Skincare bloggers and experts keep talking about antioxidants and their importance in skincare but you still don’t know much about them - we know, right? It feels like they are great additions to your skincare products and you will definitely want to integrate some into your regimen. Well, it’s a good idea.
But first, let us give you some useful facts about antioxidants and some examples of how they work on your skin so you will know for sure what to choose. Let’s go.
First, it’s important to understand what antioxidants are. They are ingredients that fight oxidative stress to protect your skin. Your next question is - what is oxidative stress? Well, it’s a state when there is an excess of free radicals in the body cells. And free radicals can damage skin collagen, interrupt natural repair functions, and cause inflammation. A more detailed note for nerds - free radicals are molecular species that can exist independently and contain an unpaired electron in an atomic orbital. It’s an extremely interesting pattern, so don’t be lazy and google free radicals in illustrations, this will help understand the function of antioxidants.
So, antioxidants neutralize the free radicals as they sacrifice their own electrons to pair the unpaired electrons of free radicals. Beautiful, isn’t it? Imagine how your skin interacts with an antioxidant on a molecular level.
As for oxidative stress, it can be a result of different environmental aggressors - like air pollution, the ecological crisis in general, and blue light that comes from your phone or computer skin - these all can lead to the formation of free radicals. Their damage can be expressed in a form of premature wrinkles, loss of skin firmness, dropped moisture level, hyperpigmentation, and interruption of the skin barrier.
Let’s see which antioxidants can help you solve the abovementioned problems and how can you include antioxidant ingredients into your daily skincare regimen.
One of the most common antioxidants is Vitamin C. It is contained in various natural ingredients and has a number of benefits for your skin. Vitamin C is a favorite ingredient for many skincare gurus to boost their skin health and appearance and they are not mistaken. Vitamin C is best to improve typical complexion conditions such as rough skin tone, uneven texture, premature fine lines, post-acne blemishes, and overall dullness of the skin.
Add some food containing Vitamin C to your diet to keep your body nourished and healthy. Choose citrus fruits (if you don’t have an allergy of course), bell peppers and strawberries, tomatoes, and cruciferous vegetables. If you love teas, choose rosehip fruits to make a delicious tea. By the way, organic and wildcrafted rosehip oil is contained in our advanced moisturizer. Pure rosehip oil is rich in antioxidants - it can improve the appearance of premature fine lines, brighten your skin tone, and, of course, help fight the free radicals in your skin. Choose the pure Advanced Moisturizer from BBA Organic if you have normal to dry skin, or incorporate it into your skincare regimen for a combination skin type by applying it to the parts of your face that are not oily.
Another important performer is Vitamin E which is also a very powerful natural antioxidant. It is mainly used to soften the skin and helps keep the moisture inside deep layers of the skin while protecting cells from damage in general. Vitamin E is one of the guarantees of radiant and smooth skin.
Vitamin E can be found in food - it’s mostly in plant-based oils, such as sunflower seed oil, and more can be found in seeds and nuts - sunflower seeds, almonds, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, etc. Beet greens, bell pepper, and spinach are the best choice here to add to your delicious salads. Eat your greens and get a daily dosage of Vitamin E! As for skincare products, vegan and non-GMO Vitamin E is contained in organic Marula oil which we have used in the Clarifying Gel-Moisturizer of BB Organic. Antioxidants such as phenolic compounds and vitamins E and C, fight free radicals and can neutralize skin damage caused by the UV rays of the sun and air pollution.
Another group of antioxidants is polyphenols. These babies with a complicated name play a huge role in our health as they are one of Nature’s most powerful antioxidants.
They possess anti-inflammatory and DNA-repair properties, helping keep you in a good health and appearance. To add some polyphenols to your daily diet, eat some berries, use herbs and spices in your food, and don’t forget about clean and organic, fresh coffee and tea. When it comes to tea, choose green tea if possible. It’s a good source of polyphenols and is rich in vitamins A, C, and E.
But don’t forget about your skin food. We have added non-GMO organic green tea extract to our lightweight Gel-Moisturizer of BBA Organic. Polyphenols in green tea can neutralize the free radicals of your skin and the damage they can cause while calming irritated skin.
We have one more antioxidant the name of which you’ll read as a code - it’s the Coenzyme Q10. In fact, our body cells use Coenzyme Q10 to grow and stay healthy.
It’s an antioxidant that our body manufactures by itself, but its levels lower as we age. Coenzyme Q10 keeps our skin elastic and firm and reduces the appearance of premature fine lines.
To get a normal dosage of Coenzyme Q10, add wild and organic fatty fish to your diet. Choose clean and grass-fed beef, organic and non-GMO pork, and chicken. Coenzyme Q10 is high in oranges, strawberries, beans, sesame seeds, and pistachios as well. What a great selection, right? Choose wisely. And, of course, add Coenzyme Q10 to your skincare routine. We have it in the Advanced Moisturizer from BBA Organic which works best for normal to dry skin.
Niacinamide is the next great antioxidant the importance of which should not be underestimated - it is one of two major forms of Vitamin B3. It’s best when used to heal acne and rosacea, and smooth out pigments. Niacinamide will strengthen the natural barrier of your skin and boost your skin health.
Niacin is high in red meat and fish, nuts, seeds, and legumes. Choose only organic, high-quality food that is not processed to get only the best nutritious elements from them. Our fast-absorbing Toner-Serum from BBA Organic contains niacinamide - that’s one of the reasons why it’s the best formula to use when healing acne and post-acne scars on your face and body.
Our daily exfoliating toner serum contains one more antioxidant that we wanted to talk about - it’s hyaluronic acid. While hyaluronic acid is best known for its ability to moisturize the skin and keep the moisture locked in the deep layers, it’s an incredible antioxidant that helps to get smoother skin. As hyaluronic acid protects and hydrates your skin, your skin cell production is being boosted, so it can repair your skin and result in a softer and more shiny appearance. As for food, green leafy vegetables and potatoes are a great source of hyaluronic acid. Oranges and almonds are other yummies to add to your diet to get the right dosage of hyaluronic acid.
Here we would like to sum up - it’s pretty enough for one sitting. We really hope you got some new and useful information.
We just wanted to show you how Nature gives us the essentials to build a healthy, balanced, and harmonic lifestyle. Just look around - there are so many sources to get inspiration and energy and connect to Mother Nature.
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