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With more than 85% of women experiencing adult Acne, the quest for clear skin is high on the agenda for many beyond their teens. If breakouts and skin sensitivity has followed you into your 20s, 30s or 40s, these tips will help you achieve clearer skin, quickly.

 

Cleanse Twice Daily

Using a gentle cleanser to avoid reactivity, cleansing the skin twice per day is essential for establishing a healthy skin care regime. To ensure the balance of the skin is maintained, pH balanced cleansers are ideal. This will support the skin without disrupting the acid mantle or creating skin tightness post-cleanse.

Tip: Clear pores will not only appear smaller, they will also function better – effectively regulating the release of natural oils out and onto the surface of the skin for natural moisturisation.

Tackle Spots

A cleanser that relieves congestion and provides the skin with natural antibacterial support is essential for reducing breakouts. Whether your breakouts are caused by congestion or bacteria from touching your face, a dual action cleanser which alleviates pore congestion and bacteria is a must.

Tip: To address redness and swelling, colloidal oatmeal is a natural skin cleanser with anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties which relieve skin discomfort caused by Acne and contact irritation.

Exfoliate

Dead skin cells build on the skin naturally. For make-up wearers especially, dry patches of dead cell matter may appear where the redundant skin cells have failed to detach from the surface of the skin. To ensure the skin can function optimally, and that make-up appears smooth and flawless, removing dead skin cells is essential. Removing dead skin cells can be achieved with exfoliating scrubs, professional treatments as well as retinol based creams.

Tip: Exfoliating products and treatments not only relieve congestion, they encourage cell turnover for dewy, younger looking skin.

Brighten Scarring

Dark circles and areas of pigmentation can appear for a number of reasons including hormonal changes, UV damage, as well as Acne scarring. Natural skin brighteners such as Vitamin C can work to break down pigmentation and relieve the skin from darkened areas.

Tip: In addition to brightening the skin, Vitamin C has shown to be a powerful skin healer, encouraging healthy clearer skin for those with active breakouts.

Prevent Further Pigmentation

UV exposure is responsible for skin darkening, melasma, hyperpigmentation, and the darkening of scars caused by Acne. When it comes to pigmentation, prevention is much more effective than any cure. It pays to be sun smart!

Tip: A daily sunscreen cream which contains biological, chemical and physical filters (such as Sunstop Sunscreen Cream) will provide the skin with the highest protection against symptoms caused by cellular damage. 

For a dual action Acne cleanser, Dermavive Acne & Sensitive Skin Cleansing Bar is a gentle, pH balanced, cleansing bar designed to reduce bacteria and soothe inflammation with the gentle effects of colloidal oatmeal.

 

Formulated for troublesome and sensitive skin, Dermavive Acne & Sensitive Skin Cleansing Bar is recommended for use twice per day to encourage cell turnover, for the removal of bacteria and skin healing.

Ready to tackle breakouts and sensitivity head on? Purchase your Dermavive Acne & Sensitive Skin Cleansing Bar here. 

 

 

If your skin care products failed to get you great results last year, now is the time to start fresh.

Establishing a skin care regime that harnesses the power of natural ingredients that work to boost skin functioning for soft, youthful skin (all over) is easy. If you’re ready to overhaul your beauty cupboard here’s where to start.

• Cleanse

The first step to any skin care routine is to cleanse. Cleansing with ingredients that support your skin rather than take away from it is vital. Look for cleansers that are pH balanced, paraben-free, and soap-free. These will cleanse without stripping essential oils or interfering with the natural balance of the skin.

• Brighten

Do you even out your skin tone with make-up? What if you could wake-up with a smoother, brighter skin tone? It’s time to step away from your standard moisturiser. Brightening products which utilise natural ingredients can be highly beneficial for the skin. They are designed to even skin tone, lighten dark circles and imperfections for flawless skin - make-up free! 

• Protect

Do you often leave home without SPF protection? The sun's UV rays can slowly degrade our skin especially during summer. UVA rays can penetrate windows and over time can encourage premature ageing. For this reason, sun protection is not only essential at this time of year, but year-round. Do your skin a favour and commit to utilising a sunscreen that protects against both UVA and UVB (the primary sunburn ray) radiation every day.

• Nourish

Look for products that contain ingredients that soothe and support harmony within the skin. Naturally derived anti-inflammatory skin soothing ingredients like colloidal oatmeal will support skin functioning, encourage moisture retention and fight off nasties that threaten the integrity of the skin. 

Dermavive Hydra Cleanser is a pH balanced colloidal oatmeal cleanser. It is designed to naturally cleanse skin without causing or exacerbating skin symptoms such as itching, redness or swelling caused by dry skin conditions and harsh environments. By supporting the skin barrier it helps the skin to maintain moisture in humid environments especially after long days in the sun. 

There's never been a better time to overhaul your skin care regime. If there's one product you switch this year, make it your cleanser - this one naturally supports the skin for hydrated, smooth and supple skin without the nasties. 

 

Harnessing the powerful benefits of colloidal oatmeal, Dermavive Hydra Cleanser has been formulated to provide gentle cleansing for sensitive skin types. It is a soap-free pH balanced skin cleanser for anyone seeking calm, soft and youthful looking skin with a non-drying cleanser. 

Ready to feel your softest and healthiest skin yet? Purchase your Dermavive Hydra Cleanser here. 

 

 

Most of us know that in order to achieve healthy, strong skin, we need to balance its pH. But do you really understand why? And how? 

Let's take a look. 

Firstly, what is pH?

pH is measured on a scale of 0-14. 0 being very acidic and 14 being very alkaline. For the skin to remain balanced, the skin's pH must stay slightly acidic with a pH of 4.5-5.5.

Alkaline pH:

If your skin is too alkaline, it may feel dry and be more prone to showing signs of premature ageing such as deep wrinkles and UV damage. Often skincare products like soaps and foaming cleansers can raise the skin's pH too high.

Acidic pH:

If your skin's pH levels are too acidic it may feel oily, be prone to breakouts and inflammation. These symptoms can be caused by over-exfoliating, using peels or acid-based cleansers.

Why is it so important?

1. Hydration. When skin is too alkaline it struggles to maintain moisture which leads to dry and tired-looking skin.

2. Ageing: When the skin’s pH is imbalanced the skin becomes stressed. When the skin is stressed it becomes vulnerable to attack from nasties like bacteria and free radicals which can cause inflammation and oxidative stress - skin ageing. 

3. Defence: Balanced pH levels mean common skin stressors, allergens and irritants (ingredients in skin care) are less likely to trigger skin conditions that are instigated or exacerbated by a poor barrier function. 

How do you restore it?

Restoring the skin’s pH is easy. The fastest way to do this is to redesign your skin care regime with pH balanced products only. To bring your skin back to the perfect balance your skincare products should range between 4.5-6 pH. A pH balanced cleanser is the ideal place to start. 

To achieve a slightly acidic pH level of 4.5-5.5, astringents, harsh toners and soaps must be avoided. Soaps for example tend to have a pH (between 8-10) which is far too acidic and can damage the skin. Therefore, a cleansing bar, which is a soap-less soap is best to cleanse while restoring balance to the all important acid mantle. 

• Soap-less soaps are less alkaline than a regular soap so they are gentle on the skin.
• Soap-less soaps are formulated with a neutral pH which is far less irritating to sensitive skin types.
• Soap-less soaps are more nourishing for inflammatory skin conditions such as dry skin, or acne-prone skin, as they do not strip the skin of natural oils like a regular soap. 
  
  Dermavive cleansing bars are a gentler alternative to removing dirt and excess sebum from the skin while supporting the skin with pH neutral ingredients for optimal skin functioning. 

 

Dermavive Cleansing Bars are pH neutral which support the acid mantle for healthy skin. They do not contain any soap or artificial soap and have both cleansing and antibacterial properties to dissolve dirt, oil, grime and other debris within the skin while maintaining a perfectly balanced acid mantle to encourage harmony within the skin. 

Purchase Dermavive Cleansing Bars here.  

 

Is your soap drying your skin? Leaving it feeling stripped of its natural oils? This is a common concern of avid soap users, but before you switch your beloved bar of soap for a gel cleanser, there is an alternative - and while it may look and feel like soap, it's actually soap-free! 

 

1. What is a Soap-less Soap? 

A soap-less soap, technically known as a Syndet (which stands for synthetic detergent) and most commonly marketed as a Cleansing Bar, contains no oils or fats - which are known to strip the skin's natural moisture and raise the pH of the skin.

The ingredients used in soap-less soaps however are formulated to bind with dirt within the skin to wash away impurities without removing the skin's natural oils. They do this with a pH balancing formulation which is designed to maintain harmony within the skin. When the skin's acid mantle is regulated with the use of pH balanced skin care, the skin functions at its best. 

It's important to note that the soap industry is unregulated and therefore some Cleansing Bars do in fact contain soap - so always read your labels carefully. 

2. Why is pH vital for skin health? 

The pH of our skin directly impacts the acid mantle. The acid mantle is responsible for protecting our skin against external influences such as bacteria, pollution, allergens and environmental damage such as UV rays. It also counteracts the effects of nasty skin care ingredients. For our skin to remain balanced, the acid mantle will need to remain at a slightly acidic pH level of 4.5-5.5. 

3. Why do Soap-less Soaps make great cleansers? 

Soap-less soaps are gentle on the skin's acid mantle as they are less alkaline than a regular soap. Rather than containing a pH that ranges from 8-10 like a regular soap, soap-less soaps are formulated with a neutral pH which is far less irritating. Not only are soap-less soaps more nourishing for inflammatory skin conditions such as dry skin, or acne-prone skin, they minimise the stripping of the skin's natural oils, therefore causing less disruption to the skin's acid mantle. These products are a gentler alternative to removing dirt and excess sebum from the skin while supporting it with anti-inflammatory ingredients which offer natural cleansing actions called saponins. 

4. Which skin types benefit from a soap-less soap?

Oily Skin: Sebum rich pores require a cleanser that will regulate the overproduction of oil. A soap-free soap can do this without the stripping affects of a regular soap which would generally lead to itching and over-drying. We recommend Dermavive Oily Skin Cleansing Bar to regulate and nourish without stripping those precious oils completely. 

Dry Skin: Moisture-poor skin is prone to flare ups and inflammation. A nourishing pH balanced soap-free cleansing bar can hydrate the skin with its moisture restoring properties as well as cleansing the skin of dirt and bacteria. For long-lasting hydration we recommend Dermavive Dry Skin Cleansing Bar which will restore moisture levels and reduce the common irritations of dry skin instantly. 

Acne & Sensitive Skin: Soap-free cleansing bars are designed specifically for skin's that react to high pH products. Inflammatory skin conditions such as acne generally react to harmful ingredients. For reactive skin conditions we recommend the Dermavive Acne & Sensitive Skin Cleansing Bar. With a colloidal oatmeal base, it will reduce flare ups, maintain moisture levels and fight bacteria. 

 

Using a soap-free facial cleanser is extremely beneficial. A lot of people aren’t aware of the damage soap can do to your skin’s natural pH levels and moisture levels. This lack of knowledge is why some people may find their skin is irritated or dried out when they use certain facial cleansers.