Natural Skin Care

Once a woman understands the basic steps of skin care, the question arises not only of the types of products she should use but of which of the many legendary skin care ingredients are the best for her. In the last few years, skin care experts have frequently turned to nature as a source of skin tending and smoothing and the number of skin care products that contain natural ingredients has multiplied. This does make sense, as, throughout history and around the world, women have used the essence of plants and foods to glorify their complexions.


How can a consumer tell whether a natural ingredient is necessary in a product or whether it will benefit her skin? The first rule of thumb is to know your own complexion: If you have been sensitive to a given ingredient in the past, stay away from any new products containing that ingredient. If you have a tendency to be allergic to fragrances, flowers, or specific substances, read labels carefully to be sure that you do not use any products that contain these ingredients. If, on the other hand, you are like the vast majority of women and have been able to use cosmetics and skin care preparations with little or no problem in the past, then read on. I've chosen the most common ingredients and outlined the benefits and pleasures of their use in skin care products.


Natural milk is commonly used in cleansing creams and moisturizers because it contains substances in the same concentration as our natural body fluids. Milk is very soothing and calming to the skin and can therefore be used on just about every type of complexion. It hydrates the skin naturally and contains proteins and sugars that help a moisturizer bind to the skin surface. In one Israeli chemist's research, it was revealed that milk contained nine different natural ingredients that could be beneficial to a woman's complexion: sugar to spur cell renewal; vitamins A and D to help prevent skin dehydration; vitamin B, to help regulate skin metabolism; vitamin B, to soothe skin; vitamin B, to help prevent pores from becoming clogged; vitamin C to act as a mild astringent; vitamin H to help prevent sunburn; and vitamin K to help strengthen capillary walls. Whether or not all of these claims are true, I have observed in my years as a skin care expert that the use of milk in various skin care products is very soothing to the skin and does seem to help replenish natural skin moisture.


Lemon juice is a common ingredient in astringents and toners because it helps to stimulate a tightening effect in the skin. In skin care preparations, the addition of a very small amount of lemon juice has a cooling and refreshing effect on the complexion; never apply straight lemon juice directly onto skin as it is too harsh and drying.


Yeast is a featured ingredient in many facial masks. It is a natural skin nourisher, helping to speed up cell respiration (or fueling) and to improve the appearance of every type of skin, especially skin with a tendency to be dry. Yeast masks are especially recommended for women whose skin is beginning to show the signs of aging.


Honey and eggs are often blended into masks and moisturizers for dry skin because they help to trap moisture within the skin cells and to accelerate the blood supply to the skin. Honey can also help to nourish the skin from the outside and acts as a slight antiseptic, or skin purifier.


Paraffin is often used as a final step in a salon facial or mask, as it helps to hold in body heat and speed the penetration of nourishing ingredients into the skin. Wax from natural sources is brushed onto a warm skin mask and left to set for ten minutes; it can also be used on hands as part of a manicure or on the feet as a final step in a moisturizing treatment. When the paraffin is taken off, skin feels noticeably smoother and softer.

Clay or mud are often used in masks for oily skin, as they help to absorb excess oil from skin's surface while soothing any irritated or blemished areas. Two thousand years ago, Israelis drew mud from the Dead Sea area to use in skin care preparations; today, many of the finest skin care lines still draw natural mud from this source. Natural mud contains potassium and sulfur in small amounts, which also help to clear a troubled or oily complexion.


Aloe vera is one of the most commonly found natural substances in skin creams and lotions. What is used is the aloe vera juice, or gel, derived from the spiny gray green leaves of the aloe vera plant a gel that has been used to treat burns (including sunburn), skin irritation, and even insect bites since the time of the pharaohs. Today, the aloe vera juice used in cosmetics is cultivated in Florida and southwest Texas. While experts debate the precise therapeutic qualities of aloe vera, many skin care experts concur that it does seem to have a soothing effect when applied to skin, and that it can be particularly beneficial to dry, chapped skin, whether due to sun or wind exposure. Many women like to use aloe vera skin care products in summer, too, because of the cooling feel of the gel against sun warmed skin.


Jojoba oil, extracted from the peanut size bean that grows on a spindly desert plant, is an ingredient that has gotten a lot of attention lately because of its ability to lubricate dry, parched skin. For more than four hundred years, Mexican women have been using jojoba oil as a skin and hair treatment. Today, jojoba oil is commonly added to hair conditioners, moisturizers, lip balms, and hand and body lotions in the United States.


Cocoa butter is frequently found in suntan preparations as well as body moisturizers. Derived from the roasted beans of the cacao tree, cocoa butter helps to lubricate and soothe dry skin and is a wonderful emollient in hand and body moisturizers.


Almond meal is frequently found in face and body scrubs, where it serves as a natural skin buffing ingredient, helping to exfoliate dead cells from the skin's surface. The best almond meal is ground into a rounded, soft shape that gently exfoliates but does not irritate the skin.


Cucumber is a wonderful skin moisturizer and its juice is commonly used in alcohol free skin fresheners meant to be applied to dry or sensitive skin. Cucumber is also a natural skin calmer and adds a wonderful fresh scent to skin cleansers and toners. Many skin care experts recommend applying a cool slice of cucumber to puffy eyes to eliminate skin swelling.



                                                                                                          ©2009 Skin Care About