Beauty Tips For Body Care
BHA aka Salycilic Acid might be best known as the anti-acne ingredient, but I think in terms of body care, it's got something to offer everyone.It fights body acne. The first and most obvious reason, probably the main reason for anyone who chooses to use one. As many of us know, BHA dissolves oil, exfoliates dead skin cells, and kills acne-causing bacteria, all of which work to fight acne.It smooths your skin texture. Bumps on your arms? Scaly elbows? Tough dead skin on your feet? All improved with regular exfoliation.It reduces ingrown hairs. Again, regular exfoliation reduces the chance that new hairs will get stuck under the top layer of skin.It fights sweat odour. Sweat doesn't actually smell on its own, that happens after it's been metabolized by bacteria living on your skin. I couldn't find any hard evidence of this point, but there's a lot of anecdotal claims that chemical exfoliants improved people's body odour. Why? Some scientific evidence shows that sweat smells better in a more acidic environment, perhaps because lower pH reduces amounts of bacteria or reduces their ability to metabolize sweat. Chemical exfoliant products generally promote lower pH. It may also have to do with the antibacterial properties of BHA.What about dry or sensitive skin types? Well, maybe or maybe not. Body skin tends to be a bit more resilient than facial skin, so even if BHA is drying or irritating for your face, it might work fine elsewhere. Cleansers are also the safest way to use irritating active ingredients: unlike with leave-on products, you can control and limit your exposure to the ingredient by washing the cleanser off whenever you prefer to. Unless you have a bad sensitivity to BHA, or a condition like eczema, I'd say it's worth a shot! Make sure to treat yourself with a nice, nourishing body lotion afterwards. :)What about an AHA body wash? Sure, if that's what you prefer, go for it! It just won't have all of the same bacteria-fighting and oil-dissolving properties that BHA has. It's also generally harder to find than BHA cleansers.Why not a BHA toner or lotion? As always, it depends on your skin's needs. If you want more effectiveness, you might prefer a leave-on product. However, as mentioned above, dry or sensitive skin might do better with the limited exposure offered by cleansers. Oilier skin types might find that typical body lotions congest their skin too much. Or maybe you're just living a busy modern life and don't have time to slather yourself head-to-toe with products after each shower. And then there's always the issue of cost! When you're using something on your whole body you go through a lot of it, and cleansers tend to be the most affordable of all skincare products. So to sum all of that up: a BHA cleanser is the easiest, most universally tolerable, and most affordable way to introduce your body to chemical exfoliation. Other products can be added as desired.What should you use? There are products specifically advertised as BHA body washes, usually marketed for anti-acne purposes. But you can also just use a cheap BHA facial cleanser. My pick is CeraVe SA Cleanser. It's a simple and fragrance-free formulation with gentle surfactants that should work well for most skin types. It's a bit pricier than your typical drugstore body wash, but I only use it once every 2-3 days, so it lasts me for a good while. There are lots of options available, so pick whatever you think will work for your skin! Just make sure it's formulated at a pH that's low enough for exfoliation to take place.Feel free to correct me if I got anything wrong! I'm no expert, this is just a collection of folk wisdom I've picked up over time from frequenting this sub and other skincare info hubs.*Unless you have a sensitivity or allergy to BHA
Girls Blog 2015
Submitted by percautio
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