Tips & Tricks to an organic and healthy lifestyle – OrganicFaceBar.com & blog.buynaturalskincare.com

Simply put, the pH scale is a guide for measuring how acidic or basic a substance is, on  a scale of 0 to 14, with 0 being the most acidic, and 14 being the most basic. As an example, battery acid and hydrochloric (or stomach) acid fall at the low end of the scale, while lye and ammonia are in the higher range. Water, a neutral substance, falls right in the middle, at number 7.

Our skin, naturally, has a range that stays between 4 and 6.5. Specific levels vary between individuals and between body parts, but the important part to remember is that our skin is naturally acidic, and is protected by something called the acid mantle. This is a thin film made up of lactic acid, amino acids, and fatty acids. It’s one of our body’s main defenses against infection and disease, but many skincare products on the market threaten to harm the acid mantle and even strip it away completely. Keep in mind that most soaps are basic, and bases neutralize acids–effectively disarming our defenses.

A common ingredient that does this is sodium lauryl sulfate, or SLS. SLS is a very common lathering agent and can be found in everything from baby washes to hair shampoos. Consider this your warning, and take it to heart: Steer clear of sodium lauryl sulfate, at all costs.

To keep our pH balanced and normalized, it’s important that we not use harsh agents like SLS in cleansing our skin. Eminence Organics and Organic Male both bring us pH-friendly cleansers and washes. Yogurt based body washes from Eminence are my favorite alternative to foaming soaps, and are even safe to use on infants (though, please, check with your physician for children under 6 months). Organic Male’s Soothing Herbal Shaving Emulsion contains coltsfoot, an ingredient high in amino acids to help restore the acid mantle, which can be severely damaged through manual shaving and alcohol-based shaving creams. Follow this up with one of the pH balancers, and you’re on the fast track to having a strong, healthy acid mantle and a hearty defense against disease and infections.

Please share your skin questions with us! At OrganicFaceBar.com, our mission is to do the research for you, and bring you the information you need.