Naturally beautiful Part 4, how to remove the pollution from the skin

We live in very polluted cities, especially in the cold period, due to cars and exhaust gas, heating and industrial fumes, and this can affect health but also the appearance of our skin. It has been shown that pollution, by depositing on the epidermis, can cause skin inflammation, worsen acne and oxidative stress by increasing free radicals and triggering skin aging processes (Puri et al, Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol., Jul-Aug 2017). The skin may appear dull, with spots and sensitive, in acne-prone skins pimples and blackheads may appear, too. Natural cosmetics can help us to eliminate, or at least mitigate, the damages caused by pollution. First, it is good to ensure to your skin a deep cleansing without using too aggressive products, which, as we have learned in the articles dedicated to the INCI of cosmetics and Natural Beauty, may damage the protective barrier of the skin. As a consequence, the skin, in order to protect itself, may produce more sebum thus favoring the proliferation of bacteria. A good way to clean the skin is to use an oil, such as jojoba or sesame oil, poured on a damp cotton pad that you should pass on the face. Dirt, pollution and the excess of sebum stick on the cotton pad and the skin immediately looks brighter. If you are a DIY cosmetic lover you can also prepare a biphasic micellar water, mixing in equal parts thermal water and an oil, such as jojoba oil, you can find a recipe in the video Micellar waters, beauty waters that you find in the Video Blog section of the app. Don’t forget the exfoliation, important to do twice a week to remove dead cells and all the traces of pollution in order to allow the skin to renew itself. In this way also the skin appearance will benefit with the skin color more uniform. You can prepare a scrub with 1 tablespoon of yogurt, which acts as a tonic, exfoliating agent and able to counteract skin spots thanks to its lactic acid content (Smith, J Am Acad Dermatol, Sep 1996 - Yamamoto et al, J Dermatol , Jan 2006 - Tang et al, Molecules, Apr 2018), 1 tablespoon of aloe vera gel, moisturizing and with a deep purifying and anti-inflammatory action (Lizelle et al, Pharmacogn Mag, Apr 2014) and 1 tablespoon of oatmeal, which protects the skin barrier (Ilnytska et al, J Drugs dermatol, Jun 2016). Massage the mixture on the face for a couple of minutes, then rinse. A help also comes from face masks, for example you can mix 2 tablespoons of ventilated green clay, with a great absorbing power able to remove all traces of impurities and pollution (Williams et al, Int Geov Rev, Jul 2010), 1 tablespoon of thawed frozen raspberries, quickly blended with their seeds, with a powerful anti aging and against skin spot action (Chia-Hsiang Victor Lin et al, Int J Mol Sci, Jul 2011), and water enough to obtain a homogeneous mixture. Apply the mask on the clean and dry face and leave it on for 20-30 minutes, it will help to tone the face skin, to counteract skin spots and to make the skin luminous.