good for the body
The Hormonal Skin Rollercoaster Stops Here
When it comes to making a great first impression, your skin’s natural barrier does a lot of heavy lifting. Not only does this outermost layer of skin, the stratum corneum, determine your skin’s overall appearance — it’s also your first line of defense against environmental irritants and is critical to keeping skin hydrated.
The skin barrier acts like a secret service agent, keeping harmful substances out and beneficial substances, specifically water, in. A healthy skin barrier protects your skin from external stressors like allergens, bacteria, free radicals, physical injury, toxic chemicals, and ultraviolet light. Without a healthy layer of defense in their way, these irritants can cause dryness, inflammation, redness, and wrinkles.
It’s easy to see why supporting a healthy skin barrier is crucial for boasting a radiant complexion. To understand how to enhance and protect your outermost layer of skin, let’s first break down what this barrier is made of and how it works.
Your top layer of skin consists of three primary parts:
- keratin-dense cells called corneocytes, which are essentially dead cells
- adhesive cells called desmosomes that anchor corneocytes into flat stacks,
- and coatings of fat called lipids.
Imagine the stratum corneum as a brick wall. Corneocytes are the bricks, and lipids are the mortar. Together, they form a strong, waxy barrier that shuts out harmful stressors. More importantly, a healthy skin barrier locks in precious water, keeping skin radiant and plump.
Continuously shedding, your outer layer of skin casts off an average of one cell layer each day, or about 500 million skin cells. Most areas of skin have about 20-35 layers of corneocytes in the outer layer, although skin is thinner in sensitive areas like your eyelids and thicker in heavy-use areas like your heels.
While the stratum corneum is your skin’s first line of defense, it’s delicate and weakens with age. When this barrier breaks down or is injured, skin health and appearance suffer, becoming more susceptible to sensitivity, damage, and dehydration. In turn, compromised skin is more prone to inflammation, breakouts, dryness, wrinkles and more. If you notice these signs of skin irritation, it could indicate your skin barrier needs a little extra support.
So, how do you repair, enhance and protect your skin’s barrier? Moisture retention is key. Here are a few easy steps to incorporate into your skincare routine to lock in moisture and protect your skin’s outer layer.
Minimize sun exposure. You’ve heard it before, and we’ll say it again: always wear SPF! Better yet, add a sun hat to your pool-day and on-the-town outfits. Nothing looks better on you than healthy skin, and a cute accessory never hurts.
Avoid harsh soaps and exfoliants. Gentle is the name of the exfoliation game. Our CBD-infused Coffee Body Scrub uses coffee, brown sugar and seaweed to remove dead skin cells gently and effectively while all-natural shea butter, coconut oil and sunflower seed oil moisturize and soften skin. Not to mention, the scrub smells heavenly. Hello, radiant skin and a scrumptious shower.
Use nourishing ingredients daily. Skin-plumping hyaluronic acid and provitamin B5 are the hydrating rockstars of our Face Serum. These key ingredients prevent moisture loss to nourish and calm your complexion and encourage healing. When moisturizing, remember to give the rest of your body’s skin some love, too. Our Dry Oil Body Mist mimics your skin’s natural oils to absorb quickly and hydrate deeply without leaving you greasy.
Overall, less is more when it comes to enhancing your skin’s appearance. Our products use soothing, all-natural ingredients to preserve the integrity of your skin’s natural barrier without stripping away moisture and leaving skin susceptible to damage. Nature powered, scientifically proven and skin loved — that’s what we call a great first impression.
