Do We Really NEED to Moisturize?

I know people (mostly men) who never use lotion and seem to do fine. So do we really need to moisturize, or is that just for people who enjoy it or have “problem” skin?

The skin is your body’s first line of defense against the world. Without proper care, it can develop tiny cracks, leading to bigger cracks. I recently heard about a friend of a friend who had let a minor cut go without treatment and wound up staying in the hospital on serious antibiotics. On reflection, some of those macho guys who never use lotion are using something else, bag balm, petroleum jelly or whatever else doesn’t smell particularly nice but does the job. Moisturizing regularly is as important for your skin as showering, hydrating and proper nutrition.

Your skin has microbes on it at all times. You can scrub in the shower, but you’ll come out covered in microbes. Usually, there’s some sort of balance, no one particular microbe takes over. These little guys are opportunistic though. Given a nice place to live, like a micro-abrasion of the skin, the staphylococcus that normally lives there harmlessly can multiply into an infection. On hearing this, you might be ready to sterilize your shower, or at least bribe someone else to do it. To be fair though, we need microbes to an extent. Our bodies are used to them, and our immune systems need to be challenged to remain healthy. Yet, there are some really dangerous bugs out there. With Covid still going around, you probably didn’t need the reminder.

The answer, after all of that, is “Yes, we need to moisturize!” Right after hand washing is best. That way, you lock in the moisture and your hands aren’t spreading germs to your nice clean lotion. Oak Manour makes a 15 oz lotion that perfectly matches our 15 oz. foam soap. This makes it easy to remember to lotion right after hand washing, no matter how busy you are. Our lotion is nourishing, made with simple ingredients. We have so many scents to choose from, including an extensive essential oil line. When you want to lotion, it will be easier to build into a habit!