Gentle natural soap keeps skin soft and healthy
Back to basics for environment-friendly fragrant cleansing that is kind to hands and face
For many years beauticians and health gurus have been urging a return to nature to combat the effects on our skin of air pollution, harsh climate conditions caused by global warming and stress induced by the fast pace of modern lifestyles.
> Washing our hands and face is the way we start the day and any beautician will tell you that cleanliness is the first rule of skin care – thorough cleansing to rid the pores of the grime that pollutes the atmosphere surrounding our daily lives.
Everyone’s grandmother says that natural soap and water is the best beauty treatment of all and everyone will say that their grandmothers have the most beautiful skins of all – and, more often than not, they really have kept their skin soft and smooth without the aid of the costly beauty treatments that are available today.
So why do grandmothers think natural soap is more beneficial than other types of soap? Scientific research has shown that soaps which do not contain natural ingredients remove natural skin oils, leaving the skin dry and sometimes irritated. On the other hand, natural soap contains natural oils and glycerin, which moisturize the skin and keep it soft and healthy.
Essential oil is one of the major ingredients of natural soap and gives the added beneficial effect of aromatherapy, the ancient art of treating the body, mind and spirit with natural aromatic substances. It is well known that a good smell induces a good mood while a bad smell can put one in a bad temper. How much nicer it is to start the day by washing with a beautifully scented soap that soothes the skin and lifts the spirits.
Another benefit of essential oils is that they keep the skin activated, which is very important, just as it is with the other organs in our bodies. Yes, believe it or not, skin is an organ, like our hearts and lungs. In fact it is the largest organ of the body, weighing an average four kilos. Moreover, we need to understand that our skin is a living, dying and constantly rejuvenating organ that is constantly on the move and if damaged or ill-treated can take as long as three to four months to recover.
Skin keeps our insides in and the rain out. Yet while it is waterproof it does let in substances with small molecular structures, such as essential oils, which pass through the epidermis and into the capillary blood circulating in the dermis where they are broken down and used by various regions of the body.
The human body takes the most vital properties of essential oils and uses them to bring itself back into balance. Essential oils perform healing functions and work as rubbish collectors, attaching themselves to toxins, free radicals, fungi, bacteria and viruses and taking them to the body’s exits for disposal. Skin is our largest elimination organ.
In addition, essential oils in natural soap have a beneficially positive effect on blood circulation by stimulating flow to the surface skin cells, encouraging cell regeneration and promoting the formation of new skin cells. Some essential oils can calm inflamed or irritated skin and soothe sore muscles.
Since cleansing is the reason why we use soap in the first place, how much better it is to benefit from the active ingredients of natural soap, which gently removes impurities and stimulates and moisturizes our skin to keep it soft, healthy and glowing, while we enrich our lives by enjoying a fragrant, earth-friendly, natural experience.
© 2008 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
