subject: Essential Skin Care Tips [print this page] The bodys largest organ is the skin and billions of dollars each year are devoted to the thriving skin care market. From moisturizer to acne solutions to sunscreen, whatever your need there is a product to address it. There are four basic steps to caring for your skin. They are: cleanse, exfoliate, moisturize and apply sunscreen. Before you start, youll need to identify your particular skin type. Are you dry or oily? Do you have combination skin? The answer to that will determine the types of products you purchase and use to care for and protect your skin.
The first step in your skin care regimen is cleansing. Find a good cleanser aimed at your skin type that feels good when you use it and stick with it. Unlike hair, which needs to have shampoo switched up from time to time to prevent build up, skin can stick with the same cleanser forever if it floats your boat. A tip for finding a good skin cleanser is to avoid bar soaps with drying properties. After you wash your face, it should not feel dried out or tight or squeaky clean. Use warm water to rinse your face and displace any dirt or oil that has built up, then squeeze out a small amount of cleanser and lather it onto your face. Rinse and pat dry and youre good to go!
The second step in your skin care regimen is exfoliating. Exfoliating weekly will keep your skin looking fresh and dewy. You can exfoliate using a product you buy online or in a store, these are usually characterized by the word scrub in the name of the product. Or you can go the medical route with microdermabrasion or a chemical peel. The third step is moisturizing. Moisturizer keeps our skin from drying out and some contain SPF, acne fighting properties, a light tint that mimics foundation, and wrinkle fighting agents. From lathering our skin with lotion when we get out of the shower or bath, to applying a layer of moisturizer to our face in the morning and at bedtime; keeping skin moist is synonymous with looking youthful and vibrant. The final step in your skin care regimen is applying sunscreen. By now we all know we should be protecting our skin daily with a sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher. Employ these four tried and true steps and you will have glowing skin.
