Could Milk Be The Solution For Your Dry Skin?
Turns out Cleopatra’s favorite milk baths might not have been such a wild idea, after all.
Milk for dry skin? Yes, word on the street is that the white stuff could be the answer to all your dry skin woes…
It’s fair to say that dry skin can be a real nuisance. And if you have it, you won’t need reminding of the many frustrations that come with dealing with dryness and flaking skin – especially on your face. Sure, oily skin comes with its own set of bugbears but, given the choice, it would win the ‘would you rather?’ argument every time.
You see, the thing with dry skin (medical term: xeroderma) is that it often comes with other frustrations like itching, redness, tightness, sensitivities and dehydration. Why is that? Well, dry skin has fewer sebaceous glands than other skin types. And sebaceous glands are super-important for the health of your skin because they produce sebum which contains all manner of fatty acids, wax esters, squalene and triglycerides to lubricate the skin, protect it from outside aggressors and help it retain water. As we said, important stuff.
Unlike oily and combination skin which both contain their fair share of sebaceous glands, dry skin is genetically lacking in these essential oil producers. Hence the dryness. And that’s not all. Thanks to a poorly functioning protective barrier, dry skin is also kind of bad at retaining moisture which means it has a tendency to become dehydrated and easily irritated. Then when you chuck things like harsh soaps and hot showers at it? Well, you’ve got a recipe for disaster on your hands. Sigh.
But it’s not all bad news because there are tons of ways to help treat and protect dry skin. Moisturizer, for one thing, is the single most important product anyone with dry skin can have up their sleeves, and ingredients like glycerin, hyaluronic acid, shea butter and jojoba oil can be total lifesavers.
There’s also a lesser-known ingredient that’s been steadily making its way back onto the beauty shelves and is already making headlines for its ability to care so awesomely for dry skin: milk.
Milk & Your Skin: The Facts
As an alleged devotee to bathing in sour milk, we have to salute the Egyptian queen Cleopatra for knowing her skincare stuff way before her time. Because milk is not only powerful and natural, but it’s truly effective.
So what’s the deal and why is it so damn good for your skin? Well, milk contains tons of exfoliating and nourishing compounds including minerals, vitamins, acids and antioxidants. One of its biggest plus points? Lactic acid. Like glycolic acid, lactic acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA), a naturally hydrating and exfoliating acid that dissolve the bonds between skin cells to encourage all those unsightly, no-longer-wanted dead ones to slough away. Skin needs gentle exfoliation every now and again because dead skin cells have a tendency to hang around longer than necessary, especially as you get older when cell turnover becomes slow and sluggish. And while harsh scrubs and potent glycolic acid can be too much for dry skin, lactic acid is the best of both worlds, gently removing the dead stuff while caring for your complexion and revealing all that plump, deliciously fresh skin.
However, in our modern world, milk is no longer just milk and given that many people are vegan or lactose-intolerant, it’s important to know that plant-based options like rice and oat milk are just as good, if not better for looking after your dry skin.
Oat Milk: The Soothing Treatment
Undoubtedly the most popular of the dairy-free milk alternatives, oat milk has similar soothing, calming and antioxidant effects as its cousin, colloidal oatmeal – another commonly used ingredient in skincare. Made purely from oats and water, its antioxidant benefits are great for warding off environmental skin damage from the daily wear and tear of UV radiation, pollution and the like, while its soothing effects are perfect for reducing irritation and helping to calm dry skin.
Oat milk also has anti-inflammatory properties so may help skin conditions like eczema and rosacea. Oh, and it acts like a humectant, drawing water to the surface of the skin to help keep it hydrated and healthy. Impressive stuff, right?
Rice Milk: The Skin Brightener
While oat milk wins the popularity contest, rice milk is not to be dismissed. Because it's good. Like, really good. In fact, rice milk boasts a whole bunch of skin benefits, not least of which is it ability to help brighten and even out your skin tone while calming the skin and reducing the visible appearance of dark spots. It does this thanks to its natural astringent properties, coupled with its abundance of niacin which is known to have gentle whitening effects.
Rice milk is also packed with free radical-fighting antioxidants (bonus!), plus it contains a vitamin-like component called inositol which helps moisturize the skin and supports healthy collagen production.
Say Hello To New TruSkin Soothing Cleansing Milk!
Hopefully you now understand just how effective milk can be for protecting, nourishing and soothing dry skin. So where’s all this leading? Well, after listening to you and realizing that, while our cleansing line-up is downright awesome, it’s been missing something specifically tailored to dry skin, we spent hours (more like months!) in the lab formulating an exciting new cleansing milk that cares for your skin without leaving it feeling tight and dry.
And our Soothing Cleansing Milk is finally here! Suitable for all skin types, but specifically created for dry and sensitive skin, this cleansing milk is soothing and lightweight, whipping away make-up, dirt and debris while leaving your skin feeling super soft, nourished, hydrated and comfortable. Bursting with both oat and rice milk (because one’s just not good enough for you!) it also contains hyaluronic acid for extra hydration and its soft, milky texture is one you really cannot miss.
Click here to check out the full details and try out new Soothing Cleansing Milk for yourself – trust us, you won’t regret it!
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![5 Unusual Things That Can Trigger Breakouts]()
No idea why you’re getting an influx of acne right now? Many lifestyle habits can trigger your breakouts – and sometimes they’re found in the most unsuspecting places.
As you know, acne is caused by one thing and one thing alone: an excess of sebum that causes your pores to become blocked with oil, dead skin cells, bacteria and other impurities. Eating too much chocolate doesn’t give you pimples. Neither does moisturizer. Sure, they can trigger breakouts if you’re genetically susceptible to them, but acne isn’t caused by uncleanliness, a poor diet or crummy skincare routine. It’s caused by blocked pores. End of.
OK, so this begs the question: why bother trying to cure them if your breakouts are totally out of your control? Well, here’s the thing. You can’t change your genes, that’s for certain. However, what you can do is keep acne-triggering factors under control to help lessen the blow. Sleeping well, reducing emotional stress and eating a healthy, well-balanced diet; all these things are important for maintaining balanced sebum and therefore reducing the likelihood of you breaking out week after week.
But there are also some less obvious reasons why you face might be suffering with regular breakouts. So if you’ve already dispensed with things like smoking, poor cleansing and too much exfoliation, but you’re still getting pimples on the reg, it might be time to look at some of the more unexpected areas of your life.
On that note, read on for five slightly more unusual causes for your breakouts.
1. Your Pillowcase
Getting enough beauty sleep is crucial for the health of your skin, but if you’re sleeping on a dirty pillowcase for a solid eight hours every night dirt and bacteria is inevitably going to build up and irritate your pores. This is especially true if you sleep on a synthetic pillowcase because man-made fibers don’t absorb sweat as effectively as natural fibres like cotton or linen.
The answer? Go natural all the way, for starters. Also, cleanse and moisturize your skin before bed to reduce the amount of grime getting on your pillowcase. Tea Tree Super Cleanser+ is a great acne-fighting cleanser that balances and clarifies your pores. Follow this with Retinol Moisturizer to lightly hydrate and moisturize your skin while boosting cellular turnover to keep your pores free of dead skin cells.
Finally, wash your pillowcase every three or four days. And ditto, your face towel. Old, dirty towels that are used by the whole family for drying their hands and who-knows-what-else are another breeding ground for germs and bacteria. Do you really want to be swiping this all over your freshly cleansed skin? Thought not. So, invest in a couple of cotton face towels for you and you alone and wash them every other day.
2. Your Makeup & Hair Products
Your skincare routine might be spot on, but what about your makeup and hair products? Rich hair conditioners, for example, are notorious for containing heavy ingredients like cocoa butter and coconut oil which, granted, are incredible for moisturizing your precious locks, but are not so great for acne-prone skin. Of course, we know you’re not smothering your face with conditioner but still, it can settle on your face when you rinse your hair so always cleanse your skin after, never before conditioning.
Makeup can similarly clog up your pores, especially if you use formulations that contain oil. So don’t do that. Instead, look out for noncomedogenic products (this means they’re less likely to block pores) and use powder rather than liquid formulations whenever possible.
3. Your Workout Routine
Do you love to get a good sweat on when you’re working out? High fives to you. However, allow all that sweat and grime to sit on your skin and your pores are going to clog up quicker than your instructor can say ‘hit the floor for ten push-ups.’
Cleanse your skin thoroughly and swiftly after exercising (the longer you leave your skin doused in sweat and grimy workout gear, the more bacteria is likely to breed), and always use a mild but effective cleanser that helps to detoxify your skin without drying it out. Our Charcoal Clarifying Cleanser is a goodie as it harnesses the powers of coconut-derived activated charcoal which destroys skin-smothering impurities to offer a deep, gently purifying clean every time.
4. Your Winter Cover-Ups
Any fabric that rubs against your skin can lead to unwanted issues in the long-term. Remember how face masks were causing ‘maskne’ back in the pandemic? This was all due to friction from the mask combining with the obvious culprits of sweat, dirt, oil, bacteria and humidity which caused dryness, irritation and pimples.
Thankfully, for most of us, the days of having to wear a mask 24/7 are over. However, if you spend a lot of time outdoors in the winter and like to wrap yourself up in woollen hats and thick, heavy scarves, these can cause similar problems, trapping sweat and increasing friction around your chin, jaw, neck and forehead.
To help reduce breakouts caused by beanies, scarves (and even turtleneck sweaters), avoid synthetic fabrics and launder your winter cover-ups regularly. Weekly, at least.
5. Your Laundry Detergent
Speaking of laundry, your choice of detergent is also imperative. Just like your beauty routine, certain ingredients in your laundry detergent can be super irritating – especially if you have extremely sensitive or acne-prone skin. Fragrance, for example, can be a real Debbie Downer, as can harsh dyes, essentials oils, strong surfactants and preservatives.
To reduce the likelihood of your laundry detergent triggering those pesky breakouts, first up, choose liquid over powder detergents. Why? Because these leave behind less residue on your clothes and fabrics (who knew?!). Also, never use more detergent than is recommended on the label, avoid fabric softeners and try double rinsing your laundry after washing to remove as much residue as possible.
5 Unusual Things That Can Trigger Breakouts
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![What Is Salicylic Acid And Does Your Skin Need It?]()
Salicylic acid is right up there with glycolic acid for exfoliating your skin. But it also has an extra string in its bow. Listen up, oily skin folks, this one’s for you…
Salicylic acid is one of those ingredients that truly delivers. Forget your snail mucus and 24k gold flakes because they simply don’t live up to the hype. Along with skincare greats like retinol and vitamin C, however, salicylic acid does exactly what it sets out to do. And frankly, that’s all you can ask from a skincare ingredient, is it not?
If you’re not sure what salicylic acid is all about, not a problem, that’s what we’re here for.
So, read on for everything we know about salicylic acid: glycolic acid’s equally as effective, but really quite different cousin…
What Is Salicylic Acid, Exactly?
You’ve heard of AHAs and BHAs, right? Well, salicylic acid sits in the BHA camp. In fact, it’s really the only BHA you need to know about being the single most common BHA used in skincare and cosmetics.
BHAs, or beta-hydroxy acids are fat-soluble chemical exfoliants that break down the bonds between your skin cells to encourage them to slough away more efficiently. Physical scrubs have the same effect, but they use physical pressure alongside grains or textured surfaces to exfoliate your skin. Chemical exfoliants just harness the powers of acids like salicylic to do the same job, improving cellular turnover as a major part of the deal.
Salicylic acid, in particular, is extracted from the bark of willow trees and has amazing exfoliating benefits. But there’s more. It also has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial qualities (take that, pimples!) and, because it’s fat-soluble, it has an uncanny knack of penetrating into your pores and getting to work on your sebaceous glands. And that’s a big plus if you have super oily skin you find hard to control…
The Benefits Of Salicylic Acid In Skincare
Exfoliants are a crucial part of a healthy skincare routine. Not only do they boost cell turnover to help give you a smoother, softer and brighter complexion, but they also work hard to improve collagen synthesis. And as you mature, that’s really important since collagen degradation becomes a huge deal as you hit your 30s and beyond.
As we mentioned, however, salicylic acid differs to other water-soluble chemical exfoliants like glycolic, citric and lactic acids. And that’s because it’s fat-soluble which allows it to go deeper below the skin’s surface, penetrating through the lipid layers to really get into the pores. We mean no disrespect to the AHAs of the world, of course, because they’re incredible at what they do – which is to exfoliate at a more surface level. But, if you have oily skin or have trouble with breakouts, blackheads or blocked pores, salicylic acid can offer so much more.
Salicylic acid is almost unbeatable at preventing your pores from becoming clogged with dead skin cells and excess sebum, AND it gently exfoliates your skin by loosening the bonds that hold together those tough, outer layers of dead skin cells. This not only improves the tone and texture of your complexion almost immediately, but it stimulates collagen production helping to stave off premature lines and wrinkles as time goes by.
To summarize, the key benefits of salicylic acid are…
* Exfoliates the skin and removes dead skin cells* Improves cellular turnover* Balances and controls excess sebum* Detoxifies pores* Reduces acne breakouts* Calms inflammation5 Ways To Make Salicylic Acid Work For You
Like most active ingredients, salicylic acid must be given the respect it deserves. Here’s how to use it wisely and effectively...
1. Always Patch Test Salicylic Acid First
Most salicylic acid treatments are well-tolerated by all skin types and safe for daily use. However, there’s always a chance your skin could freak out by this potent, active ingredient, so patch test any new product before applying it regularly. And yes, we know patch testing sounds like a bit of a headache, but it’s really easy and will only delay your product use by a day or so... but it can save your skin a whole lotta pain.
To patch test your product, apply a small amount to a discreet area of your skin (we like to do it behind an ear). Then leave it for 24-48 hours to check for any negative reactions. Most likely, your skin will be fine other than mild redness or tingling which is to be expected with any active product. However, if you experience anything like burning, discomfort, swelling or itching, stop use immediately – this product is not a good fit for you.
2. Listen To Your Skin To Get Your Routine Right
Once you know you’re safe to use your salicylic acid formulation without any negative reactions, introduce it slowly into your routine. Your skin might be strong enough to take it every day… then again, it might not. Start with once a week and then build on that after a couple of weeks as your skin acclimates. And remember to always read the labels of your products as not all serums are built to be used daily, anyway!
Our Vitamin C Super Serum+, for example, is packed with potent ingredients and combines salicylic acid with other skin superheroes like retinol and vitamin C. Because of this we recommend you apply it just two or three times a week for the best results.
3. Get The Most From Salicylic Acid By Using A Leave-On Treatment
Salicylic acid can be used in pretty much any skincare formulation, from cleansers and toners, through to exfoliants, serums and moisturizers. To really maximize its benefits, however, we believe that leave-on products offer far superior results to anything you’re going to wash down the plughole. It’s common sense, right?
On that note, try our 6% AHA, BHA + PHA Liquid Exfoliant which is everything for brighter, clearer, smoother-looking skin. Apply it to clean skin, before your serum and moisturizer.
4. Combine It With Tea Tree Oil
Our Tea Tree Super Serum+ blends salicylic acid with tea tree oil to really hit breakouts from all angles.
Tea tree oil is extracted from the leaves of the Australian tea tree and it has awesome anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial benefits making it a shoo-in for helping to calm facial redness at a surface level. Meanwhile, salicylic acid goes deeper to improve cell turnover and help remove excess oil and dirt that can block your pores in the first place. Together they’re truly dynamite. What’s more, our serum has been crafted to be as gentle as possible while still providing all the benefits you could ever want.
As we said, dynamite.
5. Use Sunscreen Every Morning
All experts agree (us, dermatologists, the FDA, need we go on?) that salicylic acid must be used in conjunction with a broad-spectrum sunscreen in order to help protect the skin and avoid sensitivities to UV radiation. It’s basically non-negotiable, so make sure sunscreen is as much a part of your morning routine as cleaning your teeth and brushing your hair.
We like to keep our SPF30 Mineral Sunscreen with Vitamin C right there on the shelf next to our serums and eye cream. That way, we never forget.
What Is Salicylic Acid And Does Your Skin Need It?
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