5 Beauty Products You Didn't Know Are Actually Bad For Your Skin

Naturopathic doctor, Dr. Nigma Taleb, has treated many patients with chronic skin conditions such as acne and psoriasis. Her clients have included Penelope Cruz, Sienna Miller, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Kate Bosworth. She stresses that there is a simple dietary approach to reverse the signs of aging and achieve glowing skin. Her book, Young Skin Starts in the Gut, provides a complete healthy skin regimen that produces beautiful glowing skin by balancing hormones, preventing inflammation, and maintaining well-adjusted digestion. However, the right skin regimen is not just about keeping the right diet. It's also about the products we use and also avoid using on our skin.

The following are a few products or ingredients that she urges us to steer clear from:

1. Facial oils

The skin likes to live in balance—if you apply oil to it externally it gets a message that it doesn’t need to produce oils of its own. This means your skin can actually start to dry out as you use them. Oil can initially make the skin feel good, but that doesn’t mean it’s giving it any long-term support.

2. Creamy cleansers

Many people with dry skin use these as they don’t like the way other cleansers leave their skin feeling—however, I don’t care for them. I find they can build up a layer on the skin that can stop your second layer of products from working as effectively.

3. Petroleum-based products

Some moisturizers use petroleum, but I find it quite clogging to the skin, and it can trigger breakouts. I also feel that occlusion can block the skin’s cellular communication, meaning it just won’t perform the way it should.

4. Chemical-filled products

There’s a lot of junk in some products, and I think anything that uses a lot of chemicals is best avoided. I’d prefer you didn't use products that contain parabens (a type of preservative), phthalates (contained in fragrances), dyes and colors, perfumes, or sodium lauryl sulfate. These chemicals can enter your bloodstream and cause changes in the hormone balance, which stresses the skin.

5. Facial wipes

These can contain an ingredient called methylisothiazolinone (MI) that many dermatologists are now linking to skin reactions.It’s a preservative put in the cloths to prevent bacteria growth, but in some people it can cause contact dermatitis, which causes the skin to go red, itch, and blister. Many companies are now removing MI, so check labels if you like to use wipes to make sure your brand doesn’t contain it. It can also be found in some skin washes and moisturizers.

by Dr. Nigma Talib

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