How to Restore pH Balance in Skin

(Last Updated On: December 14, 2018)

The secret to a pH balanced skin lies in how we take care of it. Maintaining the proper acid-alkaline balance is the key to having a clear healthy skin. This is why it’s important for us to live a healthy lifestyle and to use the right skin care products that would keep this balance for us.

The good news is that you have to look no further to have great skin. Say hello to clearer and healthier skin with these easy to follow tips and alternatives that can drive all your skin problem woes away. Just read on to see the dos and don’ts in balancing the pH level of your skin.

What Does pH Mean?

pH stands for potential hydrogen, and it simply measures whether an organic substance is acidic, basic, or neutral by looking at the acid-alkaline ratio present. It ranges 0 as the most acidic to 14 as the most alkaline. Because we are no exception to having a pH level, a healthy skin means maintaining the right balance between acidity and alkalinity.

Why Must I Have a Balanced pH Level?

While our body has a pH level of 7, our skin is slightly acidic at the level of 5.5. This is important as the acidity of our skin keeps in lipids and moisture while keeping out bacteria, germs, and other things that are harmful for the skin.

With this so-called acid mantle, our skin is protected from having any problems such as eczema and dry skin that come from having a too alkaline skin. Conversely, if your skin is oily and prone to acne breakouts, then its acidity levels may be too high. Our skin must stay at the proper pH level for it to remain clear and healthy.

How to Restore pH Balance In Skin

So you want to have a healthier, clearer skin. All you have to do is to bring the proper acid-alkaline balance to achieve it. But first, it’s important to know the current state of your skin’s pH levels. If your skin is chronically dry, then it is too alkaline. If it’s oily and prone to acne breakouts, then it is too acidic. You can also make use of a pH testing strip to check your body’s pH level.

To achieve a more balanced pH level, you can do this by improving on two areas of your life:

Lifestyle

Our lifestyle choices can greatly affect our body and skin’s pH. Staying hydrated, increasing exercise, and reducing alcohol intake can help reduce skin problems. More importantly, eating a well-balanced diet can do wonders for your skin. You can achieve this by following the 80% alkaline-20% acidic principle.

Eating foods that are rich in antioxidants can lead to greater looking skin. This is because these foods reduce free radicals that can damage our skin. Such foods include green leafy vegetables (like kale and spinach), fruits with low sugar content (blueberries and avocado are examples of fruit rich in antioxidants!), nuts (like walnuts and chestnuts), fatty fish (like salmon), whole grain products, and seeds (like chia and sunflower).

It would also help to avoid eating acid-forming food such as caffeine, sugar, dairy, processed food, and alcohol. You don’t necessarily have to stop eating these kinds of food. You can just reduce your intake so as not to make your body’s pH levels too acidic.

In the case that changing your lifestyle and diet choices are not enough, then you might also want to make a change to the kinds of skin products that you use on your skin. Yes, not all products advertised for your skin treat your skin right. The following section discusses what you should and shouldn’t avoid when searching for the right skin care products.

balance ph level of skin

Skin Products

Did you know that most bar soaps have high alkaline levels which can dry your skin? Not only that, they are very harsh on your skin too. Luckily there are healthier and less harmful alternatives to keep your skin’s pH balance.

You can use lukewarm water and oil or gel-based cleansers in cleaning your face rather than using bar soaps that can dry out your skin. Take note that chemical exfoliants such as alpha-, beta-, or polyhydroxy acids are so much more effective in exfoliating your skin than physical exfoliants like beads and scrubs. You can find some skin care products that offer these properties as better alternatives to the usual, skin-damaging ones.

Avoid using toner with alcohol ingredients that can dry your skin and use an alternative of diluted apple cider. There are also toners in the market that are designed to promote pH, so you can also choose better options. Just watch out for ingredients such as Propylene Glycol, Diethanolamine (DEA), Triethanolamine (TEA), and Monoethanolamine (MEA) as these are usually formulated with alkaline pH levels.

There are already pH balanced skin care products out there and it all comes down to finding the right ones for you. They can repair the damage that using harmful products on your skin brought about and help maintain the pH balance of your skin. Just remember the ingredients and chemicals to watch out for as well as those that you should be looking for.

Conclusion

It is very easy to treat your skin right. It’s all a matter of balancing the right pH levels with your lifestyle choices and choice of skin care products. But if you have a persistent skin problem (like eczema or psoriasis) that cannot easily be addressed by these tips, then it’s probably best to consult a professional dermatologist in order to get treated properly.

Remember that it’s always best to have professional advice instead of self-treatment which can aggravate or worsen our skin problems.

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