What To Look For in Well-Formulated Facial Cleansers
The foundation of good skin care is daily cleansing. Good cleansing habits protect the skin from environmental pollutants and enhance the skin’s texture, elasticity and looks. Equally important is the choice of your facial cleanser. Harsh face cleansers can harm the skin regardless of the scrupulousness of your regimen. Selecting a well-formulated organic face wash product that is compatible with your skin's own physiology can greatly influence your skin's condition and appearance.
Why Should You Use Face Cleansers Without Soaps and Detergents
We may have grown up washing our faces with soap, but at some point we learned about using natural face cleansers - right? There are several reasons to use a well-formulated cleansing product. The skin on your face and neck is vascular-rich and exposed to the elements constantly. For our skin’s protection, Nature has given us a hydro-lipid barrier known as the acid mantle. It is composed of sebum and perspiration. This mantle protects the skin from sun, the dehydrating effects of the environment, and invasion by bacteria and fungi. The mantle is referred to as “acid” because the pH of skin is between 4.5 and 5.5 - the same acidity as vinegar. The pH of water is 7, which is neutral. Soap, and also detergent, is alkaline with a pH of between 9 and 12. That squeaky clean sensation you may feel from cleansing your face with soap is actually the result of your acid mantle having been stripped away. It takes several hours for the acid mantle to re-establish itself - dry skins can take up 4-8 hours to replenish. Conditions such as acne, eczema, and itchy skins are associated with alkaline skin, which is further worsened by using soap or detergent based face wash products, more easily allowing bacteria to enter the disrupted protective barrier.
5 Tips for Selecting the Best Organic Face Wash
High quality cleansing products are designed to remove impurities, make-up and sloughing skin cells without irritating or stripping the skin. After cleansing, your skin should feel clean and refreshed yet moist and relaxed. A well-formulated organic face wash product should be emollient - which means skin softening. This calls for a high proportion of oil to water which treats the skin very efficiently and effectively. The intrinsic warmth of the oils softens and relaxes the skin while deeply penetrating the pores to emulsify excess oil and impurities, all the while leaving the skin moisturized. Truly organic face wash products should never foam - this indicates they contain harsh detergents which irritate while also increasing excess oil production over time. Only ingredients that are skin compatible and truly natural - such as pure butters, nut and seed oils, flower hydrosols, herb extracts and essential oils, - should be on the label. There should be no synthetic or toxic additives such as parabens, triethanolamine, sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrances or colorants.
Part of self-care is enjoying the daily routines of good hygiene.
Natural skin care products that are produced in a sustainable fashion with no animal testing, packaged in recyclable containers, promote health and are pleasant to use help create personal as well as planetary harmony.
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