To maintain healthy skin and to avoid dry skin it is essential to maintain a healthy skin pH. The skin of all people, of all ages, has one thing in common, a pH level. The term's thrown around in the beauty industry these days quicker than a frisbee, but at Botáni, we think it's time to explain what pH is, and more importantly, on how the wrong pH levels can result in dry skin.
Measuring Your Skin pH Levels
The term "pH", an abbreviation of a German term "the power of hydrogen" is a scale used to measure the concentration of hydrogen within a solution. Measuring a pH level of a liquid or solution is essential so you can gauge how acidic or alkaline something is.
In the pH scale, water is considered a benchmark with a pH level of 7. Anything lower than this means a solution is acidic and anything higher means a solution is alkaline.
Acidic? Alkaline? Is this an alphabet lesson?! When referring to the skin, put simply, our skin has a pH reading of 4.5 - 5.5 making it acidic.
Without this naturally occurring acidity, our skin isn't able to fight infections and nasties it comes into contact daily including pollution and P.Acne bacteria, all of which cause dry skin. The acidic solution our skin is lubricated by is known as the 'acid mantle' which is a combination of sweat, sebum and water from the atmosphere.
How To Avoid Dry Skin
Want to avoid dry skin? Botáni believes the skin's at its healthiest when between 4.5 and 5.5 so it's essential to use pH balanced skin care products that work with your skin, not against it. Many products on the market, particularly those that treat acne, contain bleach which has a pH reading of 12!
Among other things and aside from drinking water which has a pH of neutral and is essential for healthy skin, keep your skin's pH in balance by using products designed to maintain a healthy pH level such as our Olive Skin Serum and PhytoBody Wash, both with a pH reading of 5.5.
