Not too many people think ahead by checking the ingredients listed in their facial washes. Most people look at what the product can do for ‘you’ as the recipient of the product. Instead of trying to look more into their products, they sometimes go by just the smell of the facial wash and finding that if it smells natural, it equates to not being bad for your face.

Even the bottle mentioning that it’s “ALL NATURAL” is a good sign for a good facial product for you as the consumer. Many walk down the aisle of the beauty shop and buy what they think looks nicely packaged or smells like it was just taken from the flower garden and put into a bottle to be used for your face.

After trying these products out, some people like me find their face ending up being redder, dry, white heads popping up and so much more face issues. As a result, I started doing my own research and I ended up being happier with my facial washes at the end and so can you as long as you continue reading this article, you might find better results with your facial wash. So the first ingredient that I will talk about is sodium lauryl sulfate which is a very drying ingredient.

According to Jody Levine who is an assistant clinical instructor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital, she mentions that sodium lauryl sulfate strips the skin of its natural oils which protects our skin. Thinking logically, you wouldn’t want something to irritate your skin if you’re looking to give your facial skin a chance of looking nice and pretty without the dry patches, so try and avoid sodium lauryl sulfate.

The second ingredient that you should avoid when looking for a facial wash is fragrance. Many would wonder why?, isn’t it just a fragrance that makes the product smell good and that’s it?

No, Abigal Libers of howstuffworks.com says that the word ‘fragrance’ can mean a mix of hundreds of chemicals which you as the owner wouldn’t know have since it is worded as ‘fragrance.’ Your best bet is to avoid any facial products containing fragrance of any sort in the listed ingredients but if you can’t help but prefer nice smelling facial washes with a nice smell to it, Levine of Mount Sinai Hospital mentions that you can instead opt for essential oils or any botanical extracts mixed into your facial solution.

Another ingredient that you should ignore is alcohol, while some people think that it is a good thing like how when ‘you’ get a wound you’ll usually apply alcohol to help disinfect the wound to help it heal faster but that doesn’t apply to having it mixed into your facial wash to be used to cleanse your face.

It is actually the opposite and will do more harm than good for your face. According to Paula’s Choice, alcohol in facial products are used to thin facial products to make them feel lighter but if applied to your face, it can have a similar effect by drying up your face as it can be very drying and will have a much bigger impact on those who have already dry skin.

In one study, she found that the hospital workers that used alcohol-based products regularly had much dryer skin on the part that they use to touch the alcohol based product. Levine recommends avoiding these alcohol ingredients in your cleansers or facial products: isopropyl alcohol, SD alcohol 40 and ethyl alcohol.

Among all of the markets and stores, a great suggestion on where to go when shopping for your facial washes are: Trader Joe’s, Herbies, Aveda or sprouts. Hopefully these tips will help you to realize that by reading the labels and understanding what is in your face wash will help you to eliminate the issues with your skin.