Dry Skin Cream Dangers

You naturally reach for a dry skin cream or lotion designed to combat dry skin when your skin starts to itch or you get flaky patches.

You rub it on once or twice a day, and you go on with the rest of your life. This is such a natural part of the modern world that most people never stop to question what they’re putting on their skin, and research is now showing that’s a dangerous situation. Skin cream dangers are bigger than you ever imagined, but there are some healthy creams hitting the market that can solve the problem.

The Ups and Downs of Alcohol

Drinking too much alcohol leaves you hungover in the morning, and topical applications can have the same lingering effect on your skin. Many moisturizing creams use alcohol because it penetrates the defensive outer layer of skin, allowing other ingredients in the cream to get into deeper layers to take effect. Alcohol also evaporates quickly, so it gives some creams a lightweight feel which many users prefer to heavy creams that leave a film on the skin.

That all sounds great, but alcohols also dry out the skin and wear down the natural barrier that Mother Nature gave you for self protection. When you use products that include alcohol on a routine basis, it continually forces through your protective layer. With time, that protective layer isn’t as strong and stops protecting your skin from intrusions. That means bacteria and toxins are more likely to penetrate your body, get into your bloodstream and lead to bigger problems.

There are some healthy alcohols that won’t hurt you at all. These are fatty alcohols like cetyl and stearyl. The alcohols you want to avoid include isopropyl, denatured and ethyl alcohols.

The Dirt on Formaldehyde

This is another bad ingredient that you may find in many skin creams and lotions. It is used to disinfect and preserve, but many consumers have reported negative reactions to products that list it as an ingredient. It may be a simple case of irritated skin or more serious dermatitis, or you may even experience dizziness and fatigue. Some studies have even connected it to nervous system dysfunction, so it’s definitely one to stay away from.

The Solution to Avoiding Dry Skin Cream Dangers

Look for natural dry skin products which don’t contain either of these unnatural ingredients. When you turn to natural ingredients, you eliminate a lot of these dangerous side effects. You can still lather on the lotion whenever your skin starts to itch or look patchy, but it’s important to do so with complete confidence that your dry skin cream isn’t harming you in the process of hydrating your skin.