Q:
What is the healthiest (and most effective) brand of all natural skin care products for red, blotchy, acne-ridden skin?
Emily A. asked this
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Answers (2)
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The problem is, acne cannot always be effectively addressed by ingredients that are typical of "all natural" skin care lines, in fact there are some that can horribly aggravate acne. The most important thing to keep in mind is that not everything natural is good for acne and redness, and not everything with a chemical sounding name is bad.
For instance, the worst ingredient for acne is cocoa butter. Clogs skin like crazy! Avocado oil is mildly clogging, and believe it or not, coconut oil can be a disaster for acne skin. Buy a handcrafted lotion with any of these ingredients believing that it can't be bad because it's "all natural" and you could have a real mess on your hands.
On the other hand, the best anti-inflammatory ingredients for redness and blotchiness are from nature - aloe, sea whip (an extract taken from a creature living inside a kind of coral called sea whip or sea fan), chamomile, allentoin (from comfrey) and azulene are mainstays in the skin care world and have no synthetic equivalents.
Or, take chemical sounding names. I've seen natural lines use things like Isopropyl Palmitate, a very pore clogging ingredient, because it's derived from palm oil. Or how about Sodium Hyaluronate? Sounds synthetic? It's not. Your skin makes it, but in lesser and lesser amounts as you grow older. At any age, it's one of the most important components of an acne regimen, because it helps hydrate the skin so it can be more pliable and not hold onto its oil so much.
The adage "you should only use products with ingredients whose names you can pronounce" is simply something I do not believe in at all. There are just too many naturally derived and healthy ingredients that acne and sensitivity need that would be unnecessarily missed out on just because their names are long. It doesn't make sense.
There are two very important things to consider when it comes to treating acne and redness here;
One, tea tree and lavender may be antibacterial, but will never ever be as effective as Benzoyl Peroxide when it comes to flushing out pores and keeping acne bacteria from proliferating and making a mess. Depending on the severity of your acne, it may not be possible to stay entirely natural. On the other hand, Salicylic Acid, which comes from wintergreen and/or willow bark, is one of the best acne medicines around, and even takes care of redness. On the other other hand, Sal Acid doesn't penetrate the skin well enough unless it has SD Alcohol as a vehicle. Are you getting the picture?
Two, always remember when it comes to redness and sensitivity, natural fragrance can be worse than artificial ! In fact, if a product has many botanicals in it, this would be something to stay away from! Sensitive skin tends to have quite a few allergies, even when they may be mild enough to cause redness you may have attributed to something else. The most important part of a good regimen for sensitive skin are anti-inflammatories. Aloe, sea whip (you'll see "pseudopterogorgia elisabethea extract" on the label), green tea and zinc oxide are what you want to look for - incidentally, these also happen to be great for acne as well.
So, although you asked what skin care lines can be recommended, I've seen so many organic or all natural lines make such egregious mistakes when it comes to acne and sensitivity, even when a label says an item is meant for acneic or sensitive skin, I'd rather advise you on what ingredients to avoid. If you still need guidance on what to use, you can't go wrong visiting a skin care salon that shares your vision. At least then you wouldn't be flying blind with trial and error on a skin type that can be one of the most difficult to deal with.
Here's a short list of what ingredients to avoid if your skin is oily with acne and redness;
Coconut Oil
Cocoa Butter
Avocado Oil
Grapeseed Oil
Shea Butter (it can be clogging if it's formulated wrong, plus it's too rich for oily skin)
More than four or five botanicals in a product
Isopropyl Myristate
Isopropyl Palmitate
Octyl Palmitate
Vitamin C, if it doesn't give what type it is (it's important where it comes from, because it'll either be useless if used plain, or be coupled with an acid to stabilize it, which is extremely irritating - I've seen lists on all-natural products with just "vitamin C" on the label - back on the shelf it went. Look for Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate)
Tocopherol (a kind of vitamin E, very bad for acne)
Vitamin E, if it doesn't give what type (just plain vitamin E can be irritating and do nothing for the skin - it has to be formulated right)
If you need any specific help with your skin care routine and particular issues, please contact me for a completely personalized free analysis.
www.daniela.com
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