As the largest organ in our body, our skin does more than keep muscles and bones in place. Our skin works constantly to protect us from exposure to bacterial and environmental damage, which we unknowingly face each day.
Part of this protection comes from our skin’s acid mantle, which lives on the surface of our skin. In this post, we’re diving deep into the skin’s acid mantle, finding out what it does and how to keep it balanced for happy, healthy skin.
What Is the Acid Mantle?
While we can’t see or feel it, there’s a hero with us all the time – and it’s called the acid mantle. Our skin’s acid mantle is a slightly acidic film hanging out on the surface of the skin, composed of a variety of elements, including native skin oil, sweat, and our own dead skin cells.
While it doesn’t exactly sound glamorous, this film is critical to our skin’s ability to fend off pollutants from the air and our environment, which can cause premature signs of aging, dullness, breakouts, and a host of other negative results.
The acid mantle acts as a hero because it helps to maintain and protect what we need in the skin, like oil and hydration, while keeping the bad environmental assailants out. It is responsible for all the breakouts we avoid, the youth that we’re (barely) holding onto, and moisturized, radiant skin. However, when there’s a mantle malfunction…let’s just say our skin definitely pays the price.
Signs That Your Skin pH Is Off
Typically, our skin’s pH floats anywhere between 3-5, with an average of about 4.7 in the healthy zone. Much like, for example, the temperature of the ocean, even minimal changes within our skin’s pH can have dramatic results.
Skin pH can be thrown off by something as simple as a moisturizer or cleanser with a too alkaline or too basic of a pH. While our skin works to balance this out, we’re exposed to bacteria that can cause acne, irritation, and damage.
One way to notice if your typically healthy skin is undergoing a pH imbalance is when nothing has changed in your routine, but you’re suddenly experiencing irritation and/or breakouts. This could be due to diet, stress, hormones, not washing your pillowcase – or it could be due to a disrupted acid mantle.
A significant loss in moisture or hydration is often a result of imbalanced skin pH, and random skin sensitivity – especially in response to a new skin care product – should not be ignored. While our skin behavior tends to be subtle, being in tune with your skin and knowing these signs can help you take effective actions toward achieving healthy skin.
How to Maintain a Healthy Acid Mantle
Our acid mantle needs support to stay in the ideal pH range for overall healthy skin. However, certain lifestyle habits and skin care mistakes can disrupt a healthy pH. Here’s our foolproof cheat sheet on how to keep key mantle functions maintained.
Incorporate a toner
One of the amazing benefits of toner is that it works to push the reset button on your skin’s pH. Toners should not replace your cleanser or makeup remover, but are a perfect pH-priming step before applying your other skin care. As we slip into the colder months, having a healthy skin mantle and keeping our skin pH balanced is more important than ever.
The vegan and alcohol-free Restorative Sea Culture Hydrating Toner incorporates one of nature’s best anti-inflammatory ingredients: witch hazel. Mega hydrating components like chia seed water and hyaluronic acid promote gentle, soothing hydration.
Take it easy, but not too easy
Our skin is designed to mostly take care of itself, with built-in sloughing cycles of dead skin and moisturizing from sebum. But with the help of over-crowded skin care routines and daily exposure to environmental pollution, it’s critical to employ products that work with our skin, not against it. Try approaching skin care with a more ‘essentials’ view: switch to soothing or natural products, use cooler temperatures when cleansing, and avoid harsh textures to start.
In the cosmetics industry, cleansers are highlighted as one of the more non-conforming products when it comes to skin-compatible pH. In this case, we turn to natural, soothing cleansers that won’t over-strip the skin. The Blood Orange Cleansing Balm is rich in vitamin C, citrus fruits, and fatty acid-rich avocado oil. Soothing with richness from olive and coconut oils, this cleanser won’t feel harsh or strip the skin, and leaves you with plenty of hydration to maintain your mantle.
Give it ALL the hydration
Since dehydration and moisture loss are side effects of an imbalanced mantle, one of the ways to maintain healthy skin is to use effective hydrating products. Look for ingredients like rose water or rosehip seed oil, aloe vera, chia seed gel, and hyaluronic acid. These will plump, hydrate and smooth the skin for longer lasting hydration throughout the day.
A few more important tips for maintaining your acid mantle:
Slip a serum or sheet mask into your routine to support more hydration, especially since most of us are upgrading to our winter skin care routine.
Adding a vitamin C serum into your routine will not only support your acid mantle, but it is one of the most youth supporting vitamins out there. It brightens the skin, can help to tone away age and dark spots, and supports collagen for smoother, plumper skin.
If a sheet mask sounds more up your alley, and you’re noticing some side effects from a possibly disrupted mantle, go for our Anti Acne Sheet Mask. Aloe, hyaluronic acid, and willow bark extract benefit soothing hydration, while neutralizing acne causing bacteria for balanced, clearer skin.
Frequently Asked Questions About Acid Mantle Care
How can I tell if my skin’s pH balance or acid mantle is disrupted?
Signs that your skin’s pH balance or acid mantle is disrupted include: excessive dryness or flakiness, redness, irritation, itchiness, increased oiliness, acne breakouts, visible signs of inflammation, sensitivity to environmental factors like wind or cold, and a feeling of tightness or discomfort after cleansing; essentially, any noticeable change in your skin’s texture or behavior that seems out of the ordinary, like sudden dryness or excessive oiliness, can indicate an imbalanced pH level.
What are common causes of acid mantle imbalance in the skin?
Common causes of acid mantle imbalance in the skin include: using harsh soaps and cleansers (especially alkaline ones), excessive cleansing, over-exfoliation, sun exposure, environmental pollutants, extreme weather conditions, aging, certain medications, and using skincare products with harsh chemicals or fragrances, which can disrupt the skin’s natural pH balance by stripping away essential oils.
What skincare ingredients support a healthy acid mantle?
Humectants and emollients: These ingredients help repair and maintain the skin barrier. Examples include ceramides, glycerin, hyaluronic acid, petrolatum, shea butter, and colloidal oatmeal.
Plant oils: These oils mimic the skin’s natural oils and can help replenish lost lipids. Examples include jojoba, argan, rosehip, marula, and almond oils.
Probiotic: These can help repair the skin barrier and replenish lost moisture.
Ingredients that are pH balanced: Skin care products with a pH that falls within the normal range of healthy skin (pH 4–7) can help maintain the optimal environment for the acid mantle.
How does hydration help restore the skin’s acid mantle?
Hydration helps restore the skin’s acid mantle by replenishing the moisture content within the hydrolipid film, which is the primary component of the acid mantle, allowing it to maintain its slightly acidic pH level and effectively protect the skin from irritants while locking in moisture; essentially, when your skin is properly hydrated, the natural balance of oils and water within the acid mantle is restored, optimizing its barrier function.
What role does toner play in balancing the skin’s pH?
A toner plays a crucial role in balancing the skin’s pH by restoring it to a slightly acidic level after cleansing, which can often leave the skin slightly alkaline, thus helping to maintain the skin’s natural acid mantle and optimal functioning for healthy skin.
How often should I use products to support my skin’s acid mantle?
To support your skin’s acid mantle, you should use products designed to maintain its pH balance every day as part of your regular skincare routine; this typically means cleansing and moisturizing twice daily, with gentle exfoliation limited to once or twice a week depending on your skin type.
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