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:
- Free amino acids and α-hydroxy acids (lactic acids) excreted from sweat
- Free fatty acids and amino acids from sebum
- 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.