Rubbing bacteria on your face may sound like a sure fire way to a bad skin day, but a little of the right kind of microbes within probiotic skincare could be the answer to your skin woes.

Most wellness buffs know a thing or two about probiotics. Pop these good bacteria into your daily diet and the benefits are endless, with evidence even showing they can help allergy sufferers. Balance your gut and you can take on the world, right?

Living Skin

It turns out our skin deserves the same treatment. Far from being just a protective outer layer, our skin is our largest organ, and the systems that support it are just as dynamic as the rest of our body.

According to Anne-Marie Niens of Yun Probiotherapy, “skin is protected by the first layer of defense called the microbiome.” This is essentially a collection of microorganisms that live on the surface of your skin. Although most of the time we live in blissful ignorance that there’s living things that call our face home, they have ways of making themselves known.

When the balance of good versus bad bacteria is out of whack, as Niens explains, an overload of bad bacteria can cause an increase in the amount of “infections on the skin,” which can mean anything from acne to the fungal kind. Yikes.

A huge cause of this is the misconception that we need to make our skin a bacteria-free zone. Antibacterial and overly stripping products don’t differentiate between good and bad bacteria, destroying both indiscriminately. In turn, this upsets the balance of your skin, leaving it vulnerable to the things the skin microbiome system naturally defends against, such as free radicals and foreign pathogens.

Bringing Back the Balance

Taking probiotics internally helps to restore balance from the inside out, but topical probiotics are also proving to make a difference. Studies of some strains of probiotic bacteria have shown that they can be used to treat skin conditions including acne and dehydrated skin, all just by counteracting bad bacteria and restoring the pH level of the skin.

Most skincare however, will not contain live probiotics like the ones you’ll find in your favorite yogurt drink. Things such as preservatives and formulating processes can make it a little tricky to keep them in the land of the living. Instead, cosmetic formulators will often use methods that involve extracting the beneficial properties from the cells, which still has a noticeable effect on skin.

It’s time to learn to love bacteria (well, the good kind), and we know a few beautifiers which will make the lesson a whole lot easier.

5 Probiotic Skincare Heroes

1. Acure Organics Sensitive Facial Cleanser

Choosing a gentle cleanser is key to maintaining a healthy balance of bacteria, as harsh facial washes can strip away the good stuff. Acure Organics’ sensitive skin offering not only takes it easy on excessive cleansing, but flaunts fermented resveratrol extract among the ingredients list as a natural skin defender.

2. The Beauty Chef Probiotic Skin Refiner 

An impression concoction of fermented grains, seeds, grasses, fruits, algae, vegetables, and herbs, this hydrating potion offers up something a little different which niche beauty lovers will adore. Lactic acid and lactobacillus also keep your pH number at healthy levels. Hello friendly microbes!

3. Aurelia Probiotic Skincare Revitalise & Glow Serum

Want to wake up every morning with an unbeatable glow? This lightweight but nourishing serum will do just that. Infused with both anti-aging peptides and calming probiotics, it’s a one-way ticket to even and plump looking skin. The addictive scent of jasmine, tuberose, and mandarin is just the floral cherry on top of this probiotic skincare wonder.

4. de Mamiel Dewy Facial Mist

Give thirsty skin a decadent drink with this instantly soothing mist. Alongside a type of lactobacillus to help strengthen the skin’ defense, this botanical beauty is brimming with antioxidants, making it perfect for facing environmental stresses.

5. Esse Skincare Cream Mask

Containing both prebiotics and probiotics, this moisturizing mask provides your skin microbiome with all the tools it needs to flourish. As well as a five minute pick-me-up, it can also be left on overnight to help tackle hyperpigmentation.

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6 Unusual Uses for Natural Probiotics

The post Why Probiotics Could Save Your Skin (Yes, Bacteria!) appeared first on EcoSalon.

Natural probiotics are popping up everywhere. Here are 6 unusual places you might find them.

Okay, so we’re all familiar with the importance of natural probiotics for gut health (those Activia commercials make indigestion look so fun, don’t they?) – and word has it they’re also being used in a number of wild and wacky (but apparently effective) ways. Let’s explore them, shall we?

Here are 6 unusual uses for natural probiotics:

1. Cleaning your home

The idea behind natural probiotics in household cleaners is that our cleaning products tend to temporarily sterilize the area you’ve cleaned, but there’s nothing to prevent the pathogenic bacteria from sprouting up again. By using cleaning supplies that contain probiotics, you’re essentially giving your home a shot of “good” bacteria to protect it from the “bad.”

2. Healing cuts and scrapes

Natural probiotics may also come in handy for minor injuries, like small cuts and scrapes, to keep them infection-free and reduce inflammation.

3. Maintaining oral health

Bad breath is usually caused by a build-up of icky bacteria in your mouth, so it adds up that adding natural probiotics to your oral health routine – like probiotic-spiked mouthwash or toothpaste – could help stave off a case of the nasties. There’s even a case built on the potential benefits of probiotic chewing gum. For real.

4. Fighting nasal congestion

Also coming to a medicine cabinet near you: Natural probiotics may help treat sinus congestion and other sinus issues. One study found that a probiotic supplement helped decrease “bad” bacteria in nasal passages, while another found it helped to reduce hay fever symptoms.

5. Improving skin

“Probiotics” has become a big buzz word in the beauty biz (try saying that five times fast!), and using them topically has become known as the new frontier. “The American Academy of Dermatology has called probiotics one of the new beauty breakthroughs, as they’ve been shown to help with clearer skin, decreased skin sensitivity, redness, and inflammation,” says Dr. Roshini Raj, board certified gastroenterologist and founder of TULA Skincare. “You may also see a reduced appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and increased elasticity.”

6. Removing pet odors and stains

It’s been discussed through the grapevine that natural probiotics are great for removing stains – simply open a capsule and rub onto the affected area. Apparently, it’s especially effective removing pet odors and stains, because it’s the only type of cleaner that can penetrate through biofilm: An invisible layer that protects “bad” bacteria (which probably explains why, even after cleaning a pet stain, it never feels truly gone).

What other unusual uses for natural probiotics have you heard of?

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Image: Janine

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