Everyone has natural beauty just waiting to be exposed, but between the stress of daily life and social obligations, it’s easy to forget how to take care of your skin. Believe it or not, your skincare routine can make all the difference in how easy it is for others to see the real you.

For many people, natural skin care seems like the best option. So, what exactly is natural skin care, and what makes it so different from other options out there? Here’s what you need to know.

What Is Considered to Be Natural Skin Care?

Natural skin care is anything that prioritizes using natural ingredients over chemical-based products that you commonly find in pharmacies and drug stores. The products incorporate ingredients found in nature or solutions derived from plants. These products might include essential oils, scents, and skin conditioners.

Is Natural Skin Care Bad?

All-natural skin care routines are definitely on the rise in popularity. But that doesn’t mean they’re more effective than routines that use synthetic ingredients.

Those synthetic ingredients serve a purpose. They make the all-natural ingredients in each product more effective, thereby giving you better results, faster.

When you choose a completely natural skin care routine, the results may not be as noticeable or long-lasting as what you’d find by incorporating both synthetic and natural ingredients. Both options are valid choices, but the best natural skin care products use synthetic ingredients when natural ingredients aren’t strong enough to get the job done right.

What Are the Benefits of a Natural Skin Care Routine?

When you start any skin care routine, you’ll see improvements in your skin’s overall condition. But incorporating a healthy natural skin care routine into your lifestyle has certain distinct benefits.  

They’re Gentler on Your Sensitive Skin

Standard cosmetic and skin care products, especially low-priced items, can end up drying your skin out or causing irritation to otherwise sensitive areas of your face and neck. The best natural ingredients for skin care, even when combined with synthetic ingredients, are gentler on your skin.

This means you’ll see results faster and won’t have to worry about blemishes popping up when you least expect them.

Natural Ingredients Can Be Better for the Environment

It should come as no surprise that chemical ingredients produced in a lab can be bad for the environment. Not only do some of those labs and factories contribute to the amount of pollution in the world, but your use of their products perpetuates the problem, encouraging the producers to create more product and more chemicals.

Natural ingredients won’t have those effects on the environment. They require fewer chemicals and use less energy to produce and turn into the skin care products you love using every day.

Natural Products Smell Better

Synthetic scents give skin care product manufacturers the ability to make their products smell like anything in the world. But if you’ve ever opened a product and taken a deep whiff, you know that those synthetic scents can end up smelling overly strong at best and chemical-based at worst.

Natural skin care products smell, well, natural. You won’t have to worry about the scent overpowering your senses.

The Added Nutrients Help Your Skin Recover

Natural skin care products are chock-full of the nutrients found in plants themselves. And those nutrients benefit your skin’s health and make the skin care routine more effective.

What Are the Best Natural Skin Care Ingredients to Put on Your Face?

The quality of the natural ingredients in the skin care products you use is important, but the ingredients manufacturers use matters, too. You need to choose a product line that uses the right types of natural ingredients in conjunction with the most effective synthetic ingredients if you want to see the best results.

These are a few of the key ingredients to look for when choosing a high-quality, healthy, natural skin care routine.

Hydrolyzed Collagen

Your skin contains natural collagen on its own. This is what gives your skin the firmness and elasticity you love. As you age, that collagen starts to break down. Skin care products with hydrolyzed collagen, like an overnight collagen mask, may help restore your skin’s elasticity and firmness.

This may result in a reduction of wrinkles and fine lines with regular use.

Natural Oils

Natural oils like rosehip oil, coconut oil, and argan oil are great moisturizers that work for people with sensitive skin. The key here is to find products that contain oils that target your specific concerns. For example, use a rosehip cleanser to brighten your skin and tone down redness. Use a moisturizer with argan and coconut oil to reduce skin irritation and dryness.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E oil is well-known as a natural moisturizer and is uniquely suited to helping people with sensitive skin. It promotes your skin’s natural healing ability to reduce redness, itching, and may even help reduce the appearance of scars.

Neuropeptide Complexes

Neuropeptide complexes use naturally occurring amino acids. These amino acids help give your skin the tools it needs to deal with exposure to the elements in a healthy and productive way. When incorporated into a wrinkle-reducing serum, they may help the other ingredients work more effectively, further reducing fine lines.

Seaweed

Seaweed is an especially hydrating ingredient added to high-quality natural skin care products. It’s full of vitamin E, as well as branch-chain amino acids that make it easier for your skin to stay plump, firm, and glowing.

Algae

Algae, like seaweed, helps your skin stay hydrated between applications, trapping the natural moisture and beneficial oils in your skin. When used in a daytime moisturizer, it can help make your skin more resilient to environmental hazards like dry air and sun exposure.

Naturally Derived Extracts

Naturally derived extracts are plant extracts pulled from flowers, roots, and leaves. These include extracts like chamomile to promote stress reduction, licorice to promote a healthy inflammatory response, and rose oil to promote healing and even skin tone.

Squalane

Squalane oil is an ultra-hydrating addition to your natural skin care routine. When your skin is hydrated, it’s naturally brighter and better able to cope with blemishes and wrinkles on its own.

Hyaluronic Acid

If you’re worried about wrinkles and fine lines, hyaluronic acid is an absolute must. When used as part of a natural skin care routine, products containing hyaluronic acid gradually reduce the appearance of those fine lines, making your skin more elastic.

Acetyl Hexapeptide-8

Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 works to reduce or minimize the muscle movements responsible for wrinkles and fine lines due to laughing, smiling, and being your most expressive self.

Avocado

Avocado oil may help boost the hydrating abilities of your natural skin care routine, trapping moisture and acting as a barrier between your skin and environmental stress factors.

Honey

Honey promotes healing and is naturally antimicrobial, making it ideal for those that suffer from frequent blemishes and irritation.

As with any skin care routine, avoid products that contain ingredients that you know you’re allergic to or lead to skin irritation. Test the product in a hard-to-see area and see if your skin reacts. If it doesn’t, use the product as directed.

What Should You Never Put on Your Face?

Remember, not all synthetic ingredients are bad. Some are tailored to promote healthy skin and give your body the tools it needs to be healthy.

But some synthetic ingredients should always be left out of your skin care routine, whether or not you focus on natural skin care products.

Avoid metals like aluminum, as these can clog your pores and increase your risk of breakouts. Avoid products containing hydrogen peroxide, witch hazel, lemon juice, and hydrocortisone cream as they will increase dryness and may cause rashes with regular use.

If there are ingredients you know you’re sensitive to, avoid using products with those ingredients. This way, your skin won’t have to battle against ingredients that aggravate it anytime you apply the product. 

Natural Skin Care Tips to Apply in Your Life

Skin care products are just one way to improve your skin’s health. There are a few things you can do beyond investing in the best natural skin care products you can find. Here are a few key natural skin care tips to follow every day.

Eat Natural and Healthy Foods

One of the best ways to promote skin health is to focus on your diet. Get rid of processed and high-sugar foods and switch to eating tons of leafy greens, fresh fruits, lean proteins, and unprocessed foods each day.

Make Movement a Priority

Moving around and getting enough exercise is helpful for your entire body, but it’s also key to keeping your skin healthy. When you sweat, the act of sweating helps clear out your pores and eliminates toxins that increase your risk of blemishes. Try to exercise for at least 30 minutes each day.

Apply SPF Daily

The sun’s UV rays do serious damage to your skin and eliminate the benefits of even the best skincare routine. Protect your skin by applying sunscreen or moisturizers with SPF every day, even when it’s cloudy.

Manage Your Stress Levels

Stress causes high cortisol levels, which can leave your skin looking dull and unhealthy. Find ways to reduce your stress. Go on a walk, meditate, play games you love—whatever works to help you relax and unwind.

Get Enough Sleep

When you sleep, your body and mind get to rest and recover, and so does your skin. Scientists and doctors recommend that you get between 7 and 9 hours of sleep each night.

Other Ways You Can Enhance Your Skin Care Routine

Beyond incorporating healthier lifestyle habits into your daily routine, you can also supplement your skin care efforts by treating yourself to different types of facials. The type you should choose largely depends on what your skin is struggling with.

PRP Facial

PRP facials use micro-needling technology to insert your body’s natural plasma back into your skin. This stimulates collagen production, recovery, and cell turnover to help your skin thrive.

Microneedling

Micro-needling uses tiny needles to prick the very surface of your skin. This stimulates collagen production and helps your skin heal blemishes, scars, and irritation more effectively. Whereas PRP facials use your own plasma, microneedling uses a special serum.

Chemical Peels

Chemical peels rely on a combination of chemicals to strip the top layers of skin where blemishes, scars, discolored patches, and wrinkles sit. Once stripped, your skin is able to grow back smoother, softer, and more elastic.

Regular Facials

Regular facials use more natural, less chemical-based, ingredients to exfoliate your skin, promote hydration, and cleanse your pores. They’re ideal when used in conjunction with hydrating daytime or overnight moisturizers.

Invest in Your Skin’s Health

The ideal way to put your best foot forward is to focus on your skin care routine. Choose products that you’re comfortable using and that will give you the results you’re looking for as quickly as possible.