Face Salad (leaves, oils, and vinegar)!

Face Salad (leaves, oils, and vinegar)!

Let’s talk Ingredients…

So, yes, Clair just did a post on the Philosophy Skin Care ingredients, which gives me the willies when I think about the complicated ingredients list too hard, but I thought I’d focus on good ingredients to look for when you are reading the back of a skin care or makeup product. Heads up, I am not an aesthetician and would never claim to be.. I’m just a girl with a will and website, that likes to know what is going on her face and in her body.

 

Now I have a pretty simple and somewhat odd way of looking at ingredients, especially in skin care. I always think to myself, “if it’s edible then it’s ok.” I mean, I’m not saying to slather mayo on your face, but raw, food-grade ingredients are pretty safe in terms of being kind to our skin. Also, the words “organic” and “vegetable-derived” can make a world of difference.

 

Aloe leaf juice, aloe vera, aloe barbadensis leaf: it’s all aloe, and usually if this is the first ingredient listed on the product, I feel confident in reading the rest. If you didn’t know, and I’m sure that you did, the first ingredients listed are what the product is mostly comprised of. There’s is nothing that irritates me more than when I see water or “aqua” listed as the first ingredient. Water evaporates off of the skin when used as a base for a product, whereas if aloe is used as the base, then it sinks into the skin along with the other (hopefully good) ingredients.

 

Lemon juice, now this one you usually see in cleansers and acne products, and for good reason. It fades scars and is antibacterial (don’t you just love that word? I do.) It can make skin photosensitive, but I definitely give it a thumbs up.

 

Apple Cider Vinegar. My. Favorite. Subject. It smells awful, at first. I use it alone as a toner. However, I have also seen it in hair conditioning treatments and face masks. It is a bit harsh if it’s not diluted with water, but it works wonders at taking away burning, redness, and it’s antibacterial (there’s that word again). If fact, my father (who is a surgeon) used to make me put this on my sunburns as a kid and 20 minutes later the redness would be gone.

 

Coconut oil, somewhat of a taboo ingredient. Some say that it breaks them out and is too heavy. I for one wouldn’t use it on it’s own, but I have seen it pop up in my makeup (RMS products) and skin care, where it is sometimes listed as caprylic acid, capric acid, or caprylic capric triglycerides. Caprylic acid is something I give a thumbs up when studying a label because it helps to nourish the skin.

 

Castor oil has so many bnefits, so whenever I see it in skin care, makeup, or hair care. It is known to be softening and it helps to clear skin and diminish scars. Words to be wary of include “hydrogenated” and “saponified.” “Saponified” means that it was treated with sodium of potassium hydroxide. “Hydrogenated” signifies that the castor oil has been treated with hydrogen to become more emollient.

 

Squalane, now this is a beneficial lipid in the skin. Its conditioning, but heads up, our vegan friends, because even though it is sometimes found in plants, the EWG skin deep website has evidenced that squalane is primarily derived from shark liver.

 

Neem seed oil is high in tocopherol (vitamin E) and calms for the skin. It has been shown to help with such skin issues as acne, psoriasis, and eczema.

 

Take note, with all oils that you put on your skin, the words “cold-pressed” and “virgin” are always preferable. The more pure and not “purified” the better, because when an oil is heated or processed it can lose nutrients and potential benefits.

 

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