Natural Skin Care: 5 Tips for Great Skin

Can you go natural and get a great looking glow? You can if you follow these five simple tips for creating the gentlest beauty regimen ever.

Avoid heavy-duty cleansers
Your skin needn’t be scrubbed or squeaky to be clean. Don’t overdo it. Mild, no detergent cleansers—milks, gels, foams, or cloths—are your best bet. Scan the ingredient labels of products to see if they contain gentle, plant-derived surfactants (the prefix coco- equals coconut, for example; gluco- equals fruit sugars).

Make sure acid-laced products are pH-balanced
This means their pH is in sync with skin, so “they gently remove sebum (an oily substance secreted by the skin) and makeup without stripping natural oils,” Graf says. Look for the words “pH-balanced” on cleansers that contain glycolic or lactic acids and on exfoliators, she adds, because some have a low pH, which can cause dryness.

Ditch the toner
These were originally invented to restore the natural pH of skin after it had been washed with alkaline-detergent soap. “If you’re using a pH-balanced cleanser, there’s no need for toner,” Graf says. “It’ll only dry your skin.”

Choose multitasking moisturizers
A good day cream juggles two jobs—hydration and protection. Pick one that has plant-based moisturizers (natural oils, butters, and essential fatty acids penetrate skin better than man-made emollients like petroleum, Graf explains) and antioxidants (those from natural sources may also contain bioflavonoid and other beneficial compounds not found in synthetic versions, Hammer says), plus nonirritating physical sun blocks, like zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.

Opt for fragrance-free
Fragrance is the most common cause of skin-care-related allergic reactions. If you’re sensitive, be sure to choose products that are labeled “fragrance-free.” The ones that are marked “unscented” typically contain small amounts of fragrance to help mask the odors of active ingredients.

By health.com