AHA is a you-beaut-and-wonderful youth enhancing ingredient.   So we’ve been told.  Have you ever given much thought to AHA?   When I got into the natural skin care industry the subject of AHA came up and it wasn’t a good thing.  This got me researching why, what is so bad about AHA?

… the skin is exfoliated chemically (with an acid) instead of mechanically via abrasion, this dries out and increases skin aging.   Supposed to be anti-wrinkle, found in many skin and hair care products.   Used as solvent originally in cleaning compounds and for tanning leather.   A smooth finish is developed by stripping the outer layer of the skin, irritated skin can puff up.”

What the above statement is saying is that AHA chemically peels the top layers of your skin away via an acid and whilst this can leave the appearance of more youthful radiant skin it can also lead to those underlying layers of skin being exposed to elements, which can cause skin irritation and more damage and premature aging.

I read an article about ingredients such as salicylic acid and others, asking why we’re seeing more and more people experiencing sensitive skin.   I suspect this has to do with more and more chemicals such AHA appearing in modern skin care.

On the other hand natural exfoliants like Enliven Facial & Body Scrub (containing natural exfoliating granules), loopha and scrubbing brushes exfoliate the skin by gently removing the layers of dead skin sells manually.   You get to choose how hard or soft you wish to scrub and only the dead skin cells are removed unlike chemical peals which remove more than just dead skin cells.

Note 1: some mechanical exfoliant products come with non natural exfoliants such as micro beads (tiny plastic balls which pollute the environment when washed down the drain).   Look for natural exfoliating granules and protect the environment.

Note 2: after exfoliating you need to protect the newly exposed skin cells from things like the sun, air conditioners and wind.   The best way to do this is avoid wearing makeup and keep skin clear for the next 12hrs.   Try to avoid sun exposure for at least a day and apply a natural moisturiser and natural sunscreen.