How To Avoid Cheap Skin Products
Saturday, May 22nd, 2010Let’s face it … What do you get when you buy cheap skin products? You get a lot of petrochemicals and not much else. If you read the label of ingredients and then look up those chemical names, you will see that, other than water, the vast majority of them are petrochemicals.
Petrochemicals are compounds made from petroleum, coal, natural gas or crude oil. They include propylene glycol, ethylene oxide, ethanol, oxybenzone, benzophenone, toluene, benzoic acid, parabens, petrolatum, mineral oil, paraffin and many others. But, those are among the most commonly seen ingredients in cleansers, lotions, astringents and other cheap skin products.
None of those things are good for your skin’s health. Cosmetic companies have relied on them, practically for as long as cosmetics have existed. There has never been any reason to believe that the use of these chemicals is beneficial and now, we know that many of them do more harm than good.
For example, petrolatum, mineral oil and paraffin, which are common ingredients in lotions and creams, clog the pores, cause greasiness and do not actually moisturize. Oxybenzone and benzophenone are common sun screening compounds. Researchers have found that they actually cause free radical damage, something that sunscreens are supposed to help prevent.
Ingredients derived from plants and sheep’s wool are much more beneficial and completely safe. Shea butter, avocado oil, grape seed oil and kelp extracts are just some of the plant-based compounds that improve your skin’s health. Lanolin and keratin, which are extracted from sheep’s wool, are safe and effective moisturizers that do not clog the pores.
Shea butter is nearly identical to the skin’s own sebum. Petroleum-based oils bare no resemblance to the natural oils produced by the human body. There are different grades of Shea butter. The pharmaceutical grade has been shown to smooth out wrinkles, reduce age spots, and help fade stretch marks, reduce inflammation and act as a natural sunscreen.
If you see Shea butter listed as an ingredient in cheap skin products, it is not pharmaceutical grade and/or the amount that is included will be tiny, when compared to the chemical compounds present in the mix.
Keratin, when extracted from sheep’s wool and processed gently, has been shown to stimulate the production of new skin cells, increase the skin’s moisture content, restore firmness and reduce inflammation. If you see keratin listed as an ingredient in cheap skin products, the manufacturer will have used animal hooves and horns, high heat and harsh chemicals to soften them. The result is that the protein is no longer active. The skin’s cells can’t use it.
All of those bottles of products on the shelves of your local stores are a worthless waste of money that could damage your long-term health and will definitely damage your appearance.
The bottom line, don’t buy cheap skin products.
If you’d like to learn more about little known but clinically tested natural ingredients that are used for treating healthy skin, visit my website today.
Laurel is a long time user and passionate advocate of natural skin care products. Visit her site now to discover cutting edge, anti-aging skin care products she recommends after extensive research: http://www.beautiful-skin-site.com.