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Why Your Soap May Be Damaging Your Complexion
For many women, trying to find a good cleanser for our face almost seems like an exercise in futility. It leads to frustration, more oil, more dryness, more breaking out and sometimes new problems we didn't even have before such as rashes, redness and irritation.
Using plain old soap on your face can create problems for most of us, because it's too harsh and damaging. Even many soaps and cleansers which are said to be made for sensitive skin are often still too harsh for many of us.
Most of the over the counter soaps and facial cleansers that we all try using, contain harsh detergents and other chemicals which strip away an important layer of our skin, removing the lipids and antioxidants that are so vital to our skin's health. Many also contain fragrances which are irritating to sensitive skin, and there are several other ingredients included in soaps and cleansers which cause various problems too. Alcohols are a common ingredient for instance, yet they dry your skin drastically. Petroleum products are often a problem for ladies with sensitive skin, and there are harmful chemical products included in many soaps and cleansers which our skin considers toxins.
And unfortunately, a lot of the steps we take to correct a specific skin problem can actually make the problems worse. The most common advice for women with oily skin for instance, is to use soap and water - or worse, use a harsh alcohol based product that's designed to strip the oils from your face.
The face needs oil though, in order to keep the skin young and supple. So by stripping all of that oil away, you're essentially telling your body to create more. So you end up with even more oily face problems than you had before.
The problems get worse for anyone with dry skin. Even using products which are supposed to be designed for dry skin often strip away the protective layer of antioxidants, and allows free radicals to damage the skin even further.
Now, the type of products you use on your face are important, and each of us has different types of skin too. Some ladies have skin which is so sensitive that even the bars and liquid cleansers made for sensitive skin are too harsh for them. And some of us are hyper sensitive to fragrances added to cleansers and bar soaps too.
Because of these differences in skin types, as well as products available on the market, it may take a little bit of trial and error to find the right ones for you.
If you have oily skin, you may need to blot up the excess oil throughout the day to keep it from being too much. Don't wash your face with any cleansers that strip all of your skin's protective layers off though. Instead, choose a gentle cleanser that will not remove all the natural oils. Also try to avoid harsh chemical based products, particularly if you have sensitive skin.
If your skin is dry, it's especially important that you don't use liquid or bar soaps which strip away your skin's protective layer because that will make the dryness worse. Find a good gentle cleanser that has a very light touch of natural oil in it for moisturizing. Using a good quality moisturizing body lotion is advisable, because this can help your skin to balance it's own natural oils a bit better. Regardless of what type of skin you have, don't forget the other important steps to good skin care. Cleanse first, with an appropriate cleanser for your particular needs. Then exfoliate at least once a week, or use a gentle daily exfoliating cream. Moisturize - yes even those of you who have oily skin need to give your skin moisture, particularly if you've been using harsh chemical based face cleaners for some time. Next you need to nourish your face. Using a moisturizer which also has nourishing antioxidants is the best way to do this. Then protect your face with sunblock. Again though, you'll often find high quality facial moisturizers have sunscreen in them for helping to protect your face from the sun too.
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