Why You Need Colloidal Oatmeal in Your Skin-Care Routine

If you’ve ever struggled with eczema, chicken pox, or dermatitis, you’ve probably heard of colloidal oatmeal or have had a colloidal oatmeal bath. Colloidal oatmeal is great for soothing itchy or irritated skin, but it also offers so many other benefits that people often aren’t aware of. Let’s review why you need colloidal oatmeal in your skin-care routine.

What Is Colloidal Oatmeal?

Colloidal oatmeal is an emollient. Emollients are used to heal the skin and fill in cracks between cells with their fatty lipids, helping skin look firm and smooth. Manufacturers that produce colloidal oatmeal grind up the oat in its entirety and separate the oat from the starch to create a colloidal particle.

What Are the Benefits?

Colloidal oatmeal is also an occlusive, meaning it traps water in the top layer of the skin (the epidermis.) A strong occlusive is what makes your moisturizer work. When you’re washing your face or using a product that draws moisture to your skin, you need a product that will help the moisture stay there in order to protect your skin. Without an emollient, all the hard work your skin does to get water to the epidermis is wasted.

Colloidal oatmeal also prevents products such as vitamin C and retinol from irritating your skin. These products are helpful, but they can sometimes cause dryness, redness, and irritation on sensitive skin. Adding colloidal oatmeal to your skin-care routine or having it in your skin-care products will soothe inflamed and irritated skin.

What Should I Look For in My Skin-Care Products?

Make sure the packaging of your skin-care product says “colloidal oatmeal.” Some manufacturers do use oats in their products as exfoliants, but this isn’t the same as colloidal oatmeal. These products won’t be enough to help your skin, and they can even cause micro-abrasions that damage your skin.

Although rare, allergies can occur. That’s why the best practice is to put a dab of any new product on your hand before you put it all over your face. If you have extra-sensitive skin, you can even make your own colloidal oatmeal lotion to be sure you’re getting the best and most natural product.

Now that you know why you need colloidal oatmeal in your skin-care routine, there’s nothing stopping you from getting on the path to beautiful, healthy skin.

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