Beauty Mistake #2 Not knowing your Alcohols (in Skincare)
Alcohol has been commonly said to dry out your skin and hair and for some or most people its true. Although have many people actually checked the ingredients list before they buy? If you're like me who had bought skincare products that irritated your skin and realized its the alcohol's fault, you'd be checking the ingredients list. But then you come across another issue, there is more than one type of alcohol that skincare companies use. And funnily enough, not all of them are bad.Alcohol and Alcohol Denat (denatured, ethanol, ethyl, methanol, benzyl, isopropyl, SD) are the kinds you find in spirits and rubbing alcohol. It is derived from wheat, corn, or sugar cane. This is the stuff that can irritated you and dry you up. It also smells! This ingredient is commonly found in acne products as a cheap way and quick way to get you that "matte, oil control" result or that "clean, refreshing, anti-bacterial" feel. Drying your skin out and killing all the bacteria on you skin is not a smart thing to do. But if you plan on using products with alcohol, use a good moisturizing cream to counter balance it. Heck, apply at least 2 layers on your drier areas of your face. Getting dried skin is not fun. Its gets flaky and painful! These ingredients are found in many other products. Some say these ingredients can be harmful to one's health.
Alcohol Cetyl (cetearyl, cetosteary, stearyl alcohol, lanolin alcohol) is another common alcohol ingredient, but this is not the same as alcohol denat. These are know as fatty alcohol that are said to be moisturizing and act as emulsion stabilizers or improving foaming in skincare products. These alcohols are extracted from coconut oil, a well known natural ingredient for moisturizing the skin. They known to cause little to no irritations to people's skin.
Overall, its best to look at the ingredients list and be sure avoid products that have high content of these alcohols. The closer to the bottom of the list the better!
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