Vinegar is a grandmother's remedy par excellence. Especially apple cider vinegar. And yet, it is irritating with excessive use, the smell is not very pleasant. But in some cases, the results are miraculous.
Photo by Jesper Brouwers on Unsplash
We have addressed this important subject on many occasions, because this mechanism is the most important natural mechanism managed by our skin, it protects our body from excess sweating and therefore dehydration, it regulates inflammation and at the same time time, protects the skin and our body from external aggressions, it is sebum.
So what is the connection between sebum and vinegar? Vinegar is an excellent pH regulator. Of course, that's not the only effect it has on the skin. For example, vinegar can reduce acne thanks to its anti-bacterial properties given to it by acetic acid. It is also effective in exfoliating dead cells when it contains alpha-hydroxy acids. It is also effective against itching on the scalp.
But not all of these properties are actually direct and require very precise use. Because it is indeed its role as a pH regulator which is at the origin of its magical effect. And if it is used in too large a quantity or not diluted enough, vinegar can burn or dry out the skin, because its excessive action will prevent the formation of sebum or reduce its effectiveness.
Sebum and vinegar, what are they? Sebum is a natural emulsion produced by our body and which protects our entire skin. More precisely, it is the liver which is largely responsible for the production of sebum. This is why we speak of Wood in traditional Chinese medicine. Because wood ( the green color in energetic and holistic cosmetics ) is the element that helps regulate excess sebum. When sebum is produced in excess, it is often not a skin problem, but in most cases, a behavior of the body linked to the liver.
The excess sebum produced will dry out and on the skin, this means that blackheads will appear.
Sebum, as we said previously, is an emulsion and like all emulsions, the pH plays a totally determining role in its formation and its effectiveness. If the skin does not have the right pH, sebum becomes ineffective. Your skin is then no longer protected, no longer properly hydrated and the consequences are numerous: irritation, acne, redness and blackheads, in certain cases.
The products we put on our skin that are most effective in cleaning it are basic. Marseille soap, for example, is a natural product with a basic pH. It will dissolve sebum and remove blackheads with formidable efficiency. But then, the skin which will have a pH that is too high will no longer be protected, because the sebum will not be able to reform under these conditions. To restore the correct pH, you can use vinegar which is the cosmetic equivalent of so-called acidic creams and lotions.
In professional and holistic cosmetics, where we are aware of the links between the skin and the body's mechanisms which govern its proper functioning, we will always tend, not only to use products directly at the right pH and above all products which also participate to regulate the mechanisms behind the good production of sebum, among others.
Pollution, stress, the cleaning products we use on our skin are all factors that tend to raise or distort the pH of our skin. The consequences are numerous and we will address them in future articles, but one of them is to hinder the proper production of our precious sebum. Vinegar, in some cases, therefore helps to restore an acidic pH to the surface of the skin and scalp which helps in the formation of sebum.