Body Product Ingredients That Can Dry Your Skin

We all know there are factors in life that can wreak havoc on our skin...stress, climate and work to name a few. You can contribute to dry skin by not staying hydrated...but what I want to focus on in this post is how some body products can contribute to dry skin, and how you can avoid them.

Body products in general contain a lot of ingredients that you may not be aware of. You likely won't know why a soap or body product would contain isoprophyl alcohol, or salicylic acid, but you're likely familiar with both ingredients...isoprophyl alcohol is rubbing alcohol, salicylic acid is a derivitive of aspirin, and commonly used as an anti-acne ingredient and an exfoliant.

According to dermatologist Dr. Ellen Marmur, MD, both ingredients can be drying to the skin, and should be avoided if you have dry skin or are concerned with products which can exacerbate dry skin. She gives a list of other ingredients, some of which you may know, some not. The list is as follows:

Sodium chloride

Sodium lauryl sulfate

Sodium laureth sulfate

Ammonium lauryl sulfate

Sodium tallowate

Willow bark (a natural source of salycilic acid)

Alpha-Hydroxy Acids

This isn't an all-inclusive list...and it is absolutely not to say that you shouldn't use any products that contain some of these ingredients, only that they can contribute to drying out the skin. In instances of overly-oily skin, certain of those ingredients, such as the salycilic acid, the willow bark and the alpha-hydroxy acids can work to bring your skin into better balance and address issues that can cause acne. But if you're looking for a product that won't contribute to dry skin, then yes, it's helpful to avoid those mentioned.

As I stressed in my last blog post, sulfates are just not worth the risk, in my opinion. It's why I don't buy a cheaper "soap" base that uses sulfates; you deserve the best for your skin, and sulfates aren't the best, even before you get to the list of risks associated with sulfate usage.

So what products have these ingredients? Face wash, toner, liquid soaps (almost all of them!), body wash, astringents and facial scrubs to name a few. That's why it's important to read those labels, and understand the ingredients in your products. You have the Internet, and it's great for more than funny cat photos; grab your browser and type in the name of the ingredients you're not sure about...in nanoseconds, you'll have all the information you need, right at your fingertips, to make great choices for your skin.

Part of taking excellent care of your skin is knowing what you're putting on it. Putting great things on your skin is what Lone Star Lather & Light is all about. We strive for more than just pretty colors and yummy fragrances for our products...we strive to give you the best for your skin, while avoiding those ingredients we're leery of. Never any sulfates, never anything that'll leave your skin dried out and aching for moisture.

#moisture #dryskin #bodyproducts #soap #acne #willowbark #salycilicacid #sulfates