Your skin is your armor, your shield from the elements. Yet when was the last time you really thought about what you need to do to take care of it? Throughout your life, genetic and environmental factors will cause a lot of wear and tear to your skin.Your skin is your armor, your shield from the elements. Yet when was the last time you really thought about what you need to do to take care of it? Throughout your life, genetic and environmental factors will cause a lot of wear and tear to your skin. But you are never too young or too old to start taking care of your skin. In fact, skin care and protection should be an essential part of your health, fitness, and beauty regime. If you take care of your skin, your skin will take care of you!
Skin care problems are often the result of poor nutrition. Our bodies require a delicate balance of nutrients in order to keep everything functioning properly, especially the skin. Vegetarians and vegans often run into dry skin issues as a result of not consuming enough animal fats in their diet. A vitamin B12 deficiency will cause your oil glands (sebaceous glands) to function improperly, generally leading to acne.
Cleansing is the first thing in facial skin care routine. Cleansing helps in removing dust, pollutants, grease and extra oil from your skin, thereby preventing damage to your skin. Just spot your face and neck with a good cleansing lotion or cream and gently massage it into your skin using upward strokes. Use a soft face tissue or cotton wool to wipe your face in a gentle patting fashion (do not rub).
Eating good quality, unprocessed foods such as fruits, grains, vegetables, some dairy and lean meat, will help you to provide the skin with the nutrients it requires to keep performing its vital functions. Your skin needs vitamins, minerals, trace elements, amino acids, etc., to function properly and while some natural skin care products do provide many of these nutrients, there is no substitute for nutrients gained from high quality food.
Keep your skin moist at all times. This is one of the most important skin care tip. Don't let your skin get dry. Dryness causes the outer layer of your skin to break, leading to a rough and unattractive appearance. Use moisturisers/emollients. Moisturisers work best when applied while the skin is still damp.Avoid the use of soap on your face. Soap should only be used from below the neck. A small but important skin care tip.
Sensitive skin care:
Use sensitive skin care products only (i.e. the products that are marked for sensitive skin care only). Also, check the instructions/ notes on the product to see if there are specific restrictions/warnings associated with the product). Even within the range of sensitive skin care products, choose the one that has minimum preservatives, colourings and other additives. Do not use toners. Most of them are alcohol based and are not recommended for sensitive skin. Wear protective gloves when doing laundry or other chemical based cleaning. If you are allergic to rubber, you can wear cotton gloves below the rubber ones.
Natural oily skin care made with natural ingredients is much better than using harsh products containing chemicals that may irritate your skin. In fact, chemical skin care products can often promote a serious oily skin condition called Seborrhea. In Seborrhea, the oil glands below the surface of the skin over produce oil to compensate for the loss of skin moisture through the use of chemical skin care products that over dry. The top layer shrivels due to the dehydration promoted by the chemical skin care product. It restricts the oil flow from the oil glands, which clogs pores and promotes acne. Natural oily skin care made with recipes using natural ingredients is best for oily skin and will help you avoid the condition of Seborrhea.