3 Reasons You Need Antioxidants In Your Minimalist Skin Care Routine | Easy Natural Beauty

Why Do I Need To Use Antioxidants In My Minimalist Natural Skin Care Routine?

Ageing is a natural process, but without proper sunscreen and antioxidant protection, you can contribute to unnecessary skin damage. This can simultaneously damage your self-confidence and self-esteem.

By taking care of your holistic health and wellness through antioxidant-rich skincare products and a good diet, you can contribute to healthy, luminous, and glowing skin which supports higher self-confidence and self-esteem.

Antioxidants are super easy to include in your minimalist natural skincare routine—and they don’t have to be expensive either.

Did you know that even on cloudy days the sun emits UVA and UVB rays—also known as ultraviolet radiation or UV rays?

Or that clinical research has suggested that almost 80% of environmental skin damage is from the sun? This is because ultraviolet rays produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) and free radicals.²

Free radicals are found within a group of molecules called reactive oxygen species. They are molecules that have unpaired electrons. This leaves them not only unstable but with highly reactive tendencies.³

But, although free radicals and reactive oxygen species do get a bad rap—they are produced by the body naturally. In fact, normal functional activities within the body, such as metabolism and energy production produce free radicals. 

And in a healthy amount, free radicals and ROS are an important by-product of natural bodily processes. But, oxidative stress happens when there isn’t a healthy balance between free radicals and antioxidants—and this is when you could start seeing unwanted results and harmful consequences such as skin cancer.

Research shows that an intense increase of reactive oxygen species, paired with too few antioxidants can result in damage. It has been associated with a higher risk of cancer, arthritis, diabetes, premature ageing, and neurodegenerative diseases.¹⁷

Oxidative stress can also damage biological molecules which leads to skin cell damage and cell death.³ On top of that, as you age many of your natural repair mechanisms and antioxidant defence processes no longer perform to their optimum capacity, and this can also contribute to a higher risk of free radical damage.²

Skin damage can be caused by lifestyle, diet and other environmental triggers—but the sun’s ultraviolet rays expose you to the largest percentage of potential skin damage effects.

Understanding how your skin works, and how to best look after it, helps to minimise any unwanted effects, along with improving and helping to heal existing damage. 

Try to introduce antioxidants into your daytime and night time skincare routine, along with using a high-quality broad-spectrum sunscreen every day. Using good sunscreen at least twice a day helps to defend and restore your skin, which helps your skin to look fresh, rejuvenated and radiant.

The Benefits Of Antioxidants In Natural Skin Care Products

1. Helps to prevent the unwanted effects of free radicals and skin damage. Such as premature ageing, skin cell damage, dark spots, hyperpigmentation, fine lines, uneven skin tone and dryness.
   
   
2. Restores a healthy balance of antioxidants versus free radicals— which neutralises and helps to prevent the negative effects and harmful consequences of increased reactive oxygen species on the skin.
   
   
3. Helps to keep you looking youthful, revitalised, and feeling your best!

When Should Antioxidant Natural Facial Oil Be Used On Skin?

Dermatologists say that to make the most out of hydrating your skin with natural plant oils you must apply them on damp skin. The timing and sequence of how you apply facial or body oil are really important to get the best results.

Oils must be layered as they are not humectants, meaning that oils do not draw in or bind water to the skin. Oils are either emollients or occlusives, which means that they help to lock water in and create a protective barrier.

In essence, oils help to seal in moisture and hydrate, which supports skin reparation and healthy restorative functions as opposed to adding water to the skin. This means that by applying your oil to already dampened skin, you’ll help to bind the water in—which is what supports the hydration process. 

Rosewater or facial mist are great foundations for facial oil. You can also apply body oil directly after showering whilst the skin is still damp too!

This allows your skin to draw moisture in from the environment, and the oil seals in the moisture before it can evaporate. This helps to restore your stratum corneum (the outermost layer of skin) and the skin barrier. Sealing in moisture allows the stratum corneum to function properly and repair itself.¹⁹

Natural plant oils have been used throughout history by your ancestors. And as many of us move closer towards natural lifestyles and more into alignment with the rhythm of the earth, they are now becoming more popular again.

Natural plant oils are beneficial due to their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, which help to repair the skin’s protective barrier and improve wound healing.

And it’s great to see that clinical research is now starting to honour the earth’s wisdom! The beneficial effects of plant oils on the skin have been noted by a variety of different medical journals. And they have also been recognised as having the ability to positively influence skin diseases too.¹⁸

Which Antioxidant Natural Oils Are Best For My Skin?

In order to get the best results for your individual needs, you have to choose the correct oil for your skin type. There are lots of different antioxidant natural oils out there, and each holds different properties—meaning that not all oils are created equal.¹⁸

Each plant oil contains its own unique ratio of compounds, which allows them to affect the physiology of the skin differently.

Natural plant oils are divided into two types: essential oils (volatile oils) and carrier oils (fixed oils). In general, essential oils should not be used without dilution as they can cause irritation. And for facial and body hydration, you will be using carrier oils (fixed oils).

If you can, opt for cold-pressed and unrefined oils because processing techniques can also affect the properties of natural oils. There is more nutrition in the properties of plant oils when they have been cold-pressed rather than refined because heat or chemical treatment can alter their healing quality and composition.

When choosing natural facial oils, it’s best to choose oils with a low comedogenic rating. Non-comedogenic oils will be less likely to clog your pores and cause breakouts, or irritation. 

Oils that have a comedogenic rating of below two are best—with zero being the lowest comedogenic rating.

However, the main issue with comedogenic ratings is that there isn’t an official industry-standardised testing method behind them. This is why you’ll often see different ratings for the same oils depending on the source. You can, however, still use comedogenic ratings as a guideline, because they’re often pretty similar between different data sources. 

It’s best to try out different oils on your own skin, to see if they work well for your individual needs. And don’t judge oils solely on their comedogenic rating, as each natural plant oil holds a variety of different beneficial properties that may suit your skin’s needs without causing congestion.

Many women love using natural ingredients such as oils on their skin, even if they don’t have dry skin. So, don’t be put off even if you have oily skin, acne, sensitive skin, or combination skin. 

Natural Plant Oils With Antioxidants: 

• Hemp seed oil – Comedogenic rating – 0
• Argan oil – Comedogenic rating – 0
• Safflower seed oil – Comedogenic rating – 0
• Red raspberry seed oil – Comedogenic rating – 0 – 1
• Pomegranate seed oil – Comedogenic rating – 1
• Rosehip seed oil – Comedogenic rating – 1
• Jojoba oil – Comedogenic rating – 2
• Sweet almond oil – Comedogenic rating – 2
• Olive oil – Comedogenic rating – 2
• Coconut oil – Comedogenic rating – 4 (in general, better for your body and hair than face)

Conclusion

Antioxidants have the ability to prevent the harmful effects of oxidative damage to our skin’s surface—which is why they are often named the most effective ingredient for age-defying skincare products.⁵ 

The current research on antioxidants within skincare proves that they have a variety of benefits for the skin, by helping to heal, hydrate and repair the skin.

Have you tried to incorporate natural plant oils into your day and night time skincare routine? And which is your favourite facial oil to use? Let me know in the comments!