Due to extreme dryness of the air at my office caused by the heating system, few days ago I started using, on top of CPs, pure shea or cocoa butter. Normally I use Celes or Squalane or Emu or Coconut but I was just testing out Shea and Cocoa butter, which last for longer on the skin and seem to moisturize even more.

However I was wondering if the thickness of the butters causes a similar effect like for instance mineral oil, where a barrier is created that prevents the outer layers of the skin to get proper oxygen, thus slowing down skin repair?

Thank you!!

Dear Rossana:

We were able to speak to Dr. Pickart regarding your question and it is very true that using too heavy of a moisturizer would be occlusive and could delay proper skin repair.

Dr. Pickart says you could try using the shea and cocoa butters, but typically biological oil moisturizers that are comparable to human skin oil are the best oils to use to combat extreme dry skin.

Some natural oils, found in nature and used for centuries, might have been primarily used because they were what the people of the area had available.

An effective moisturizing oil should penetrate well, not leave a heavy/occlusive gloss or shield on the skin - allowing your skin to breathe and rejuvenate itself properly - and shouldn't have to be constantly re-applied.

Best Wishes,
-Skin Biology

Thank you Skin Biology! I am glad I asked, before getting into the habit of using the butters (which I had at home because I make soap with them). I will stick to emu, squalane and celes