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Tag: acid mantle

The Largest Organ, Skin and What We Absorb
This post is not just going to address the skin on your face. Most of the post on the blog teach how to balance your skin, pop your pimples, choose the right cleanser. In this post were not just addressing the skin on your face were going to address the skin on your body too. Do you realize that you can use the best products on your face and do a daily skin care routine but that the skin on your body needs attention as well? Do you realize the skin on your body also ages you? Unless you plan on wearing long sleeve tops and long pants, if you don’t take care of the skin on your body the aging will catch up with you. I am going to cover some issues about the largest organ on your body which is your skin. Were going to aim to keep that skin on our body young looking. But how? Know that being the largest organ on your body your skin ABSORBS EVERYTHING. Think about that. Everything you put on your skin is absorbed into the body through your skin cells. Within 20 minutes whatever you put on your skin is hitting your liver and going into your bloodstream, which then triggers your lymphatic system to work to get out all the excess chemicals your body does not need and cannot process. Always here for the visuals.

Acid Mantle Stripping

First I want to address something that has been driving me crazy for years. The water we use on our skin. Back to explain the acid mantle in easy terms. Every morning when you wake up and wash your skin, whether it be your face or a shower/bath it sets your skin on a tone for the day. Between 12 and 3pm you will see your skin start to produce a shine. That shine is your acid mantle. This is a natural defense created by your body to protect you. Different climates cause the shine to be stronger, or you can produce more “oil” or sheen we can call it.

The skin on your body also produces that sheen. That sheen is going to protect your body. If you are in a hot sunny climate your acid mantle helps protect you from the sun. If your in a cold climate the acid mantle will help keep your skin from drying out. So what happens when you strip your acid mantle? You essentially loose your protection and put your skin into a mode of over working to protect you, which can sometimes cause super dry skin issues or sunburn for example?

What causes the stripping? To harsh of chemicals on your skin. Translation your soap is to strong. If a cleanser you are using on your face is to strong for your skin type right after you wash your face it will feel tight. That is not the feeling you want. However, there can be an issue with the water where you are cleansing and there can be a lot of chlorine in the water. This will naturally strip and dry your skin. The same for your body.

There’s Something In The Water

Lets talk about the elephant in the room, or should I say bathroom. Do you realize that most unfiltered water in the bath or shower is loaded with chlorine? Do you realize that as you shower you are breathing in chlorine? This is a toxic gas definitely having a negative effect on your lungs. The off gas of chlorine is chlorin which was banned in 2017 from using medically. If you bathe in the bathtub with no filter are you aware that you are soaking in chlorine? What about the children? If your child is bathing in a bath water that is not filtered it is full of chlorine. Effects of chlorine exposure include……
- Eyes, nose and throat irritation
- Shortness of breath
- Pulmonary edema
- Skin irritation
- Redness
- Blisters
- Dry Skin
- Hair Damage
- Exacerbate asthma symptoms
Studies show that if you swim in a chlorinated pool or you relax in a jacuzzi for just 15 minutes your body absorbs an equivalent of drinking 8 glasses of water with chlorine in it. Very dehydrating and now your full of this chemical. So yes you probably feel dehydrated after being in a pool or jacuzzi all day. Why? Because your body is absorbing the chlorine through your skin. Its the same as if you were drinking the chlorine in your glass. I imagine if you were to drink regular water from the tap you may just get the same effect.

The reason I’m addressing these two issues for the body is because how do you keep your skin young looking? How do you keep the skin on your body young, if you are bathing in massive chemicals, not just chlorine? What kind of effect is that having on your skin? City water systems are known to have bacteria, hormones such as estrogen from birth control, and pesticides to name a few flowing through them. You can be bathing in all those chemicals? Most of us shower or bath everyday so imagine the viscous cycle you are putting your skin through? Your getting unwanted chemicals in on the daily, putting the body in defense mode and essentially with all that chlorine stripping your skin.

Creams, Oils, Lotions & Filters

Now yes you can invest in creams and lotions and body oils to counterbalance the effects of the chlorine exposure you have received from the shower. But you also want to consider your in a viscous cycle. Just investing your time and money to slather on another cream to have it stripped off the next bathe session and more chemical exposure? By all means please DO put on the body cream as the skin on your body needs that to stay supple and young looking. Two of my faves are here: https://www.100percentpure.com/products/coconut-nourishing-body-cream?variant=39707518271566

https://bubbleandbee.idevaffiliate.com/idevaffiliate.php?id=368&feed=123 (Affiliate Link)

What if we could take this anti-aging vibe a little deeper? What if we could keep the skin on your body in check and at its utmost prime? If your goal is not to get pruney and wrinkly skin on your arms and legs you will need to invest in a quality shower filter.

I recently invested in the most AMAZING shower filter. Its hands down untouchable. I was going through A LOT of chlorine exposure in the shower. I had been traveling and everywhere I was staying did not offer a shower filter. My hair was getting so dry and my skin was actually getting ashen. I couldn’t handle how bad the skin on my body was looking and I finally said, that is it I am going to invest in this filter.

None of that chlorine exposure can be good for my body or anybody. My hair was in the worst shape I had ever seen or felt it. Dry like straw. Imagine the chemicals my hair was absorbing and that was not even including any chemical hair treatment exposure it had gotten? Every hair wash my hair was getting worse and worse. So I will link the shower and bath filter here.

https://missellen.kangendemo.com/

If you have any questions you can contact me on the contact form.

Vitamin D (Sunlight)

Now, this part isn’t going to be your usual esthetician make sure you use your sunscreen advice. I do not believe in sunscreen (spf) and I can explain why. First of all your skin has its own internal protective measures (aka your acid mantle) They say the best sunscreen is a base tan. I am taking this from Andreas Moritz owner of the Ener-Chi Wellness Center. I will link the interview on Youtube here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1V7qcsuV3k

To paraphrase the interview what Mr. Moritz is explaining about SPF is that the chemicals they put in sunscreen would be illegal if they put those chemicals in food. Yet they put the chemicals on the largest organ in your body that immediately absorbs those chemicals and they end up in you liver. He has stated that skin cancer didn’t exist before sunscreen. When you are loading on “sunblock” you are essentially blocking your chance to absorb Vitamin D. Whether you realize it or not vitamin D is a very “healing” vitamin. It comes from the sun and the body needs it.

When you go out into the sun and sunbathe you are absorbing the suns rays and absorbing Vitamin D. The body does not immediately process the vitamin D into your cells. It needs up to 48 hours to absorb the suns rays and send it throughout your system. If you go and take a shower and use soap you are going to wash off your vitamin D and again strip your skin. Mr. Moritz of Ener-Chi Wellness Center states it is best to wash your underarms and private parts that aren’t exposed to the sun and then let the body do its thing and process the vitamin D.

Internal Sunscreen

Another thing that I would like to state, there are foods you can eat that internally block the sun. If you consume these different foods before you go out in the sun these foods will help to block the UV rays on the internal side of your skin. The list of internal sunscreen foods are………
- Blueberries
- Broccoli
- Carrots
- Cacao
- Celery
- Dark Leafy Greens and Cruciferous Vegetables
- Fish
- Green Tea
- Hemp Seeds, Chia Seeds, & Flax Seeds
- Pomegranates
- Sweet Potatoes
- Tomatoes
- Watermelon
Each one of these foods has various properties in it that are designed to work with the sun and your skin to protect you. So imagine if you will you go out into the sun and absorb the suns rays. Of course you do it naturally and in a healthy way of say, your exposed for 1 hour. If you come back inside and shower with a chlorinated chemical shower again you will strip that acid mantle that now has vitamin D exposure. What happens? Your body needs 24 to 48 hours to absorb and utilize that vitamin D. However, if you strip it in the shower you will loose that vitamin D. It explains a lot as to people who live in the “sunshine” state and when tested, they are vitamin D deficient.

Also note, the sun is very healing. Back in the early 1900’s hospitals used to offer sun decks to heal with. If a patient could get sunlight exposure daily they had a time they would put the patients bed out on the deck and help to heal with sun exposure. Vitamin D is very nurturing to your bone health and overall well being. Also note, back in the 1900’s sunscreen did not exist.

Conclusion

Just bringing awareness here to the viscous cycle your skin goes through on the daily and how important the water that touches your skin is. For me I could see how out of balance my skin and hair had been getting when exposed to all those chemicals and I felt I needed something extreme to put my skin back in balance. The Anespa DX doesn’t just filter the water it adds minerals back into your skin. I know that I needed something to really help my hair and scalp to rebalance itself. The Anespa filter definitely gives you the feeling that you are showering in a waterfall with clean filtered water and getting nature put back into your skin, hair and body.

I added the section on vitamin D because I feel it is important we realize how much our skin absorbs. Both from the sun and the chemicals we put on our skin. Most people don’t know that the sun exposure you do get is either blocked by sunscreen or stripped, thus causing a negative balance of vitamin D exposure. If I want to protect my skin when going in the sun, if I know I’m going to be out for an extended period of time I will 1) wear a hat, 2) wear some kind of long sleeve loose clothing like flowy linen pants or top, 3) use a mineral makeup base on my face and again cover my body.
May 21, 2025
What Your Acid Mantle is and How (Your Cleanser) Affects Your Skin Pt.1
Skincare 101

We are going to take this post to the basic skincare 101 science of skin. In this post I will try and breakdown and explain what the acid mantle is in understandable terms and also guide you on cleansers and why they are an important factor when considering your acid mantle and skin type

The acid mantle is very important in determining your skin type and how to balance your skin. I searched the definition of acid mantle in Wikipedia and it was a little to scientific. I checked back to the more understandable definition from the Milady’s study book and found this explanation.
Definition: The acid mantle is a thin, slightly acidic film covering the entire surface of human skin, serving as a protective barrier against pathogens and reducing body odor.

Composition: The acid mantle is composed of:
1. Free amino acids and α-hydroxy acids (lactic acids) excreted from sweat
2. Free fatty acids and amino acids from sebum
3. Urocanic acid and pyroglutamic acid
pH Range: The surface pH of the skin’s acid mantle typically ranges between 4.5 and 6.5, with an average assumption of 5.0 to 6.0. However, recent research suggests that healthy human skin naturally tends to return to acidity levels below 5.0 when left untouched by skincare products or water for extended periods, with an ideal pH value of 4.7 and some individuals showing levels as low as 4.3.
How I break it down to a facial client

Everyday from the time we all wake up our skin is starting to balance. There can be a lot of environmental factors that affect the balance of your skin. I will mention those later. Now as you go about your day I always say between 12 and 3 pm we all start to develop a little sheen or shine on our face. This happens to everyone male or female. The amount of shine one produces varies by climate so there can be a little of a give and take. That sheen on your skin is your acid mantle. What that does is it is designed to protect you. A natural protective barrier. Now if you cleanse your face and your cleanser is to strong it will strip your skin and make it feel nice and tight. So what happens? As the day goes on your brain will realize “Oh they do not have their protective barrier let me produce more oil for them.” Now you begin the vicious cycle of trying to balance skin and you can produce more black heads and pimples. This causes your to go into a fight mode of trying to protect you and in the meantime your producing more oil. If you naturally have dry skin and your using a strong cleanser this can cause your skin to become extra dry and then eczema or psoriasis can occur.

That is why with any skincare routine one of the most important products is your cleanser. If you are washing your face in the morning to start your day and after you cleanse, your face feels nice and tight. That is an indicator that the cleanser you are using is too strong. So my rule number 1 with cleansers: You never want your face to feel tight after you cleanse your skin. Yes it could happen with an exfoliant but we normally do not want to exfoliate more than 2 nights a week. Night time is better for exfoliation followed by a deeply hydrating moisturizer.

Rule number 2 which can be the next step in your morning routine is no alcohol in your toner. The alcohol can also be drying and stripping. Remember when we are using a skincare regime we are looking for that balanced glow.

If a product is to strong and strips your skin you will produce more oil throughout the day. If the product is to heavy for your skin and the molecules of say an oil or cream are to heavy that too can cause breakout on the other end of the spectrum.

Rule number 3 is the water you are using to cleanse your skin with. Do you live in an old building with old rusty pipes? Have you looked up the region of where you live and the main water supply and what they put into that water? If the water is heavily chlorinated then you will be essentially washing your face with chlorine. Another stripping agent. (Not to mention when you shower you are breathing that in) A website you can use to check your local water supply: https://www.livescience.com/59935-tap-water-database.html

Rule number 4 how is the weather or climate where you are? What time of year is it? In winter we use electric and gas heaters to heat living spaces and that can have a heavy drying effect on the skin. If you are going outside and it is cold with a chill whipping breeze on your face, that wind can chap your skin as well and cause heavy dryness. If you live in a tropical climate, is it with heavy air conditioning usage? Air conditioning can cause the skin to run on the dry side. Tropical humidity can sometimes make you produce what feels like more oil and you can have a layer of dirt and sweat mixed and cause a breakout reaction. Climate is a very important factor to consider when you are searching for the correct cleanser for your skin.

Conditions that can be caused by your acid mantle being stripped are:
- acne
- blackheads and breakouts
- eczema
- psoriasis
- extreme dry skin
Again these main skin conditions can all have a root cause of the cleanser that you start your day with. Its not a formula for all because each individual has a story but in a round about way when it comes to balancing skin it starts with the cleanser and your acid mantle. Then you have the conditions of rosacea or psoriasis. That (in my opinion) is also a cleanser that is to strong stripping your skin. I will side note here a lot of times the redness can be caused by the climate. Especially the Northeast winters. You can see the rosey red cheeks on the fishermen and a lot of times people do not attribute this to the climate. (there is a natural homeopathic cream for this redness stay tuned for part 2 post.)

Types of Cleansers

When we go to the beauty store or any section of any store that sells skincare products it can be overwhelming to understand the different types of cleansers and what they do or how they work with the skin. Let me explain 5 common types of cleansers you’ll find and how each one can affect the skin.
- Milk Cleanser
- Foaming Cleanser
- Gel
- Oil Cleanser
- Micellar
- Bar Soap
I’ll start with my personal favorite which I think is good for everyone and that is the milk cleanser. Some brands might have a cream cleanser or call it that variation but essentially it will be a more creamy type of cleanser. This cleanser is more gentle on the skin and will not strip your skin. Next we have the foaming cleanser. The foaming cleanser is normally designed for more oily skin. It gives the sensation of a deep clean because the foam scrubbing feels like your really getting in there and cleaning but these types of cleansers can be harsh for the skin so be careful. If you are using a foaming cleanser and have noticed some breakout I would probably discontinue use. Also refer back to the rule. If you cleanse your skin in the morning does the cleanser make your skin feel tight? I wouldn’t recommend that type of cleanser for you. I’m going to place the gel cleanser in the same category. Gel and foaming cleansers are designed for more oily skin types so if you notice any tightness after a use or wash I’d say it would be a no for your skin.

Now oil cleanser is considered to have the heaviest of molecules of all the cleansers. A little bit close to micellar on the spectrum but more so heavier than all the other cleansers. To be honest I wouldn’t start my day with either of these cleansers. If you had massive dry skin or maybe an older menopausal skin this may work for your skin type to start the day but other than that I would use this type of cleanser in the evening and with a wash cloth. Also I would suggest here that Micellar is a great make up remover. Both eyes and face.

My final cleanser here is bar soap. I used to not be a fan of bar soap at all but now here I am with my own brand of bar soap. https://elementlufu.com/store/lavender-cleansing-bar/ When I switched to more clean beauty products I started really looking into the breakdown of soaps and ingredients and what is in everything. The right bar soap can be very clean (such as mine) and be effective and non stripping. What I find appealing with my bar soap and any “clean beauty” soap is if you can understand the ingredients. That has become the most important thing for me in my products is to clearly understand what I am using on my face.

Conclusion

All in all you just do not want your cleanser to be stripping your skin. Remember stripping equals more oil production. When you cleanse your skin you are not looking for that tight tight feeling. That is an indicator that the cleanser is to harsh for your skin. I know sometimes that it can be mental and someone might desire that tight feeling to think that their skin is really clean. But we just need to let that go because in the long run it is not going to serve you well. If you want that, “I need to feel super clean feeling,” you can always follow up with a non alcoholic toner and see the results on a cotton round.

To not make this info to overwhelming I’ve decided to break this post into a Part 1 a Part 2 and a Part 3 because there is so much detail into really balancing the skin. Like I’ve mentioned before, me personally I have been on both spectrums of skin. I was an acne model in facial school where they could use my face to demonstrate how to properly extract black heads and pimples and then I was borderline psoriasis when I had moved to a new city. I want to explain how those two conditions happened to me so that if anyone else may be in similar situations they can learn for themselves how to get back into balance or just realize the climate their living in and how it can have a dominant factor on skin. So I will explain in Part 2 how my acne skin condition happened to me and recommend various products that I personally used to get back into balance.
December 14, 2024