Why are face oils good for skin stress triggered by our environment?
Modern lifestyle brings a whole range of problems for skin. Not only is pollution a problem, but lack of sleep, exposure to screens, poor diet, and cortisol spikes all contribute to stressed and inflamed skin.
Skin, our largest organ, is our first line of defense against these changes, and needs special care to help reduce the potential for damage. Exposure to these skin stressors results in the creation of free radicals, which triggers skin’s natural defenses of inflammation in an attempt to heal itself.
However, this is usually out of balance because it is difficult for our skin to keep up with the overexposure we have each day. Until we can neutralize the free radicals produced fromour environment, the inflammation will continue and our key skin cells and structural proteins, such as collagen and elastin, become damaged, hyperpigmentation shows up darker and faster, and fine lines and wrinkles begin to worsen
Free radicals have a natural affinity to attack our skin’s barrier, which leads to redness, chronic dryness and dehydration, and increases your sensitivity to other active ingredients you might be using.
While it is necessary to use a good vitamin C or antioxidant serum every single day, our skin still has other needs when it comes to restoring skin health from our environment, and protecting future damage for the long term.
So, why use face oils?
The long story short: oils are made of large, stable molecules, and are able to neutralize free radicals without becoming unstable themselves.
Face oils are famous for their ability to heal, moisturize, and restore glow, but a lesser known fact is that they are the perfect compliment to your skin when dealing with environmental exposure. Free radicals are highly unstable molecules missing an electron, and will scour and devour anything in their path in search of electrons it can steal to become stable again. This is why skin vitamins, like vitamin C and E work so effectively at protecting your skin, because they are great electron donors.
Here is the good news: face oils are made of very large molecules, and these molecules are electron-rich. Because they have so many electrons and are very stable molecules, they are able to donate these electrons to quench and neutralize excessive free radicals, creating an inflammation-free zone for our skin and allowing skin the space it needs to begin repairing itself.
Oils are also naturally rich in antioxidant vitamins and omega fatty acids, so they are able to help rebuild and restore our stressed skin barrier, which is key when it comes to having healthy, radiant skin.
Amethyst Daily Nutrition Face Oil is naturally rich in omega 6 and 9, a key EFA balance for restoring barrier and reducing stress, vitamin E which nourishes and neutralizes free radicals, and proanthocyanidins, naturally occurring plant antioxidants which not only neutralize free radicals, but also help skin produce its own antioxidants, like glutathione and SOD (superoxide dismutase), so it can better protect itself with its own natural defenses.