Learn to love the skin you’re in with this handpicked selection of the best and brightest tips for skin care. Regardless of your skin color, tone, or condition, chances are that you can find some way to improve the way you look at your own appearance. Healthy skin is moments away!
To avoid drying out your skin you should stay away from harsh chemicals and cleansers. Those cleansers with exfoliating beads can be bad, too. A gentle cleaner is all you need to wash away makeup and oil that has built up throughout the day. If you use other products with harsh chemicals, you run the risk of irritating your skin or drying it out, as they contain ingredients that can cause excessive drying or inflammation.
One of the best things you can do to protect your skin is to make sure you always use sunscreen when outdoors, even on a cloudy day. Sunscreen keeps the damaging UV rays produced by the sun from causing wrinkles. Many sunscreens also contain moisturizing agents, allowing them to serve two purposes at once.
Many people find that their skin appears blotchy and irritated immediately after a facial. To counteract redness, apply a chilled compress of chamomile or green tea to the area. You may also look for skincare products that contain aloe vera, licorice extract, or hydro-cortisone. These products are soothing and will quickly reduce inflammation.
If you have sensitive skin, don’t use a harsh exfoliating scrub on your face. An exfoliating scrub that contains granules or beads is much too hard on sensitive skin. Prepare a gentle exfoliator that contains a natural ingredient such as oatmeal. Simply mix the oatmeal with a little water and apply to the skin for 20 minutes. After rinsing with warm water, your skin will be soft and have a radiant glow. People with sensitive skin should only exfoliate once a week.
When looking for skin-care products, don’t fall for the age-based skin care marketing. Your skin is your skin, regardless of age. You may be 50 with the oily skin of a 25-year-old or vice versa. If so, you may find yourself buying products far too oily for your skin type, since the makers assume you must be drying out by now, when the last thing your oily 50-year-old face needs is MORE oil. Instead, always know your skin type and monitor that too, because it does change over time. Buy your skin products by skin rather than by age group.
Apply your products to damp skin in order to maximize absorbency and effectiveness. When you just step out of the shower (or steam room), your skin is more absorbent and sponge-like than it is when it is dry. However, there is one exception. Do not apply sunscreen with a mineral-base to damp skin. You will get uneven coverage.
Always test out skin care products before you apply them to your face. Oftentimes people apply them only to find out later that they are heavily allergic to something. Take a small sample and put some of the product on a small area of your face or the back of your wrist for testing. If you’re allergic to something, you will find out within minutes as your skin turns red or itches.
As discussed in the beginning of this article, there are many different types of skin. Fortunately, there are also just as many ways to improve, protect, and repair the overall health and appearance of your skin. Whether you are treating your face or body, you will find that reading this article was a step in the right direction.