Acne Prone Skin Care – Necessary Ingredients for Clear Skin
Choosing your skin care products is very important to the health of your skin and especially in the quest to keep acne at bay. Not all ingredients are created equally.
I am going to show you exactly what ingredients to look for in this article when choosing a skin care product for acne prone skin. Basically, we want to find products that have antibacterial qualities, astringent qualities and soothing qualities (not necessarily all in one product, but this combination is important when choosing a few good products to combat acne).
A lot of products will meet the basic criteria of being antibacterial, astringent and soothing, but many will fall short when we take a closer look at each ingredient. In addition, I am going to show you how to quickly eliminate a product that may meet part of the criteria but lacks overall quality when we look at the rest of the ingredients.
My rule of thumb is that you should be able to pronounce 90% of the ingredients on the label and have an idea of what each one is. Some ingredients will look odd, but when given a closer look are actually OK, so it is almost easier to simply look for the ingredients that we absolutely do not want to put on our face and eliminate a product based on that information.
The Importance of Certain Ingredients for Acne Prone Skin Care
The true importance of finding a quality made product with antibacterial, astringent and soothing qualities lies in the kind of care your acne prone skin requires. Acne is a form of bacteria called p. acne and to help kill the bacteria creating acne, we need to deliver some potent antibacterial ingredients directly to the skin. Many naturally sourced ingredients already have their own built in antibacterial qualities, so a chemically manufactured antibacterial ingredient is absolutely unnecessary.
The importance of finding ingredients with astringent qualities lies in what happens after the bacteria has been killed. Astringent qualities help tighten and refine the pores of the skin as well as the overall tone of your complexion. Redness, brown spots, and blotchy areas can make your skin look inflamed or even older than it should. An astringent quality to a product will help add a glow to your skin.
Soothing ingredients will assist in calming your skin, locking in moisture and preventing unwanted elements from sitting on the skin and penetrating the surface too easily. A soothing ingredient an help create a smoother surface for applying make-up. Plus, a soothing ingredient will help keep your skin calm throughout the entire day.
Ingredients with Antibacterial Qualities
The best antibacterial ingredients can be hard to find, but they are out there and the better brands are sure to use them.
Neem is the first antibacterial ingredient on my list. Hailed for its acne fighting prowess, neem can really get in there and wipe out the bacteria either resting quietly on the surface or already within a nasty pimple. I usually recommend using neem in your face wash and as a mask. I love using neem as a mask because you can really let it sit on the skin and work its magic. Neem will kill the bacteria on your skin, but it will help decrease redness, inflammation and scars or pigmentation problems. It is one of my all time favorite ingredients for acne prone skincare. It is definitely a necessary ingredient for clear skin.
Ingredients with Astringent Qualities
Some of my favorite astringent based ingredients include fermented rice water green tea. These are loaded with antioxidants, packing a powerful punch of nutrients for the skin. After ridding your skin of bacteria, we want to nourish the skin and create a clean palette to do so. Both fermented rice water and green tea have the ability to wipe clean excess dirt from cleaning and deliver powerful nutrients to the skin (it is like nutrition for the skin).
Ingredients with Soothing Qualities
Now that your skin has a clean palette and a delivery of clear skin nutrients, it is time to sooth and repair. Now we want to seal it all in with a soothing moisturizing layer. I find that a good deal of acne prone individuals fare better with gels over lotions at first. They tend to be lighter and less greasy. Some of the finest soothing ingredients include, aloe, sandalwood, licorice, comfrey and oats. There are many soothing ingredients and I will go into detail down the road when I write about each ingredient individually. For now, remember that calming down the skin provides it with a chance to heal. We need to heal before we can improve the general health of the skin. Right now, we are focused on healing and clearing the existing acne. By doing so, we actually calm down the entire inflammatory reaction within the body, addressing one of the root causes under the skin. More on this in the future too (when we talk about nutrition).
The reason why I love aloe, sandalwood, licorice, comfrey and oats is that they cool the skin down. They put the fire out while at the same tend moisturizing. Finding a moisturizer with acne prone skin can be daunting, but if you sooth the skin with ingredients that also have a moisturizing effect, you will be on your way to addressing the necessary component of acne prone skin care, not just from the outside but from the inside too.
Ingredients that will Sabotage your Clear Skin Efforts
Stay away from harsh chemicals and ingredients that are very difficult to pronounce. That is a clear indication that it may be harmful to your liver, kidney, lymphatic system and perhaps even set you back in your journey to clear skin. There are tons of ingredients to avoid, but here are a few primary ingredients to absolutely leave out of your acne prone skincare bag:
DIETHANOLAMINE (DEA), TRIETHANOLAMINE (TEA), MONOETHANOLAMINE (MEA)/ETHANOLAMINE (ETA)
FRAGRANCE
MINERAL OIL
TALC
PARABENS
NANOPARTICLES
SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE (SLES) AND SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE (SLS)
TRICLOSAN
Conclusion
Overall, it can be daunting to begin the search for quality products that won’t cause your already acne prone skin to freak out. The good news is that there are more companies that ever providing safe quality products for acne prone skin and Acne Beautiful is here to help point you in the right direction. The best thing to do when you are confused is ask. That is what I an here for at Acne Beautiful. There is so much information that I can give you and, believe me, you will receive more than you know what to do with. I cannot give you everything, though, ….so when in doubt, just ask!
