Ingredient classes by function, and a routine that survives a car park
Occlusives, humectants and emollients as three different jobs. What labels do and do not mean. And the five minutes after a session, ordered by benefit per second spent.
Occlusives, humectants and emollients: three different jobs
Three classes of ingredient with three distinct mechanisms, routinely described as though they were one thing called moisturiser. Separating them changes what you use and when.
Materials · Function · 10 minThe ingredient classes that support barrier repair, by function
A functional vocabulary for reading a label, with no brands, no products and no claims we cannot support.
Materials · Function · 10 minWhat fragrance free and hypoallergenic actually mean
Two of the most reassuring words on a label, and two of the least informative. What each one is required to mean, and what it is not.
Materials · Labels · 9 minPatch testing as a self care practice, and what it is not
Trying something new on a small area first is sensible and cheap. It is also not the same thing as clinical patch testing, and confusing the two causes problems.
Materials · Practice · 9 minThe car park routine: what to do when you are cold, tired and not at home
Every sensible post session recommendation assumes a warm bathroom and ten spare minutes. Here is the version for a February car park with numb hands.
Materials · Routine · 10 minField care for lips and hands: what to carry, and when it is worth using
Two sites account for most winter skin complaints in outdoor people, and both are manageable with almost nothing, provided the almost nothing is actually with you.
Materials · Routine · 9 minReading an ingredient list by function, not by brand
A practical method for working out what a product will do from its list, without knowing any chemistry and without trusting anything on the front.
Materials · Labels · 9 minThis page contains no commercial links. There is no advertiser, no sponsor, no affiliate arrangement and no product placement anywhere in it. We name no brand and no product, here or anywhere else on this site, and we describe ingredient classes only by what they do. Published by Northbank Media. Our funding is set out in full on the about page.
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