The Truth About Cleansing Skin Care
By Laurel Levine
Let's face it. Finding safe and gentle cleansing skin care solutions is not as easy as it should be. Recommendations made by supposed experts are often some of the worst ideas, possible. Regular use of exfoliants, chemical peels and rough scrubs cause redness, irritation and damage. The damage only gets worse as time goes by.

As we age, our skin's layers become thinner. Older people often realize that they bruise more easily, that a bump is more likely to swell and a slight scratch is more likely to bleed. This is all due to thinning skin. We can delay this process or contribute to it, depending on the skincare products that we use on a daily basis.


Peels, scrubs and exfoliants contribute to thinning. Nourishing moisturizers, which support the skin's natural rejuvenation processes and stimulate cell reproduction, delay thinning and can even thicken up an older person's skin. When that happens, wrinkles start to fade and sagging is diminished.

So, any cleansing skin care ritual should be followed by nourishing moisturizers. Cleansers to look for include all natural products that are free of artificial preservatives and added fragrances. Artificial preservatives and added fragrances are common causes of allergic and other adverse reactions.

All of the ingredients should be safe and gentle. Some of the best daily cleansers include ingredients like goat's milk, lavender, chamomile, orange rind and jojoba. Base oils should be plant-based, not petroleum-based. Ingredients like petrolatum and mineral oil are petroleum-based.

For deep cleansing skin care, look for a mask that contains bentone gel and kaolin. These are extracts from natural clays. They absorb excessive oil and pull dirt from the pores. Allantoin, a compound found in comfrey root and sugar beets, works in synergy with the clay extracts to clean even more deeply.

The latest masks contain macadamia oil and Shea butter, which moisturize and prevent the clay from drying out. Older clay masks would dry and harden, making them difficult to remove.

Another good ingredient for daily cleansers or deep cleansing masks is active manuka honey. Honeys of all kinds have some antibacterial and antioxidant activity. Manuka honey has the highest activity. The raw honey is evaluated for its medicinal activity and graded accordingly. There are some grades that are not active. Check the label to be sure that the word "active" is included in front of manuka honey on the label of ingredients.

Cleansing skin care products that contain manuka can reduce blemishes, because of their antibacterial activity. They are beneficial for treating acne, but do not cause the redness and irritation that other acne cleansers can cause.

Manuka's antioxidant activity can help delay the signs of age. Dermatologists feel that free radical damage is the primary cause of wrinkles, sagging and aging. Antioxidants prevent and repair free radical damage.

Now that you know this, hopefully you will find safe and gentle cleansing skin care products. I know you'll be happier as the years go by, when you protect your skin's health and beauty.

Visit my site today to learn about more amazing natural skin care substances you have probably never heard of.