In many drug stores and beauty boutiques, you’ll find the shelves fully packed with products that are helpful for skin rejuvenation and protection. These products perform many tasks including moisturizing, plumping, and exfoliation.

Even more telling is what these products have in common: they all work to improve the outermost layer of the body, better known as the skin barrier.

What is the skin barrier and its purpose? What damages the skin barrier?

Throughout this article, we’ll specifically provide answers to these questions and share the necessary steps needed to restore and protect this incredibly crucial defensive layer of the skin.

Information about the Skin Barrier and Its Purpose

Our skin consists of different layers. Each of these layers has a specific function that it provides in an effort to keep the body protected.

First is the outermost layer, also known as the stratum corneum. A good way to describe the outer layer of the skin is to call it a brick wall. Why? The corneocyte skin cells are tough, and like mortar-like lipids, they remain bound together to form the skin barrier.

Natural moisturizers and keratin are also located within the brick-like skin cells. And within the lipid layer, we find ceramides, fatty acids, and cholesterol.

Whether you realize it or not, this tough layer of skin is what allows us to remain alive. If it didn’t exist, we’d otherwise suffer from negative effects from harmful pathogens and environmental toxins that could cause chaos within the body.

Furthermore, water would evaporate from the body and cause massive dehydration if we didn’t have a skin barrier. Ultimately, the skin barrier is an essential part of excellent health and to keep it functioning properly, it must be protected.

Pure Nilotica Melt is an excellent skin barrier protectant. It’s 100% organic and made from cold-pressed Nilotica. This luxurious balm-to-oil is not only a superfood for the skin, but it also protects, brightens, and hydrates the skin because it contains potent vitamin A, E + K, allantoin, and skin barrier protecting fatty acids.

Conditions That Can Cause Damage to the Skin Barrier

Our skin is confronted by a plethora of different threats every day. Many of these potential damaging conditions are located outside of the body, but some of them come from within as well.

The biggest internal and external skin barrier threats include:

• pollutants, irritants, and allergens
• excessive exposure to the sun
• alkaline soaps and detergents
• harsh chemical exposure
• staying in a too dry or too humid environment
• excessive washing and exfoliation
• steroids
• genetic conditions including psoriasis and atopic dermatitis

The Acid Mantle and Its Role in Skin Health

The barrier of the skin is intentionally somewhat acidic. Better known as the acid mantle, this acidity presents a buffer against the growth of fungi, viruses, and bacteria that can create damage to the skin, lead to infections, and even more negative skin problems.

In particular, it’s an absolute must to keep the acid mantle protected for wounds, because the acidity in the skin is needed to create biological interactions that boost the healing process.

In some cases, various health conditions can change the skin’s acidity and create a weaker buffer. Using skin care products that protect that acidity level can help.

Crème Du Nil is a great product in this regard. It contains a lightweight formula consisting of natural alpha hydroxy acids for gentle exfoliation, essential fatty acids for moisturization, antioxidants for anti-inflammatory purposes, and vitamins to protect, brighten, and repair the skin.

Determining If Your Skin Barrier Experienced Damage

With an improperly functioning skin barrier, there is greater potential to develop unwanted skin conditions and symptoms that include:

• feeling itchy
• excessive acne
• inflamed or sensitive areas of the skin
• skin infections including: fungal, viral, or bacterial
• discolored rough patches
• scaly and dry skin

The Best Techniques to Restore and Protect Your Skin Barrier

Since maintaining the acid mantle and skin barrier is so important, you need to take steps to make sure they remain functional and healthy.

Our favorite strategies to accomplish this task include:

Creating a Simplified Skin Care Routine

Is your daily skin regimen complicated and does it contain too many products? Believe it or not, this might be what weakens your skin barrier, especially if those products contain harsh ingredients.

As an alternative, talk to a dermatologist or skin care professional to find out about the most effective and essential products for your skin.

Replenish Your Skin Barrier with Plant Oil

According to research from 2018, certain plant oils can fix the skin barrier, prevent moisture loss, and help maintain the skin's pH levels. A number of these oils provide antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial effects as well. 

By helping the acid mantle of the skin to maintain a pH level near 5.7, the skin is protected from candida albicans, acne, ichthyosis, and dermatitis to name a few unwanted conditions.

Plant oils that are most effective include:

• almond oil
• argan oil
• borage oil
• jojoba oil
• rosehip oil
• brazil nut oil

You can use plant oils on your skin in many ways. Apply lotions and creams that contain these essential oils as ingredients. Or put a tiny amount of the oil into your palm and massage your skin gently until absorption is achieved.

Use Skin Barrier Protecting Moisturizers Containing Nilotica

Moisturizers are an excellent choice for the skin because they protect against water loss and even improve skin barrier function. The best moisturizers to accomplish this task that we’ve come across contain Nilotica. Our top recommendations include:

• Pure Nilotica Melt – this product contains Nilotica in 100% cold pressed pure organic form. This potent melt not only helps to reverse signs of aging, but also brightens, hydrates, and protects the skin and accelerates the healing of scars and sunburn too.
• Crème Du Nil – this effective daily moisturizer contains powerful plant-based ingredients from the Nile River valley. The lightweight formula contains potent but gentle natural alpha hydroxy acids and essential fatty acids that possess nourishing vitamins and anti-inflammatory properties to brighten and protect the skin.

Final Thoughts

The skin barrier constantly defends the body from environmental threats and maintains proper water balance. It’s possible to repair and protect the skin barrier by using the best skin care products, ideally with a suitable pH balance. These moisturizers should contain ingredients that act as a skin barrier seal to retain moisture.

Treat your skin to the best, natural, plant-based products to ensure skin barrier protection and a glowy, healthy complexion.