Your Guide To Healthy Skin

Skin care need not be a difficult or expensive task. You should take care of your skin on a daily basis. Good nutrition, exercise, rest and staying out of the sun are the foundation to healthy looking skin.

People have many different problems with their skin ranging from oiliness, dryness, acne, to aging and wrinkling. All these issues can be easily managed with a daily skin care routine. Begin by obtaining a good three step system consisting of a facial cleanser, a toner or astringent and a moisturizing lotion. You may also want a facial mask or scrub depending on your skin's condition. Begin by washing your face with the facial cleanser. This removes dirt, oil and makeup that have accumulated on your skin for the past twelve hours. Also dead skin cells will be sloughed away in this step. Many common ingredients in facial soaps are sesame, palm and coconut oils. These work with the oils in your skin and do not disrupt the pH balance. Washing your face with a body soap or some other type of soap will induce wrinkling because of the disturbed pH balance. These soaps are often very acidic.

Refining your pores with astringent or a toner is the second step in a daily skin care routine. This will tighten skin and restore elasticity. Toners also add a protective shield to your skin cells. Small traces of oils and makeup that were left on the skin after washing is removed in this step. Witch hazel, lemon and honey are common ingredients in toners. Witch hazel may be a little drying. If dryness occurs switch to rose water which is more moisturizing. Also chamomile tea that has cooled can be mixed with other essential oils like lavender to create an all natural toner.

Moisturizing the skin will prevent wrinkles in the future. A good facial moisturizer will leave the skin feeling soft and give the appearance a lush glow. Please do not leave this step out if you have oily skin. Even oily skin needs moisture. Jojoba oil, Vitamin E, aloe plant and rose water are commonly found in facial moisturizers. It is a good idea to use moisturizer with SPF 15 or higher to decrease exposure to the sun. The sun's rays are one of the best ways to damage your skin. The elastic tissues in your skin deteriorate very quickly when exposed to the sun. This is the root cause of premature ageing. Free radicals are produced when your skin is exposed to sunlight for extended periods of time. These free radicals are a major cause of skin cancer. Age spots develop over time without the daily use of SPF 15 or higher.

Cigarette smoke is also very damaging to your skin cells. Cigarettes are the only product currently sold that is meant to kill. Obviously they do this over time, but they do kill the body one cell at a time. Skin cells around the mouth are the first ones usually to wrinkle. People who smoke almost always start wrinkling at an earlier age than those who do not smoke. If you smoke now it is a good idea to stop and try to avoid areas with heavy smoke. For those who do not smoke, avoiding areas with heavy smoke in the air is also a good idea. Recent studies suggest that second hand smoke can be worse than smoking yourself. Your skin will thank you for this and you can be looking young into your fifties and sixties.

Applying vitamins topically can be good for your skin, but eating them is just as essential to healthy looking skin. Your body needs at least seven servings of fruits and vegetables every day to get enough vitamins and minerals to fight free radicals on your skin. Drinking water is also an excellent way to hydrate your skin.

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