Want to try natural skin care ingredients that work? This post will help you with the best ingredients to take a more natural approach to skin care!
Have you ever read the ingredients on the back of one of your skin care bottles and thought “How in the world do you even pronounce that?” or better yet, “What is that?” With all the skin care products on the market today, a lot are filled with synthetic fragrances, fillers, and harsh chemicals. If we don’t know what an ingredient is, how do you even know what you are putting on your skin?
While some of these unknown ingredients can definitely be beneficial to your skin, some can also cause negative reactions like dryness, sensitivity, irritation, breakouts and more. Not only that, but toxic ingredients that are absorbed through your skin can enter your bloodstream and negatively effect your liver.
Natural ingredients are your safest bet because they are made by nature and are not physically created in a lab. They are derived from things like plants and minerals and don’t involve any chemical alterations making them a better option to protect your skin from toxins being absorbed.
This post is all about the best natural skin care ingredients.
Natural Skin Care Ingredients
1. Aloe Vera
Aloe Vera is so beneficial for a lot of things making it super multifunctional. Because of it’s soothing and cooling properties, it’s great to heal sun burns and provide relief to eczema. It’s packed with vitamin A and B, proteins, minerals, fatty acids, and triglycerides, allowing your skin to feel nourished and moisturized. It also prevents fine lines and wrinkles due to the plant containing molecules called sterols which promote hyaluronic acid and collagen production which plump the skin to diminish those wrinkles.
Not only does aloe vera work for the skin but it also promotes hair growth, soothes acid reflux symptoms, and is an immune booster!
2. Green Tea
Green Tea is great for adding into your natural skin care regimen as it is a powerful antioxidant. This is due to the polyphenols, which are a naturally occurring micronutrient in plants. Therefore, it can reverse signs of sun damage and protect from you from further environmental pollution. Applying green tea topically can also anti-inflammatory benefits which slows down the development of sagging skin and wrinkles.
3. Vitamin C
Vitamin C is such an essential to your skin care routine. It’s such an effective ingredient that you shouldn’t be without it! Not only does it protect our skin from free radicals that try to invade our skin skin and age us on a daily basis but, it has actually been clinically proven to work! This ingredient stimulates collagen synthesis which essentially means that it helps produce collagen. The production of this collagen helps to create firmer and thicker skin over time. Don’t sleep on this ingredient! It is a must-have!
When taken internally, it’s a fantastic immunity booster and can easily found in citrus fruits, berries, broccoli, and spinach.
4. Shea Butter
Where do I begin with this one? This is such an ultra-nourishing ingredient, that keeps your skin so plump! Shea butter has been such a hot commodity for longer than you’ve been born that’s for sure, and for good reason. It contains loads of fatty acids and antioxidants that treat different skin disorders. From eczema, blemishes, sunburn, dermatitis, you name it! It speeds up cell renewal and helps retain optimal moisture in your skin leaving it smooth and supple. It’s so good it should be a staple in your arsenal.
5. Vitamin E
Vitamin E is another ingredient that has powerful antioxidant properties. It protects your skin cells and against free radical damage and helps your skin retain moisture. When it retains moisture, your skin keeps its elasticity and remains beautiful! It’s also amazing at reducing the appearance of acne scarring and age spots. Using it with vitamin C keeps your skin healthy by protecting it against damage form ultraviolet rays, making this combination a powerhouse duo you don’t want to miss out on!
6. AHAs
AHAs also known as alpha hydroxy acids, is an exfoliator that is plant derived. However they are not physically abrasive like grains, sugar, or nut shells. AHAs don’t scrub but rather help peel away the surface of your skin so that new fresh skin is revealed. This is especially important because think about it, if you don’t get rid of those dead skin cells, they are just going to pile on top of each other blocking your skin care from absorbing properly. AHAs are great for dry, damaged skin! Why? Because it’s water soluble, which means that it doesn’t remove the moisture content of your skin. There are different types of AHAs to choose from like lactic, glycolic, citric, or mandelic acid.
Be sure to check which AHA is best for your skin with a dermatologist because depending on the strength, it can be sensitizing.
7. Peptides
Peptides are naturally occurring in the skin. They are a chain of amino acids that the skin uses as a building block for producing collagen and healing scars. This ingredient is fabulous at building a stronger skin barrier. Your skin barrier can get damaged by over-exfoliation, exposure to pollution, using cleansers with stripping ingredients etc. Peptides can come in and repair that damage and strengthen your skin and prevent it from further damage.
Remember, skin care is personal, so whether you choose to use synthetic or natural ingredients, use what works best for you!
