Everyone with dry skin might have experienced an instance, at least once in their lifetime, when they bought a product to eradicate dryness from the skin, but it dried it even more. You might have also noticed that your facial skin is oily and dry at different times. Like the body hormones, the skin is also prone to get unbalanced for several reasons. It is possible to use certain facial Toners or creams that are not perfectly pH balanced.
But before you can understand the factors of judging which product has the right pH balance for your skin, you need to understand its importance. And this article intends to give you clarity upon the importance of pH balance for your facial skin.
Meaning of pH Balance
The pH resembles the Potential of Hydrogen. It is a measure that states how alkaline or acidic a substance is. The range for measuring pH varied from 0 to 14. The lowest number indicates ‘Very Acidic,’ and the highest number indicates ‘Very Alkaline.’ pH balance is when the measured rate is right at the middle spot of this measuring scale.
The facial skin consists of an acid mantle that acts as the skin barrier. It is formed when the skin secretes sebum and breaks down all fatty acids. Hence, it is ideally responsible for maintaining the health of your skin and moisturizing it by blocking all of the toxins and germs from harming it. When the balance between the alkalinity and acidity is broken, the skin will start to show deformities.
Why Care About the pH Value of Your Skin?
If the skin’s acid mantle is too high to be alkaline, then the skin responds as dry and sensitive. During this stage, you will be experiencing inflammation and aging signs, as some of the enzymes will act upon destroying the collagen levels of your skin. It mostly happens at the time when you seek to change your skincare products, such as face creams or toners, too frequently.
If you prefer to use facial Toners with high pH or alkaline properties, it will affect the skin permeability quotient. If the permeability factor compromises, the facial skin will experience vulnerability towards several skin disorders, irritants, and others. When you have high skin pH levels, you are prone to experience skin conditions such as:
- Eczema
- Tinea Pedis
- Ichthyosis Vulgaris
- Acne
- Skin infection
Therefore, it is important that the pH rating of your facial skin should hover between 4.7 and 5.75 to be appropriately acidic and not at all alkaline. If you have improper pH levels, using the right face creams and other skincare products can help you rectify the condition.
Balancing the Skin’s pH Levels
If you intend to balance your skin’s pH levels, then there are a few things that you should do and some things that you should avoid. So, here are your options!
#Don’t
People’s common mistake with their facial skin is that they become aggressive towards it and carry out too much unnecessary effort. Therefore, one should not use excessively hot water for showers or washing face. Hot water is a stripping agent for the skin and is responsible for breaking down natural lipids.
The pH level of water is higher than that of the skin, which might affect the skin barrier functionality if done repetitively with prolonged exposure. So, keep this important factor in mind because, even if you are applying the best face creams for your skin pH but are not omitting the habit of using hot water, it won’t help your skin pH levels.
Apart from that, you should take note of not using stripping sulfates, soap and avoid over-exfoliating your skin. These things will help you prevent your skin from experiencing more damage.
#Do
Some of the things that you should do along with the use of the right facial Toners, creams, and other pH care skin products are:
- You should use barrier-supporting creams and ingredients. Some of the popular ingredients are ceramides, hyaluronic acid, botanical oils, squalane, and others.
- You should nurture your skin microbiome as the skin is connected with pH, microflora, and other parts. So, to enhance the microbiome, you can put effort into maintaining the consistency of pH.
So, now you might have got the clarity upon how important pH is for your skin. It is about how much effort you implement into choosing the right skincare products for maintaining the health of your facial appearance. To help you with ease of search, Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream is an ideal pick with optimal pH balance properties. It is an extra smooth and soft cream or toner that is suitable for all skin types. Check out the product details, and get yours today, to maintain balanced pH for your skin.