IS MAKEUP BAD FOR YOUR SKIN?
Reading through the vast amounts of literature available about makeup, now and again you will find an article surfacing denouncing makeup as being bad for your skin. The reasons vary from chemicals to clogging pores. While the reasons to "go natural" seem to make sense, many struggle between the idea of health and what they see in the mirror in the au natural state. f you are one of those who struggle between appearance and health, you can relax a bit. Using makeup doesn't need to be a one way road to self destruction.
The first notorious reason given for not wearing makeup is that many are loaded with ingredients which are not healthy. Many are, but there are also many which are now made with only safe ingredients. The best of these are those which are not tested on animals. Think about that. If a product is being tested on animals, you automatically have a red light. If ingredients are safe in the first place, there is no need to torture our fellow creatures to make sure that it will not harm us. While I strongly advocate these makeups because of my devotion to animal rights issues, it just makes sense to use products that are known to be harmless in the first place. Why would anyone want to take risks like that? Always use products that don't need testing to determine their safety.
Of course, the safety of the product isn't the only health issue people see connected to wearing makeup. Makeup covers skin cells and gets into the pores making it hard for skin to breath. There is no getting around that one, however, there are actually times that the coat of makeup on your skin can have some benefit. If you are going into areas such as large cities where the air is polluted, your skin is going to get a coating of pollution. You can check that fact by washing your skin well before going into the city. As soon as you get home soak a washcloth with some hydrogen peroxide and wipe your face and neck with it. Look at the color of the dirt coming off your skin. Dirt is not soot black, it is brown. It's a safe bet, however, that the residue on your washcloth is soot black.
The black residue on your washcloth is the soot from the city air and is loaded with toxins. These toxins coat your skin and clog your pores just as a coat of makeup will do, but unlike well chosen makeup, they can damage your skin and body. While it is your skin's job to protect you from these toxins, it is far from a bad idea to protect your skin from them. Putting a coat of makeup over the skin will provide a layer of protection for your cells and keep the toxins out of your pores. Eventually these toxins will leak through, but the makeup buys you some time and protection until you can wash them off. It is still a good idea to clean your skin and pores thoroughly as soon as possible.
If you are going out to areas which are not extensively polluted, it is still a good idea to go without makeup and let your skin get some fresh air and sunlight. By that I don't mean you should slather your skin with sunblock. Some sunblocks will clog pores just as handily as pollution and makeup, but sunblock is not good for your skin at any level whether it just sits on your skin or absorbs into it. Many sunblocks have ingredients which are much more harmful than any ingredients in makeups. Not only are you dowsing your skin with carcinogenic toxins when you use them, you are also inhibiting your body's ability to produce Vitamin D. This vitamin is vital not only to healthy skin, but lack of it has been found to be a culprit in the development of eleven different cancers and scads of other diseases and ailments. Sunblock also goes an extra measure to hinder the body's natural production of melatonin which can cause a whole new array of health nightmares for you. So what do you do if your skin is sensitive to burning?
Take a good makeup foundation with you when you go out. For outdoors recreational use you will want to choose a foundation that has zinc oxide in it. If you can't find one, you can make your own sun block by mixing your foundation with zinc oxide. Making your own sunblock in this method will allow you to avoid damage from sun without having the painted clown face that zinc oxide on its own can produce. That's probably not the look you want to achieve on a date to go hiking.
Let your skin get some sunlight so your body can produce Vitamin D and melatonin. You will want at least a half hour of natural sunlight before you put anything on it to protect it from burning. Give your skin as much time to breath naturally as possible before applying the foundation to it but never let your skin burn. Burning causes major skin damage no matter what else you are doing or are not doing to protect it. Make sure you put a good coat of foundation over any areas of skin that are exposed and likely to burn. If you find that the foundation you are using doesn't work well, you might want to find another that does a better job for you.
There are times that it is better to go without makeup and let your skin breath naturally. Even world class models do not "paint up" on a full time schedule. Sometimes just a coat of mascara can enhance your appearance enough that you can feel comfortable not wearing a coat of foundation for just quick trips out of the house or visits with friends. A quick analysis of the environments you will be going into will give you an idea of whether it is better to go natural or with a layer of makeup on your face. It is a wise idea to spend some time every day without any, but if you have chosen your products well and are diligent about cleaning them off and giving your skin time to breath there is no reason why you can't "paint the barn if it needs painting".