Skin Care

Acid Mantle Cream, is this the answer to your beauty woes

Posted on by nakedchemist1989
15
Dec

Inflammation in your skin?
This could be an indication your acid mantle is impaired

  • Premature ageing
  • Breakouts
  • Inflammation
  • Redness
  • Acne

Do you ever hear the terms acid mantle, pH Balance and impaired barrier, but your unsure what they are?

Well if your skin is sensitive and easily irritated, then chances are your skin is looking unhealthy.

And i know with so many different conditions it’s easy to get exasperated and not know which way to turn when treating these conditions.

But if you follow my advise you can be on you’re way to beautifully balanced skin; an important factor, especially when you think were quick to make a judgement about someone based on their skin.

Whether that be the amount of stress their under, their dietary habits, general health or how sun damaged they are.

GETTING TO GRIPS WITH YOUR SKINS pH

pH is one of the most important things you should know about your skin.

On average a skins pH sits around 5.5 which is slightly acidic, but it can range from 4.5 – 6.5 depending on your skins chemistry and the products your using.

There’s a reason for this acidity, it inhibits the growth of harmful bacteria.

And when this balance is even slightly off kilter, believe me it can be the cause of many a beauty woe.

THE ROLE OF THE ACID MANTLE

Both sebum and sweat form a barrier on the skin known as the acid mantle.

This mantle is crucial, it forms a protective shield and if disrupted, it becomes permeable to harmful bacteria, harsh chemicals, and pollutants.

Concerned your protective mantle may be impaired?

Stop, don’t panic because I have you covered, with an entire article on everything you need to know about your acid mantle.

SKIN, ITS AN ACID MANTLE, pH THING

So let’s return to why skin pH is so important.

Well if your SKIN is NATURALLY ACIDIC, then ideally you should be APPLYING PRODUCTS that are CONSISTENT with the NATURAL pH of your skin, makes sense right?

You don’t want to change the pH, because this will disrupt your skins protective mantle.

The exception to the rule is when there is a specific treatment objective, such as exfoliating with a hydroxy acid, in this case an acidic pH is required for the treatment to work.

For instance in a facial, a skin professional giving a chemical peel will always bring the skin’s pH back to normal, after the acidic treatment is completed.

WHY AVOID STRONG PRODUCTS?

Higher pH ingredients such as alcohol, are often referred to as astringents.

They are damaging for the skin because they break down keratin, stripping the acid mantle which increases the permeability of the skin.

Manufacturers often use clever marketing claims to say they reduce pore size; this is one claim that really infuriates me.

Because what these ingredients are really doing, is causing the skin to swell temporarily which dilates the pore.

And remember skin that is more permeable, is more vulnerable to microorganisms.

REPEATED USE of skin care products not pH BALANCED, will create CHRONIC SKIN CONDITIONS including inflammation, dehydration, lines, wrinkles and dryness.

There are quite a few skin care products that are pH-inappropriate.

And whilst I’m not in the habit of naming and shaming, I think you would be really surprised just how many popular brands fall into this category.

ACID MANTLE CREAM WHAT’S THAT THEN?

If you’re a sensitive skinned gal like me and many of my clients, I suspect your skin has seen it’s fair share of frustrating flare ups.

But be warned, repeated inflammation in the skin can lead to many things as discussed including premature ageing.

But can an acid mantle cream really balance the pH and restore an impaired mantle and barrier?

Whether one cream alone is enough, or whether you need to focus on layering, depends on the severity of your skins impairment; what I mean by this is how much has the skin broken down, what level of inflammation currently exists in the skin, and has the lipid barrier been compromised.

Addressing these concerns with my clients is a three step process, that you to at home may like to consider:

  1. The first step is to bring the pH back into the balance, the only way to achieve this is to use very gentle, calming formulas with minimal additives and fragrance; This also means avoiding the use of sunscreens, because their ingredients are too strong, (tricky I know because environmental rays play a big part in inflammation). Savior calming day cream is the perfect antidote, a nourishing, repairing moisturising serum designed to minimise frustrating flare ups and bring the delicate micro flora back into balance.
  2. Before you address the acid mantle; you are first going to have to work on barrier repair, especially if your skin is lipid dry, itchy or flaky. This can be done by restoring the protective film that coats your skin. at this stage the focus is building your skins resistance to pathogens and bacteria.Try Bio lipid complex an oil based serum, specifically formulated with skin identical ingredients that will bring your delicate skin back into to balance.
  3. Finally you need to focus on the acid mantle, this is all about creating an environment where the delicate micro flora will once again flourish. This is achieved by using skin identical ingredients such as copper peptides, ions and vitamins, which will strengthen and increase the density of your skin, thus returning it to optimum health so it’s less likely to suffer from damaging inflammation. pH acid mantle complex is the next step up, a skin restorative, strengthening treatment that repairs fragile skin and signs of premature ageing.

THE NAKED TRUTH

On a final note, bar soap for the body is at an alkaline pH, that typically sits around 8.0-11.0, this is far too alkaline when you consider your skin’s pH sits around 5.5.

So cleansing your face with body bar soap is a big no in my beauty book, which you can read all about here.

nakedchemist1989

25 thoughts on “Acid Mantle Cream, is this the answer to your beauty woes”

  2. Dawn harper says:

    Where can one buy Acid Mantle cream these days? I used it for years and neither AMantle or RisaBal-pH are available. I have yet to find a replacement

    Reply
    • karen says:

      agree dawn, I used both acid mantle and then risabal. neither are available anymore and I would love to have them on the market again or learn about a similar product. they worked great!

      Reply
  3. Johnny J says:

    Samantha I could also do with purchasing such a product with skin identical ingredients, can you advise please when products are due to be released?

    Reply
    • Samantha Miller says:

      Hi Heather

      My products are currently going through a rebranding so I have removed them from the website, they are due to be re released in a couple of weeks so I will let you know directly. Thankyou for your inquiry Kind regards samantha

      Reply
  5. Sherry says:

    Hello Samantha,

    I am from Canada and would like to purchase some of your products. Is there a sales page on your website for purchases?

    Reply
  6. Anonymous says:

    I have psoriasis, scaly dry, and irritated i am at my wits end, finding your articles is so refreshing leading me on the path to skin health thank you Samantha

    Reply
  9. Adam says:

    While we wait for your acid matle cream what do you think of this product. It has zink and copper peptides.
    (la roche posay cicaplast baume b5)

    Reply
    • Samantha Miller says:

      Hi Adam
      Thankyou for your enquiry.
      Adam my cart is not yet loaded as i am just going through some re-branding, the acid mantle cream is Savior and the corresponding serum is SOS. I will notify you when it is ready. I can’t endorse a product that I have no experience with Adam I apologize about that, in saying that this brand does not have a bad reputation in the industry. Kind regards Samantha

      Reply
  10. Anne Marie says:

    Hi Samantha ,I am 45 with dehydrated skin,admittedly I do not drink enough water,I have lines under my eyes and one appearing at each side of my nose.Also recently when I apply my foundation over my moisturiser it appears patchy. I read many of your comments about urea but I cannot see it listed in the ingredients of any of the products. Could you please advise what products of yours you would recommend as it can be a little confusing to just chose from the website and get no advise. I look forward to your reply.

    Reply
    • Samantha Miller says:

      Hi Anne Marie

      Thank you so much for your enquiry.

      Apologies I am going through branding which is not ideal, hence why there are no products on the site.
      Anne marie the best product I can recommend that I am formulating is a serum H20 which is a super hydrating and has a high level of Urea in, it’s a firm favourite of many of my clients. Please do contact me if you would like to purchase. Kind regards Samantha

      Reply
  11. Nora says:

    I am receiving chemotherapy and my face skin is extremely sensitive. Someone mentioned to me that Acid Mantle could be good, specially because my skin gets red and itchy. Is any of your products good for me? Thank you

    Reply
  12. Lonnie says:

    Hi Samantha,
    Overuse of Retin A for 2 months has left my skin a mess. It is dehydrated, looks pockmarked and has lines that were never there before. Would Savior and SOS be good for this? I already use Every lipid serum and an avocado mask. What products would you recommend? TIA

    Reply

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