I have struggled with my skin for years, from the time puberty hit I had zits, redness, oily skin, dry skin. From the time I was about 3 months old (my family doctor actually looked this up) I have struggled with eczema. I thought I had oily skin because I had acne, I thought I had dry skin because if the eczema, I thought I had combination skin because I had both. I used products marketed for all of those things, acne prone skin, eczema and combination skin. But it wasn’t until I was in my 30s and I started really paying attention to ingredients that I saw a drastic improvement in my skin. Even with huge hormonal changes from two pregnancies, being on hormonal birth control, going off birth control, I have had minor breakouts, but over all my skin is the best it has ever been in my life.
The first lesson I learned is that dry skin means you need moisture and oily skin means you need moisture. So, why all these years did I think it was really important to define my skin as oily, dry or combination? Well that is how skin care was labeled and I thought to get the right products I had to know what my skin type was and use a product for that type. The truth was, that my skin was all of those things and sometimes it changed with a day! You really can’t define everyone’s skin and fit it withing three categories and the products for that category will magically provide great skin.
I had to unlearn everything I had learned about skincare and really pay attention to my skin and what it needed. When my skin is dry it usually means I am dehydrated, so drinking more water and making sure I use a good moisturizer will help. However, I didn’t understand why when my skin was oily that I needed moisture as well. So I started researching, why my skin might be oily and that is when I learned about the importance of pH when it came to skincare.
Let’s talk pH
I know you have heard about sulfates, ‘sulfate free’ is on skincare and hair care packaging, it’s talked about but beauty and hair gurus and on TV. But do you know why it’s important to go sulfate free?
Sodium Laurel Sulfate is a common ingredient in tons of hair and skincare products. Products that have sulfates as an ingredient usually have a pH of ranging from 8 to 10, so what does this mean for your skin? It’s mostly used as a foaming agent and we have been convinced that foaming means cleaning. However, if you wash your face and it feels squeaky clean and tight, that probably means you are using a cleanser with sulfates and it is stripping away the natural acid mantel and leaving you with skin exposed to the elements. So what pH is good for my skin?
Ok now think back to high school chemistry, do you remember? It’s ok if you don’t, here is your refresher!
pH is a scale, from 0, super acidic, like battery acid to 14, very alkaline, like oven cleaner. pH of 7 is neutral, ammonia has a ph of 11.
Human skin has an average pH of about 5, so it is naturally acidic. So if you are washing your face twice a day and your hair once a day with a sulfate cleanser that is closer in pH to ammonia than it is to your skins natural pH, then your pH is going to change and become more alkaline. It strips away your natural acid barrier that fights off bacteria and can cause redness, inflammation, acne and can lead to fine lines and wrinkles! When it strips away that top layer, it signals your body that it is dry and needs to go into production mode to protect your skin and keep it hydrated. How does it do that, by over producing oil. So, you might think that you have naturally oily skin or scalp, but the truth is it is not naturally oily at all, maybe you are just using products containing sulfates.
Did you catch all that? The reasons to go sulfate free
Strips skin
Can lead to bacteria and acne
Cause premature aging
Over produce oil
Just in case that list wasn’t enough to get you to dump the sulfates. There is the sulfate cycle, as I like to call it. If you use a sulfate shampoo, it causes your body to go into overdrive producing oil, your hair gets oily, you think it is dirty and needs to be washed, so you use more shampoo. What does this mean for the shampoo company? You buy more shampoo and they make more money! Same with your skincare if your skin is stripped it will need acne creams and anti aging products. Get out of that cycle and you might find yourself using less product and save money by using less product.
Less sulfates means you save money!!
So, acidic skin and hair care is great, but how do you know what products to buy?
Most companies don’t put the pH of their products on the bottle, so how do I tell if what the pH is. There are three ways:
Google - see if someone has tested the product
Test it - pH test strips are cheap, you can’t find them on Amazon or the drugstore for less than $5
Get to know ingredients - Read labels and see if you see acids listed on the ingredient list, skip sulfate, if you’re not sure look it up
I tested my favorite skincare cleanser, toner and cream, with paper test strips.
The Tres Leches skincare line has a non foaming creamy cleanser, toner and creme. All three tested on the strips about the same, with a pH around 6. This is good, it is slightly acidic so it won’t strip my skin of its acid mantle. It makes sense, all three have lactic acid from milk and honey on the ingredients list both are great for acne and anti aging because they are acidic.
Test the ph of your skincare
If your skincare tests higher that a 7, I would suggest making the switch to something that with a pH of 5 to 7. If you are using alkaline products, making the switch is not going to be easy but it will be worth it! When you switch from something alkaline to something acidic, it is going to take time for your skin or scalp to adjust. It may take 1 to 4 weeks to stop over producing oil, depending on how much your body is producing. While you are going through the adjustment it would be wise to stock up on some dry shampoo and some oil blotting cloths.
What is your favorite skincare product? Comment and let me know below.