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Understanding Great Natural Skin Care Products

With more and more companies selling natural skin care products, it can be difficult to know which one is the best choice. There are a lot of things to consider when making the switch from regular skin care products to all natural skin care products; here is a quick and easy primer to help you make that decision. Once you do, you can feel good, knowing that the natural facial skin care products you are using are not only best for your body and skin, but also for the environment.

When you are shopping for natural skin care products, the first important thing to realize is that you can not make your decision based only on the marketing blurbs on the label. The labels and their claims are not monitored in any way, so they can claim to be all natural skin care products, but not have all natural ingredients. The only way to be certain about whether or not your purchase is, in fact, a natural facial skin care product, is to read the ingredients list. If there are a lot of chemicals, and ingredients that you cannot pronounce and have never heard of, you may want to look at the next product on the shelf.

Not all natural facial skin care products contain the same ingredients. There is a wide variety of natural skin care ingredients that do different things for your skin, and some that actually do more harm than good. Below is a list of common ingredients found in all natural facial skin care products and what they claim to do:

• Plant based oils: grape seed oil, jojoba, aloe, Shea butter, argan oil, evening primrose oil, and olive oil are all natural ingredients that work to moisturize your skin. These moisturizers are all natural, and they are very similar to your body’s own oils. They are also very high in vitamin E, which is a key ingredient to remedying dry skin. If you have dry skin, look for these ingredients in your all natural facial skin care product.
• Soy products, (including “active soy”), ingredients high in vitamin C (such as lemon, orange, or any other citrus-plant), as well as mulberry and Burberry extracts, and licorice, are natural ingredients that can help even out your skin tone and completion. If you are concerned about areas on your skin with uneven pigmentation, then look for these ingredients when you shop for natural skin care products.
• Mushrooms (specifically the Maitake variety), aloe vera, golden root, cucumber, oatmeal, and chamomile are all natural ingredients used in natural facial skin care products to help soothe sensitive skin. These ingredients can also help with milder forms of rosacea, in which the skin is reddened. If you have sensitive skin it is especially important that you look for all natural skin care products that use these ingredients, rather than using products with harsh chemicals, as those products can worsen your skin’s condition.
• Natural antioxidants, such as berries, green tea, pomegranates, and what’s called Resveratrol (derived from grape skins), can help repair the skin from skin damage, reduce the appearance of new fine lines around the eyes and mouth, and rejuvenate skin in general, letting it look younger and fresher. Any all natural skin care product with these ingredients are typically marketed as “age defying” or “restorative.”

The above ingredients are ones to look for in your all natural facial skin care products, but what about the ones to avoid? There are several ingredients, natural or chemically developed, that you should be sure to avoid when shopping for natural skin care products.

• Mineral Oil: this can be called liquid paraffin, paraffin wax, or petrolatum. These ingredients clog your pores, not allowing your skin to breathe. They can cause pimples, rashes, sensitive skin, or any number of skin problems. Mineral oil products also build up over time, so the more you use it, the worse your skin gets. Mineral oil is also known to cause premature aging in skin, and a dependency, so that if you miss an application, your skin looks worse than it did before. Mineral oil is a key ingredient in many skin care products, even in ones claiming to be all natural skin care products, so be sure to read the label.
• Parabens: parabens can be called methyl, propyl, butyl, and ethyl paraben. Parabens are commonly used in skin care products, especially moisturizers, as a preservative. They make the product last longer, which saves the companies money. However, rubbing a paraben based preservative on your face will increase skin sensitivity and cause rashes. When checking out natural skin care products, be sure to avoid this ingredient.
• Dioxane: this is a synthetic, or man-made, ingredient to simulate natural ingredients found in coconuts. Dioxane, used in a specific ratio 1,4-dioxanf 1,4-dioxane, is known to cause cancer in the state of California. All natural skin care product or not, you should never use this ingredient on your body.
• Alcohol: Ethanol, ethyl alcohol, methanol, benzyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol and SD alcohol. All of these alcohols have different claims, but any alcohol is going to be drying and irritating to your skin. If you overuse facial skin care products, even all natural facial skin care products, with alcohol in it, your body will respond by producing more oil, increasing acne breakouts and blackheads.
• Fragrance: fragrance in and of itself is not necessarily harmful, but in your skin care product, it can cause major irritation. Most all natural facial skin care products do not contain fragrance, but some do, so once again, read the label before purchasing an regimen of all natural skin care products.
• Collagen and Elastin: these ingredients are ones that are naturally found in your skin. However, that does not mean that you want to see these two things in the ingredient list of your all natural skin care product. Collagen and Elastin found in cosmetics simply fill in, like spackle, your pores and lines. If you are concerned about having younger looking skin, it is much wiser to find a natural skin care product that stimulates your body to produce more of these two ingredients on its own (such as the natural antioxidants listed above).

Another thing that you will want to pay attention to when shopping for all natural facial skin care products is the QUANITY of the key ingredients used. Be wary of marketing phrases such as “derived from” or “contains traces of.” If you want the benefits of all natural skin care products, then you’ll want to be sure that most of the ingredients are natural, not just a few drops in the entire package. Unfortunately, many companies are using the smallest amount of natural ingredients in the “all natural skin care products” just so they can claim it’s natural.

Any product can claim that it’s “green” or “natural,” without actually being made up of natural ingredients. That is why it is so important to know what goes into the natural skin care product that you are buying and using on your face. Look beyond the marketing label and pay attention to the fine print, and you can be confident that what you are purchasing really IS an all-natural skin care product.

By paying such close attention to the ingredients of your natural facial skin care product, you will also be able to select the one that will be best for your skin without having to spend so much money on trial and error. Peppermint oil may be all natural, but it is harsh, and if your skin is already sensitive or dry, that is not the type of all natural ingredient you want in your natural skin care product. If you have naturally oily skin, then a skin care product comprised of mostly Shea butter is not going to help you, even if it IS an all natural skin care product.

Once you know what to look for in natural facial skin care products, shopping for one will not be such a large undertaking as you may have thought. By paying attention to the ingredients, rather than the marketing claims on the label, you will be able to shop with confidence for your new line of all natural skin care products. You will be confident that you are purchasing the best product for your personal skin type; that you are avoiding harsh chemicals that can not only harm your skin, but be dangerous to use; and that you are also helping the environment by not using synthetic chemicals to replicate what can be found in nature. Switching to an all natural facial skin care product will be rewarding, and financially beneficial: now that you know what natural ingredients you need to help your skin, you don’t have to waste any more money on products with big claims and no results.