Natural Ingredients For Skin Care
As many skin care product users may know, a lot of the solutions that they regularly use can be largely composed of ingredients and chemicals that can potentially cause harm. Most people just accept it as the price for maintaining a youthful appearance. Still, although the effects aren’t immediate, all of those artificially contrived ingredients can seep into the skin through the pores and cause damage in the long run.
Stabilisers, preservatives, aromatic agents, right down to the artificial colouring of the product, can have negative effects on the body because once it’s beneath the skin, these substances can cause all kinds of havoc. This doesn’t even include the damage that they can cause to the environment.
Luckily, there are still a whole bunch of ways that you can deal with your routine beauty maintenance, and that isn’t just limited to skin care, but hair care too. Play your cards right, and you can look just as fabulous as you would if you used commercially available products that are often overpriced and filled with all sorts of ingredients.
For that purpose, we’ve compiled the best natural ingredients for the skin that you need to maintain a fresh and youthful look. If the ladies (and gentlemen) of Ancient Greece and Rome were able to use natural ingredients to look spectacular, why can’t you? Continue reading for the best natural skin care ingredients to keep your skin looking soft and radiant.
1. COCONUT OIL
Possibly the most famous natural skin care product, it is also the most versatile. Coconut oil can be ingested as well as applied topically and can cause a variety of beneficial effects on your skin, including purging dead skin cells, fortifying skin tissue, and protecting the skin from sunburns.
On top of that, coconut oil is an excellent antibiotic, letting you deal a serious blow to any bacteria, fungi, or even viruses that may have camped out in your epidermis. Coconut oil has even been found to be effective at fighting off skin diseases like dermatitis. This degree of potency and utility makes it the best natural ingredient for the skin in our book. We use this ingredient in almost all of our products! We use coconut oil is many of our hair products, they make them smell great too!
2. TEA TREE OIL
For hundreds of years, many women have been using tea tree oil to treat breakouts, inflammation and redness on the skin. In the treatment of acne, tea tree is a well-tolerated ingredient without any side effects.
Tea tree oil works well as a natural anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal ingredient. Applied directly to the skin, it is one of the most popular and versatile natural skin care ingredient because of the phytochemicals (chemical compounds that are produced by plants) in it.
3. GRAPE SEED OIL
Grape seed oil is a familiar ingredient for skincare products that are all natural. It is a common food ingredient as well. It is squeezed out of grape seeds after the wine ingredient has been extracted.
Just like the all-time favourite natural skin care ingredient coconut, grape seed oil also contains a lot of antioxidants and is rich in linoleic acid. Linolec acid reduces acne and retains skin moisture.
Grape seed oil, unlike coconut oil, is non-comedogenic, thus it does not clog pores and can be used even on sensitive skins. It can also be used as an eye cream alternative to lighten dark circles. It also contains anti-inflammatory properties. It is a widely used moisturiser for skin that is prone to acne.
The best thing about grape seed oil is, it does not leave any residue on the skin. When applied it easily dries up thus it is a good make-up base.
Grape seed oil contains powerful antioxidants and PTOs (proanthocyanidin) that control free radicals working to prevent damage that may be caused by the sun and the lightening of age spots. PTOs also enhance the production of collagen to reducing the fine lines as well as stretch marks.
4. ROSE WATER
Rose water is an effect ingredient for overall health and beauty. For the skin, rose water is effective in the treatment of acne as well as irritated skin. It can cool and soothe irritated skin. It acts as a cleanser for oily skin and as moisturiser for dry skin. It also serves as an anti-aging ingredient because it can tone, soften, rejuvenate, and revitalise mature skin to bring back its natural glow.
Rose water contains a lot of vitamins and anti-oxidants to nourish the skin. It also contains a lot of anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory properties and natural antiseptics. This natural ingredient works well with all skin types.
Read How to Make Rose Water Here.
5. ARGAN OIL
Many regard argan oil as a super skincare ingredient. This is so because it is rich in natural Vitamin E, essential fatty acids and antioxidants. It is effective in reducing the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines as well as scarring and stretch marks. It also works well in fighting the early signs of sun damage and aging as well as enhancing the elasticity of the skin.
Argan oil is often an important natural ingredient in facial moisturisers, facial cleansers, eye creams, anti-aging skincare and in make-ups.
6. EAST INDIAN SANDALWOOD
This essential oil effectively quells the proliferation of bacteria on the skin, and it calms down inflammation as quickly as any commercially available pimple cream out there. East Indian Sandalwood is perfect for treating a particularly rebellious breakout.
It’s best applied by mixing it with almond oil, as just slathering it all over your face outright can make you end up feeling quite irritated. About two or three drops of East Indian Sandalwood in 180 ml of almond oil should be enough.
7. APPLE CIDER VINEGAR
Another commonly known natural skin care product is apple cider vinegar. This substance contains a potent acetic acid, making it brilliant at skin cleansing, killing off fungi, bacteria, and other pathogens in the skin and is a capable stopper for acne. Apple cider vinegar’s beneficial effects even extend internally for when ingested, it promotes a healthy level of bacteria in the digestive tract and even optimises liver function.
8. SEA SALT
Mother of all life, the sea has provided every organism on the planet with the means with which to survive. Being such a vast powerhouse, the sea even provided us with a skin care solution in the form of sea salts.
These little seaborne crystals have accumulated loads of minerals in its journey from the vast ocean onto the shore including calcium, potassium, magnesium, and of course, sodium. These minerals are essential components of our skin cells, which are always looking for spare parts to keep on chugging.
Sea salts should be applied topically, and they work best when mixed into a facial scrub with raw honey and avocado, which are also fantastic antioxidants. A good mix would be one part sea salt for every two parts of honey and avocado, though you can experiment with mixture ratios to find the best one for you.
9. COFFEE BEAN
No skin care solution is complete without a dose of antioxidants, and the coffee bean does exactly that. It apparently has a greater antioxidant capability than even green tea, and the studies surrounding the products seem to support that. In testing, it was proven that coffee bean products caused dramatic improvements in people who have developed wrinkles and pigmentation. We use this ingredient in our anti-aging night cream, and let me say… it’s amazing!
10. BEARBERRIES
These little fruits are well-regarded by dermatologists to be one of the most efficacious natural skin brighteners. The chief selling point of Bearberry extract is its abundant levels of arbutin, which is a powerful deterrent for the development of dark spots on your skin.
Still, Bearberry extract isn’t as potent as the more common hydroquinone, but due to its natural, unadulterated nature, it’s considered to be much safer. Unlike hydroquinone, Bearberry extract is safe to use during pregnancy or when nursing.
There you have it; these are the six best natural ingredients for the skin. Apply these into your daily life, and you can soon have the best natural skin care routine that Mother Nature can offer.
HOW DO CHEMICALS AFFECT OUR SKIN?
The skin is the largest organ in the body in weight and surface area. The skin has two layers, the dermis and the epidermis. The dermis provides support and structure to the skin. The epidermis functions to protect the body (acts as a shield). Underneath the dermis is the hypodermis which provides insulation for the skin.
Breaking this barrier with chemical based skin care products puts you at a risk of developing irritations and allergies from synthetic materials.
Here is a list of some of the chemical products that you want to be on the look out for!
1. Butyl, Ethyl Parabe, Propyl and Methyl. These ingredients are cheap and have long shelf life. They are however toxic and may cause skin reactions and allergies.
2. Synthetic Colors. They are listed in labels as D&C or FD&C followed by the number of the color. Most of these toxic substances are made of coal-tar linked to agents that cause cancer.
3. Synthetic Fragrances. These are often listed in labels as simply “Fragrance” and could be in any of over 200 synthetic and toxic ingredients manufacturers can get hold of. They can cause headache, rashes, skin irritations and so much more.
4. Diethanolamine (DEA)/Triethanolamine (TEA). These ingredients work for the adjustment of pH balance. These toxic chemicals can cause dryness of the hair and skin and also eye problems..
5. Behentrimonium Chloride. This is an ammonia compound. It is highly toxic and may be fatal when ingested.
Food and drugs consumed go directly to the bloodstream. Chemicals and toxic ingredients in food and drugs contain carcinogenic substances which causes cancer. This is the reason why these ingredients are not allowed in food and drugs.
Every ingredient used on the skin also enters the blood stream, thus using skincare products with chemical and toxic ingredients also expose the body to carcinogenic substances. To be on the safe side, it is best to use only natural ingredients of any skincare products on your skin.