Whether or not you live in a smoggy city, it’s likely you are affected by pollution. Aside from eating lots of whole foods, exercising and wearing blue light-blocking glasses, non-toxic, synthetic free skincare can do the extra work of guarding your glow from the stress your skin endures with exposure to the elements.
Anti-oxidants are important in skincare. Oxidants are created internally by our bodies as a natural part of our metabolism and immune systems. They are also created externally in the environment in the form of smog, smoke and radiation.
Also known as “free radicals,” oxidants cause cell damage and inflammation when there are too many pollutants for the body to metabolize. For this reason, chronic exposure to pollution accelerates aging, causes dullness, and triggers breakouts among other concerns.
Give your skin the support it needs for daily life. The following products are high in antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory ingredients that can help to stop oxidative stress.
CLEANSE: Pink Cloud Creamy Jelly Cleanser
At the most basic level, it is imperative to cleanse the skin of impurities in order to prevent damage from pollution, but be careful not to use a too-harsh cleanser.
Skin that is overly dry from cleansing can easily become inflamed, without its naturally defensive moisture barrier. With harsh, high-foam soaps, the skin is less able to prevent toxins from entering the body through the skin.
Choose a creamy pH balanced formula that cleanses without stripping and includes ingredients that soothe and calm. Our Pink Cloud Creamy Jelly Cleanser helps to sweep away pollutants with ultra-gentle natural surfactants that create an ultralight foam. By nourishing the skin with lightweight Squalane Oil, Pink Cloud Cleanser leaves the skin soft, supple, and freshly cleansed, without feeling tight or stripped.
Pink Cloud Cleanser is formulated with Rosewater, which soothes the skin and reduces the look of redness. It’s also made with Tremella Mushroom, delivering nourishing Vitamin D antioxidants that are essential in maintaining a strong skin defense against pollutants.
Use this cleanser in the morning to freshen your skin before applying the rest of your skincare, and again at night to rid the skin of the day’s exposure.
EXFOLIATE: Blue Tansy Clarifying Face Mask
Exfoliation is an essential step in any skincare routine because it helps to keep the skin fresh and new. It also opens and cleanses the pores deeply so your other skincare products work more effectively. When it comes to battling pollution damage to the skin, it is especially important to exfoliate in order to release deep-down toxins that can continue to cause inflammation, cell damage, and dull, congested skin if left alone.
To exfoliate the face, we recommend using an enzymatic exfoliator as opposed to a facial scrub. Physical exfoliants aren’t ideal for the face because they can cause the sensitive skin of the face to become inflamed, which is exactly what we’re hoping to avoid. They can even cause tiny abrasions and thus, dull, uneven skin texture.
Blue Tansy Resurfacing Clarity Mask is formulated with White Willow Bark, which is rich in Salicin, a known anti-microbial. By helping the skin to fight microbes, White Willow Bark aids in its defense and repair work. It also helps to keep the skin more visibly clear of acne and irritation.
Blue Tansy Oil is rich in Azulene, a compound that’s incredibly soothing and balancing to the skin. It helps to stop oxidative stress and works to restore the skin’s balance and clarity. Apply Blue Tansy Mask every other day for a week, then 3-4 times a week after that to help keep your skin of harmful pollutants.
NURTURE: Emerald CBD Deep Moisture Glow Oil
CBD is an ingredient we love for its ability to help calm stressed-out skin and reduce irritation from environmental stressors. Emerald CBD Deep Moisture Glow Oil contains premium organic Colorado-grown full-spectrum CBD that works to keep the skin simultaneously calm and well-protected in the face of exposure to pollution.
Emerald CBD is also formulated with adaptogens including Shitake Mushroom, Ashwagandha, and Turmeric. Each of these antioxidant-rich ingredients are known in Ayurvedic medicine to help guard the skin against stress.
Emerald’s Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil, Borage Seed Oil, Meadowfoam Seed Oil, and Squalane Oil blend infuses the skin with deep, long-lasting moisture that builds your skin’s protective moisture barrier. This barrier is what makes your skin glow, and it also stops harmful pollutants from getting into the pores and damaging cells.
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While reducing your exposure to pollution is always a good option, life doesn’t always allow it. Make protective skincare a priority and your glow will thank you for it.
Make sure to also help humanity reduce eliminate smog and pollution by making sustainable swaps, reusing what you can, recycling correctly according to your local recycling facility’s rules, refusing things like plastic carry-away bags and utensils, going topless, composting your food scraps, driving minimally, shopping locally, shopping organic seasonal produce, turning off lights and unplugging not-in-use chargers, using a bidet, eating minimal meat and animal products, using as little plastic (and packaging in general) as possible, refusing toxic chemicals like RoundUp, and turning your lawn into a lush natural landscape or tended garden.