African American Skin Care Products must have the right ingredients to really work. Some ingredients should be avoided for black skin or any other type of skin. Using the right ingredients will give you the healthy radiant skin you want.
In this article I will show you which ingredients work and which ones to avoid. Some ingredients, for example, will cause hyper pigmentation while others will cause de-pigmentation.
Here is what all skin types should avoid and what all skin tones need.
Ingredients to Avoid
-Sodium methyl paraben (all parabens)
-Petroleum-based products
-Chemical bleaching agents
*Sodium methyl paraben can be found in many skin care products. It can affect the pigmentation of skin. Also parabens have been discovered in patients with breast cancer. So it is best to avoid these ingredients. Parabens, and there are many different kinds, basically are in a product as a preservative. There are safer ways to preserve a skin care product. I’ll come to that in a minute.
*Petrolatum (petroleum jelly) is not skin friendly as it is often promoted. It clogs the pores of the skin. Also it can result in hyper pigmentation of skin. Other related ingredients to strictly avoid are propylene glycol, wood-based alcohols, mineral oil and any petroleum-based product. There are other safe ingredients you can use. Keep reading.
*Chemical bleaching agents - Chemical bleaching compounds should be avoided because they can damage skin. If you want a lighter skin tone or to even out skin spots, use a whitening agent that is safe. I would be happy to recommend one that I found that is very effective and very safe. See my website listed below.
Ingredients to Look For
Extra Pone Nut Grass
Natural Vitamin E
Nut grass is a very effective ingredient that is safe and will even out the tone of your skin. Interestingly, it doesn’t take very much to do it.
Natural vitamin E is an antioxidant. Since it is an antioxidant it will usually help get rid of hyperpigmentation of skin. In other words, skin spots.
Sebum is our skin oil that also is our skin moisturizer. However, some of us have either too dry skin or too oily or some range in between. So skin problems can vary from one person to the next. But skin problems in general have nothing to do with black skin or any other tone. Skin is skin. What the problem usually is, is the product being used on the skin. Especially if it is petroleum based. Petrolatum feels good but it can do a lot of subtle harm. If you use a good moisturizer, like the one I use, you will have 90% of your skin problems solved.
Sebum comes from the sebaceous glands. All skin regardless of the tone have sebaceous glands. Some just produce differently in some individuals. Sebum is the natural moisturizer for our skin. Using alcohol on the skin can cause it to produce too much, resulting in oily skin. Jojoba and passion fruit extract are two ingredients you will want to include in your skin care regimen if you have dry skin.
Anti-Aging Ingredients
Anti aging products such lotions and creams are very popular right now. Many companies are promoting anti-aging products. But beware most of them don’t work and could even make your skin worse. So what does work?
Functional Keratin is the most successful and effective of all the antiaging products I have researched. Functional keratin combined with Wakame kelp extract and antioxidants CoQ10 and natural vitamin E promotes the increase of new skin fibers and skin cells. Wakame helps prevent sagging by increaing skin firmness.
What causes harm to skin cells and other body cells is what is called free radicals. They basically go on a rampage and hurt other cells. The antidote is antioxidants found in compounds like vitamin E.
Important-Please Read
Remember this please, avoid any ingredient ending in paraben, (for black skin especially Sodium methyl paraben). Avoid all skin care and other products that list petrolatum as an ingredient. Don’t even think about using a chemical bleaching agent. Use the ones I recommend because they work and are safe to the skin. See my website listed below for my personally tested skin cream. – Margaret Bell
By: Margaret Bell
How African American skin care products or black skin care products work is surprisingly just like about any other skin care product. Skin is basically skin. The only real difference is the pigment or tone. Of course, problems can vary among ethnic groups. But the bottom line is that good care works for all skin tones IF the product has the right ingredients. So for African American, black, white or tan let’s see what is safe and effective.
Avoid These 3 Ingredients in Skin Care Products
1. Sodium methyl paraben (any type paraben) 2. Petroleum-based products 3. Chemical bleaching agents
1. Sodium methyl paraben can be found in many skin care products. It can affect the pigmentation of skin. Also parabens have been discovered in patients with breast cancer. So it is best to avoid these ingredients. Parabens, and there are many different kinds, basically are in a product as a preservative. Parabens have been found in breast cancer patients. There are safer ways to preserve a product. I’ll come to that in a minute.
2. Petroleum-based products can be very harmful to the skin. Instead of de-pigmentation it can result in hyper pigmentation (hyper or excessive) of the skin. Uneven skin spots can materialize. If combined with the above paraben could result in a harmful condition. Also wood based alcohols, propylene glycol, mineral oil and other petroleum based ingredients can bring out a bad complexion. Avoid petrolatum in any product, just to be safe.
3. Chemical bleaching agents are often promoted to those who want to lighten their skin tone. There are safe lightening products. I’ll cover that also in a moment. Chemical bleaching ingredients can bring much harm to your skin. Avoid them especially if you have black or darker tones.
Ingredients that are Safe to Use
*Extra Pone Nut Grass *Vitamin E (If truly natural vitamin E)
Extra Pone Nut Grass will even out the skin tone especially on the face and neck. You won’t need very much of it to get good results. This is a safe and effective skin tone lightener.
Natural vitamin E fights free radicals that damage cells. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that will assist in helping to remove hyper pigmentation or spots.
Sebum Balancing With Moisturizers
Sebum is our natural body oil. The amount can vary from one person to the next. The skin in some people is very dry to very oily and/or a combination of the two. So skin conditions can be different. But remember skin is still skin. Usually the problem with skin is much of the time it is in the products one uses. For example, as stated above, many accept that petroleum in their products is okay when in fact it may be causing the problem you are perplexed with. Using a quality moisturizer with the ingredients I recommend will give you amazing skin problem relief. You will have no bad effects. Read the rest of this entry »
Special Ingredients are not necessarily required for black skin care. This may be new to some but good natural skin care products work for African American skin as well as white, tan or any other skin tone. Skin is basically skin. The difference may be that some skin is subject to problems that others may not have. Here is what all skin types should avoid and what all skin tones need.
Ingredients to Avoid
-Sodium methyl paraben (all parabens)
-Petroleum-based products
-Chemical bleaching agents
*Sodium methyl paraben – One ingredient that is commonly found in skin care lines is sodium methyl paraben. It, as well as, all parabens have been found in breast cancer patients. It is best to not use any product containing parabens. Sodium methyl paraben can result in de-pigmentation that may be permanent.
*Petroleum-based products – Petroleum based products can cause damage to the skin, namely, hyper pigmentation. Petroleum can cause uneven spots to appear on the skin. Wood based alcohols and propylene glycol and do the same. Petroleum based products often cause oiliness which is what they deceptively promote to prevent. Petroleum, mineral oil and others can make one ill and cause bad skin appearance.
*Chemical bleaching agents – Chemical bleaching compounds should be avoided because they can damage skin. If you want a lighter skin tone use a whitening agent that is safe. I would be happy to recommend one that I found that is very effective and very safe. Read the rest of this entry »