In regards to natural skin care, when we talk about moisturisation we are often talking about imparting oils (aka fats) onto and into the skin, predominantly the outermost and medial layers of the skin. High quality natural fats are truly an essential component of an effective facial or skin regimen in order to facilitate and maintain pert and radiant skin, especially so, if your skin is on the dry side. Many cold-pressed plant and rendered animal fats are rich in fat-soluble vitamins A, E, D and K, alongside a myriad of beneficial constituents, essential fatty acids, antioxidants and even bactericides, all of which help to nourish, repair and protect the skin. The consumption of high-quality dietary fats, alongside a healthy, functional digestive system that is able to effectively break those fats down, is, of course, a fundamental part of a radiant skin strategy. However, the science and art of cosmetic skin moisturisation is only half the story.

The other all important side of beautiful young skin is hydration. Hydration as you rightly imagine deals with the water component of skin care –  the binding of water to our skin, and is often seriously neglected, ignored even, by many practitioners of natural beauty. Comparing a smooth pert grape to a raisin is a very useful analogy that highlights the critical role of aqueous components for the purposes of healthy plump skin. In fact water-based ingredients are known to prevent or remedy wrinkles better than oils (on their own) can. No matter how much you may slather your face with oil, if your skin is dehydrated it will remain dehydrated and essentially malnourished, albeit under a layer of oil. A raisin coated in sunflower oil is still just the dehydrated alter ego of its juicy, curvy counterpart. Though drinking sufficient amounts of clean hydrating, electrolyte-rich fluids should always be your foremost strategy, the hydrating principle of topical skincare is central to just how good our skin really looks, especially when you consider that the body prioritises water to most every other group of tissues before it is allocated to the skin. Ergo, topical applications really do matter.

So what do you recommend?

With these insights in mind, your anti-aging skincare strategy should apply both moisturisation and hydration principles, ideally at the same time. My current personal routine centres on mixing my wonderful Radiant Revolutions unpasteurised rose water (also commonly known as rose hydrosol), to my fave high quality cold-pressed base oil of decadent fully Wild-harvested baobab oil, grass fed tallow, and a wee dab of high-quality raw honey for extra humectant benefits. I simply mix the rose water into the baobab oil, tallow and honey, using the palm of my hand as a saucer and my index finger as a mixer, until the two are more or less evenly distributed. I then immediately rub the balanced blend all over my face, generally something I will do right before bed. Whilst the hydrosol and honey imparts hydration into the skin, the oil helps to lock it all in, so the precious hydrosol doesn't just evaporate away. Additionally, the nutrient-rich fat component creates a deeply nourishing barrier against the elements, whilst it plumps and replenishes right underneath. Aside from raw honey and rose water, other water based hydrating ingredients include aloe vera, noni juice, frankincense water, natural hyaluronic acid and glycerine. All of these can be married to a good oil to promote youthful, pert, confident skin.