Have you ever finished a long, strenuous hike only to reward yourself with an electrolyte-rich drink? Maybe you’ve wondered what the deal is with electrolytes by asking yourself if they have any real benefits or wondering what they even are. After all, most product labels that feature electrolytes rarely give us any insight into what they do or why we need them. This becomes even more confusing when you notice that electrolytes can also be used in face care formulas.
To better understand electrolytes benefits for your skin and health and why your body needs them to run at its optimal performance, keep reading:
What Are Electrolytes?
Electrolytes are special substances in your body that carry a unique electrical charge. They’re important for a lot of bodily functions as they’re known to regulate fluid balance, nerve signaling, and muscle contractions. To better understand electrolytes, think of your body as a complex electrical system full of colored wires that lead to different places.
Similar to how these wires conduct electricity, your body’s cells use electrolytes to carry tiny electrical signals, which are crucial for your heart to beat, your muscles to move, and your nerves to communicate with each other. The most notable electrolytes in your body are sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, chloride, and phosphate.
These electrolytes can be found in the fluids that are inside and outside your cells (think blood). When you take a sweaty jog up a tall hill, hit up the slopes for some skiing, or even just breathe, for example, your body loses some of these electrolytes. This is why you’ll often see drink labels mention phrases like “replenish the electrolytes you’ve lost throughout the day.”
Hydration and Your Skin’s Moisture Barrier
Electrolytes benefits are plenty. In fact, they’re key for both skin health and hydration. Skin hydration is the water content within the layers of your skin. If your skin is well-hydrated then it’ll appear plump, smooth, and young-looking; hydrated skin is also able to perform its natural functions successfully, like regulating your temperature and protecting your skin.
There are two main factors that contribute to your skin’s hydration levels:
- External Factors: These include environmental conditions like humidity, temperature, and exposure to taxing elements (AKA the wind and sun).
- Internal Factors: These are related to your body's overall hydration level and the functioning of your skin's natural moisture barrier (more on this below).
The moisture barrier, also known as the skin's lipid barrier or acid mantle, is a thin, protective layer on the surface of your skin that’s made of natural oils, fatty acids, and other lipids. This barrier is key to your skin’s health because it prevents water loss by curbing dry skin, along with protecting your skin from pollutants and maintaining its pH level.
Can Electrolytes Be Absorbed Through the Skin?
Can electrolytes be absorbed through the skin to reap electrolytes benefits? The short answer is yes. Your skin, while mighty, valiant, and strong, is not a completely impermeable barrier; it allows certain substances to pass, like electrolytes and squalane.
The main principle behind electrolyte-infused face care products is a thing called transdermal absorption, which is a fancy way to say absorption through the skin. Basically, when these formulations come into contact with your skin, they can replenish and hydrate deeply.
Factors that can influence the absorption of electrolytes through your skin include:
- Concentration: Higher amounts of electrolytes in face care products can kick absorption into high gear.
- Skin Integrity: The condition of your skin matters. Healthy skin can absorb electrolytes easier than damaged skin (think cut, scratched, burned, or sun-damaged skin).
- Skin Thickness: Different areas of your body have varying skin thickness (thick areas are your feet and palms, while thin areas are your under-eyes and lids), which can affect electrolyte absorption rates. Thinner skin may have optimal electrolyte absorption.
Electrolytes Benefits for the Skin
You’re probably most familiar with seeing electrolytes printed on your drink bottle labels or maybe you’ve chatted to your doc about them. Either way, you likely know electrolytes as a do-good ingredient and associate them with maintaining bodily functions for optimal health. However, electrolytes benefits include some cool things they can do for your skin, too, such as:
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- Hydration: Electrolytes like sodium, potassium, and magnesium are great for maintaining proper fluid balance within your body. When applied to your skin or consumed in a drink, they can help keep your skin hydrated and prevent all-around dehydration, which is crucial for maintaining skin elasticity and a healthy, youthful look.
- Improved Barrier Function: Electrolytes can support your skin's natural barrier function by locking in moisture. This can help prevent water loss, leading to smooth, strong skin that can tackle anything. If you want to learn more about how electrolytes can improve your barrier function, check out the above sections.
- Calming and Soothing: Certain electrolytes, such as magnesium and calcium, are proven to have calming and soothing effects on the skin. Magnesium, especially, is known to relax your muscles and soothe irritation, which could benefit conditions like eczema and dermatitis (common skin irritations).
- Mineral Support: Calcium and magnesium are electrolyte minerals that are important for a ton of cellular processes in your skin. Calcium plays a role in cell turnover and differentiation, while magnesium is involved in enzyme activity and skin repair, for example. All of these things can lead to healthy skin that’s fueled by nature’s strength.
- Reduced Muscle Tension: Using electrolyte-rich face care might help reduce muscle tension and discomfort, which can indirectly contribute to your skin’s health by promoting relaxation and improved blood circulation.
- pH Regulation: Some electrolytes, like bicarbonate ions, play a role in regulating the pH levels of your body. Maintaining a proper pH balance is important for healthy skin function and preventing issues like oily skin or acne associated with oily skin.
- Antioxidant Properties: Certain electrolytes, such as selenium and zinc, possess antioxidant properties that can help protect your skin cells from oxidative stress and damage caused by environmental factors like pollution and UV rays.
Get Electrolytes Benefits With the MOX Mineral Hydrating Mist
Get electrolytes in just one spray with the MOX Mineral Hydrating Mist; it’s created by a pharmacist and is trusted by athletes and goal-getters all across America. Need some hydration before bed after a long jaunt through the hiking trails? Or maybe your skin is craving moisture after a warm morning shower? Simply spritz the mist onto your skin and there you have it – strong, fortified skin that’s hydrated and can healthily take on anything life throws at you.
Some key features of the MOX Mineral Hydrating Mist:
- It’s a potent mineral hydrator that helps invigorate and hydrate for young, healthy-looking skin.
- Features fulvic and colloidal minerals that are known to enhance your skin’s activity by boosting skin cell and fibroblast functions. This basically means that they can aid in faster healing and foster overall skin wellness by reducing the visibility of wrinkles, fine lines, and even acne.
- Fulvic acid and colloidal minerals can also offer you strong antioxidant advantages by shielding your skin from environmental stressors like damaging UV rays and fluctuating temperatures.
- Additionally, it contains polyelectrolytes and hyaluronic acid that can oxygenate your cells and boost your skin’s moisture content.
- Works cell-deep by delivering good-for-you vitamins and nutrients with each spray.
Check out these reviews from happy customers of the MOX Mineral Hydrating Mist:
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