Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs)

In the following article we will attempt to shed some light into these questions and give you all the information you need to make an informed choice.

Alpha Hydroxy Acids: Do they belong in natural skin care products?

What are they?

How are they useful to our skin?

Are they a natural ingredient in skin care?

Alpha hydroxy acids (AHA's) are Fruit acids, which are weak organic acids derived from various sources such as, grapes, apples, sugar cane, maple, pineapple, papaya, willow bark, lemon, lime, sour milk, blackberries, yoghurt and cider, and play an important role in skin care.
Fruit acids are natural exfoliants that perform a number of functions at the level of the stratum corneum on the skin's surface:

Loosen and dissolve dead cells from the skin's surface

Help to regenerate new skin cells,

Aid in the control of acne, smooth rough dry skin, improve the texture of sun-damaged and aging skin and

Retain moisture, which leaves your skin healthy and vibrant.

Naturally contained AHA's are basically a good thing, unfortunately, many companies are using concentrated extracts, or worse still, synthetically manufactured AHA's or BHA's (beta hydroxy acids), and that is not a good thing.
When scientists comes across a 'new substance', so to speak, they have a tendency to want to make it better than nature's version? more concentrated for quicker results? and so on. Unfortunately, this usually brings with it side effects and sometimes actual physical damage.

A natural ingredient ? just what exactly does that mean?

Does it mean it is a substance that nature created and it has been added to a product in order to make that product natural? No, a natural ingredient is an ingredient that is, where ever possible, present in it's natural form, for example AHA's can be extracted and then added to a product, thereby the maker of that product can claim it contains 'Natural ingredients'. Or the AHA's can be use in a product in the form of an extract of Papaya with all the other ingredients present in Papaya fruit. This is a more balanced set of ingredients that work together (synergistically) to achieve a desired effect, thus it is a truly natural ingredient.

Let me give you an example: Aspirin (a very commonly used pain killer) is derived from the bark of the white Willow tree. The substance or the active ingredient is called Salicylic acid, a BHA. This is the stuff that reduces pain. It is also the stuff that can cause Stomach ulcers?.

Now, the herbal extract of the white Willow bark does not (or is much less likely to) cause Stomach ulcers. Why? Because the herbal extract contains many other ingredients that are contained in the bark, which the extraction process brings out. Some of these substances are mucilaginous (Porridge is mucilaginous) which means they are slippery and when taken internally, they cover the membrane of the Stomach (the lining) and prevent the salicylic acid from causing irritation or ulceration ? clever, isn't she, that Mother Nature woman?

Sometimes you will hear these additional ingredients referred to as "phyto-chemicals". This is very current topic today with respect to Vitamins and other 'natural' supplements.

What does all this have to do with natural skin care? Well, as I have written before. Natural skin care is not necessarily natural and one could debate back and forth what 'natural' is, or what it should be. One thing is certain, natural skin care products should not contain any 'un-natural' ingredients, be they synthetically produced or in 'purified / isolated form'. Natural should be as close as possible to the way it is found in nature.

That is not to say one should not use Vitamin E as a principal ingredient in a cream, but it should not be of a synthetically derived form. Wheat germ oil, for example, is very high in Vitamin E and contains many other phyto-chemicals, which are nourishing to the skin.

At Wildcrafted Herbal Products we choose to define natural as 'the way nature created it', so we prefer not to use isolated natural ingredients. Instead, we choose to use ingredients from plant extracts, essential oils, carrier oils and other extraction processes according to Naturopathic principles, which preserve the integrity of the plant or relevant plant parts.

I hope this clarifies some of the confusion that is propagated in the media about AHA's and provides you with information you can use when next looking at ingredients on natural skin care products .

About The Author

Danny Siegenthaler is a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine and together with his wife Susan, a medical herbalist and Aromatherapist, they have created Natural Skin Care Products by Wildcrafted Herbal Products to share their 40 years of combined expertise with you.

Wildcrafted Herbal Products' natural skin care range is suitable for men and women and contains only pure, natural ingredients, formulated according to Naturopathic and Aromatherapy principles.

Join our Natural Skin Care Newsletter ? it's fun, free and Informative and you receive a free eBook on natural skin care.

© Copyright: Wildcrafted Herbal Products 2005

---

Buying Home Whitening Kits like Whitestrips

Tired of stained, yellow teeth? Want to give yourself a... Read More

New Sources of Hyaluronic Acid Provide Hope for Increased Availability

Recent research into the purification of Hyaluronic acid (HA) from... Read More

How to Co-Wash Natural Black Hair

If you wear your hair natural, you are probably familiar... Read More

Beautiful Eyes

Beautiful skin care starts with what people notice first. Eyes... Read More

Importance of Your Skins pH

One of the most important roles of our skin is... Read More

Chemical Peels

Generally, chemical peels can be arranged into three categories of... Read More

Create A Home Spa

Here are 10 personal little home spa tips that will... Read More

Looking for New Hair Styles or a Completely Different Look?

Maybe you need a Gia Makeover.When it comes to hair... Read More

Understanding The Dangers Of Tanning Beds

When it comes to getting a tan in a tanning... Read More

What the Peat Bog People Can Tell Us About Beauty

Over the past centuries, remains of many hundreds of people--... Read More

Living Water

A wellness of beauty for mind, body & spiritby Cathy... Read More

Skin Care Secrets ? You Can Have Beautiful Skin

Your skin is the largest organ of your body, just... Read More

Color Contact Lenses for Light Eyes - What Works Best?

You may ask why a person with naturally blue or... Read More

5 DIY Anti-aging Tactics

Do you want your life story to be a long... Read More

Natural Skin Care Products - Why Natural Ingredients Work Best on Skin

Natural skin care products seem to be on the rise... Read More

Self Tanning - Tips for Getting the Best Results

Self tanning products are becoming more and more popular, many... Read More

The Cost of Dental Implants

As a form of elective surgery, the cost of dental... Read More

Beauty Sleep

Beauty SleepThe health and beauty of a good night's sleep... Read More

Effective Ways To Remove Dark Cicles Under Eyes

Dark circles under the eyes are known to be signs... Read More

Boost your Natural Beauty

Make your hair shine and your skin glow with these... Read More

New Hair Styles for 2005 - Summer Hair Trend

A variety of hair styles, colors, and trends are growing... Read More

Fashionable Mom

You're a mom and you're still thinking about being 'fashionable'?... Read More

Lip Magic: Tips for Lips

As we get older our lips get smaller and thinner... Read More

Effects of Tanning Beds - Is it a Boon or a Bane?

Tanning beds - a boon or a bane? That is... Read More

Cosmetics Giant Touts Beauty, Power of Hyaluronic Acid

Cosmetics giant Estée Lauder has jumped on the hyaluronic acid... Read More

What is Spray Tanning?

Spray tanning is a relatively new method of sunless tanning.... Read More

Massive Weight Loss Causes Turkey Waddle for WLS Patients

A friend of mine who recently lost nearly 150 pounds... Read More

7 Tips to Help You Avoid Buying a Destructive Soap or Cleanser if You Have a Skin Problem

Psoriasis, dermatitis, eczema, and any other skin problems are irritated... Read More

Beauty Secrets of the Stars

It comes as no surprise that many of the most... Read More

Get Free Cosmetic Samples Just for Completing Offers

There's almost nothing more irritating than buying a lot of... Read More

What Diet Your Skin Needs: Find Out!

There is no denying the fact that appropriate diet not... Read More

Color Contact Lenses - Do They Work on Dark Eyes?

Do you want to change dark eye color to something... Read More

The Secret To A Good Tan Is In The Bulb

The secrets out! Tanning bed bulbs in salon tanning beds,... Read More