This article is from the book, Herbs for Health and Healing , by Kathi Keville and Peter Korn. To send a link and summary of this article to a friend, click here .
Healthy skin begins as clean skin.
Cleansing is important to remove dirt, dust, excess facial oil and makeup from your face. No matter what your skin type, I recommend using as little soap as possible. For this reason, they have a tendency to alter the skin's natural acidic barrier, which keeps out harmful, infection-causing agents. Ideally, skin should regain its acidity soon after you wash it, but this is not always the case. Diluted vinegar and other toners and even oatmeal make good alternative cleansers.