not to leave it on for too long.
In other words, it works miracles for thirsty skin (dry skin, tight skin, itchy and reactional to weather changes).
The question to ask is whether you should use it on your face every night.
So before you start it’s always better to get a personalized consultation with Dr. Costi.
However it might not be recommended for acne prone skin (always ask your doctor) because it’s an “occlusive” product which they should always avoid.
How does slugging work?
Lipids in your skin form the outer layer of the epidermis, sealing in water. Which means that with less lipids your skin will suffer from water loss through that layer.
So when you’re born with dry skin, you don’t have a lot of lipids to protect your skin from aggressions (like pollution, irritation or oxidants). That’s where petrolatum can help.
It will prevent water loss through the skin barrier, while it helps your skin to heal itself, leaving it better-off once it’s removed.
It’s also important not to seal your skin for long periods of time. So you can put it on at night, and remove it in the morning. That’s how your skin can learn to repair its own barrier, by producing more intercellular lipids.
Some testimonials even go as far as saying that after coating their face with Vaseline, they woke up reborn.
NOW Are you ready for smooth bright skin?
You can use any product that contains mineral oil (the most famous are Vaseline, CeraVe and Aquafor). They’re also good to use on your body.
We also like alternatives like squalene which is very popular to seal-in moisture (read our blog about it here).
