When someone starts the skincare regimen religiously, they often ask do you apply sunscreen before or after moisturizer. Sunscreen is an essential part of the skincare routine. It is essential to wear sun protection factor (SPF) everywhere in day time including at home. SPF protects your skin from harmful UV light from the sun that causes redness, itching, or even skin cancer. The debate of SPF before or after moisturizer is a little bit complicated to solve. But don’t worry you will get your answer that when to apply sunscreen before or after moisturizer.
Moisturization and protection of your skin from UV rays are important to keep your skin healthy. But do you know when to apply moisturizer?
The best time to moisturize your skin is when your skin is damp after taking shower. It is the best time to lock in the moisture. When you don’t apply the moisturizer, the skin gets dry and cause many skin problem like redness, itchiness, eczema, clogged pores, etc.
Let me tell you how to apply moisturizer the correct way. Right after washing your body or face, when skin is still damp take moisturizer in the palm and warm it by rubbing hands and apply all over the body with gentle strokes. Do not rub your skin.
This is a nighttime regimen but in day time you also need sun protection with sunscreen. Now the question arises do you apply moisturizer before sunscreen? Let’s decode the question.
Do you put Moisturizer Before Sunscreen?
You can apply sunscreen then moisturizer, or moisturize then sunscreen. But it is not that simple. To understand the criteria you need to understand the type of sunscreen you are using. There are two types of sunscreen.
- Physical Sunscreen (containing minerals like zinc oxide and titanium dioxide)
- Chemical Sunscreen (oxybenzone and avobenzone)
When you mix SPF with another chemical like a moisturizer, it dilutes the SPF and cancels its effectiveness altogether. So one thing you should remember that you cannot mix both to apply them together.
If you are using a chemical sunscreen then it should be applied before moisturizer. It means the first sunscreen then moisturizer. Why?
Because moisturizer dilutes the sunscreen and changes the way it reacts to UV light. After absorption into the skin, apply moisturizer as an added barrier between your skin and sun exposure. In the case of chemical sunscreen, it is noted that you should apply the sunscreen at least 15 minutes before sun exposure. So that skin absorbs it completely and provides you maximum protection.
If you are using mineral sunscreen, then you apply moisture first and then physical sunscreen.
Now you may be thinking that how long I should wait to apply sunscreen after moisturizer.
You should wait for at least 20 minutes for moisturizer to completely absorb into the skin, then apply mineral SPF but it should be applied before makeup.
Tips for applying Moisturizer and Sunscreen
- Apply chemical sunscreen before moisturizer and do not forget to apply sunscreen to your ears, arms, and legs as well.
- Apply moisture first, then mineral sunscreen.
- Do not try to mix both. Wait a minimum of 15 minutes to apply the next product.
- Apply sunscreen before 15 minutes to sun exposure.
- Before buying sunscreen, check the number of SPF and buy SPF 30 or 50 for 98 % UV protection.
- There are some sunscreens available in the market with a moisturizer. You can also buy them. But check the weather condition, your skin type, and age before buying it. Because at different stages your skin needs a different level of moisturization.
- Mineral sunscreen can leave chalky marks on your skin, so rub them gently to completely absorb them into your skin.
- In the case of chemical sunscreen, do not apply a highlighter. Because chemical sunscreen spread the highlighter grains all over your face.
I hope you got an answer about the skin regimen of moisturizer before or after sunscreen. There is a simple equation chemical first and physical after. Remember it and apply accordingly to get healthy skin.
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