SUPER SKIN IN FOUR SIMPLE STEPS

While we can all appreciate a good concealer or botox, ignoring the underlying problems by covering them up is no answer. Truly beautiful skin can only come from a good basic skin care routine.Clear, beautiful, healthy skin doesn’t just ‘happen,’ it comes effort and a good skin care routine. Surprisingly, many women today rely on cosmetics and surgical procedures to hide or repair the damage that has occurred from years of improper skin maintenance.

Most dermatologist and skin experts recommend consistently following a daily skin care routine. This does not have to be complicated or time-consuming.  Your daily routine can be performed in as little as five to ten minutes.

Four Simple Steps

* Cleanse
* Tone / Treat
* Moisturize
* Protect

A typical skin care routine includes the following steps: washing/cleansing, toning / treating (optional depending on skin type), moisturizing and sun protection.

Optimize for your skin type
The steps of the basic routine should be adjusted to fit your skin type. Your skin type may change with the season, diet and age. Skin tends to be oilier in the summer and drier in the winter. Menopause often brings about a change from oily or normal to dry skin. Conversely, a shift from a low-fat diet to that rich in certain fats (particularly essential fatty acids) may turn dry skin to normal. Skin pigmentation affects the degree to which you need sun protection. While sun damages any skin, the damage is far less in dark-skinned people. Conversely, fair skinned people need to be particularly meticulous about sun protection by minimizing sun exposure, choosing an effective sunscreen and applying it frequently and consistently.

Depending on your skin type, you may want to use your routine once in the morning and again before you sleep. Those with dry and/or sensitive skin may do better with once a day washing/cleansing while moisturizing two or more times a day. Exfoliation, to remove excess oils and prevent acne or blackheads, is also recommended in some cases, but exercise caution as daily exfoliation may be excessive and can lead to chronic irritation. Exfoliation once or twice a week is usually sufficient. Younger skin, like that in your 20’s and 30’s will have a fast natural epidermal turnover may need little to no exfoliation.

Cleansing
Cleaning facial skin is even more important than cleaning your body. Your face, unlike your body, is exposed to elements all day long. Dirt, pollution and oil from hands all accumulate on the epidermal layer and can clog pores and cause acne eruptions or inflammation. Like all skin care products, the best cleanser for you will be determined by your skin type. If you suffer from oily or acne-prone skin, you may benefit from an oil-free gel cleanser or one containing salicylic acid. Mature or dry skin will do best with a cream cleanser to help retain moisture. Once your face and neck are cleansed, rinse with lukewarm water and pat your skin lightly with a towel.

Toning / Treating
Toning can consist of using a store-bought toner, astringent or simple Witch Hazel. Toning or treating will balance the ph level of the skin and remove any residual dirt or oil not picked up from your cleanser. For those over the age of thirty, adding a well-selected treatment or two with scientifically proven active ingredients can further improve your results. Treatment can mean anything from skin rejuvenation products, skin discoloration items and oil absorbing agents to applying medicines for acne or eczema. If you suffer from multiple skin conditions, select an initial treatment aimed at the broadest improvement and then fine tune things from there.
Be aware of applying products to un-cleansed skin as the penetration of active ingredients will be greatly reduced. If you cleanse, moisturize and then apply advanced products, the penetration of active ingredients may still be reduced because the moisturizer has blocked some the entryways.

Moisturize
Moisturizers are essential to keep skin cells plump and hydrated. Hydrated skin will show fewer lines, wrinkles and imperfections. Even if you have oily or acne prone skin, you may still need some hydration. Look for gel-based moisturizers or lightweight formulations. Many medications and treatments appropriate for dealing with acne or oily skin automatically are drying. Don’t make the mistake of drastically drying out your skin until it is a challenge to repair. During the fall and winter months your skin may be even more vulnerable thanks to reduced humidity from indoor heating and excessive hot showers or baths.

Apply your moisturizer when your skin is clean, warm and still slightly moist. Since many active treatments have moisturizing ingredients, you may be able to skip a separate moisturizer. If you feel that you need additional moisturizing, wait a few minutes for the active treatments to absorb, and then apply your favorite moisturizer over it.

Protect
Wearing sunscreen or sun protection EVERY DAY is the proven best way to block harmful UV rays and diminish formation of wrinkles, skin discolorations and to reduce your chances of developing skin cancer. A good UVA+UVB sunscreen should be applied on top of your moisturizer or other treatments as a final step of your routine whenever sun exposure is expected.  Sunscreens come in a wide variety of bases, from those meant for oily skin to hydrating versions. Those with sensitivities to chemical sunscreens can choose natural Zinc Oxide formulations. Protective clothing can also now be improved thanks to new laundry treatments with UV protectant for widespread areas of the body mistakenly thought to be protected by your clothing.

Some skin care products or cosmetics contain added UV blockers, but they may not be enough, using a separate, specially formulated sunscreen is proven to be more effective.

And that’s it! Cleanse, Tone / Treat, Moisturize and Protect. Use these four simple steps to achieve beautiful, healthy skin. For a lifetime of skin care that can help leave your skin looking its very best, see your healthy skin as a clean canvass upon which to paint any improvements.

Author: Rachelle Dupree
Vivoderm Natural Skincare

Why Should I Look Out For Parabens and Sulfates? (Pt 2 of 2)

Natural Ways Of Getting Perfect Skin

Do you remember something from your childhood days when granny used to tell you what is good for the skin and what is harmful? Do you recollect her saying that drinking lot of water and avoiding going out in the sun would keep your skin looking younger for longer? Skin is the most delicate part of an individual’s persona.

Facial skin is very important and is the most vital feature of one. Keeping your skin adequately nurtured is essential to keep it younger looking for longer? The skincare products that are available in the beauty stores contain lots of harmful chemicals and they tend to further damage the skin. Beauty treatments for a fact have been going on since time immemorial. Long ago when there were no synthetic beauty products available, people used natural beauty products that were made from products from the kitchen and other natural herbs that were directly extracted from nature and crushed together in their crude form and used as it is, they used to be more beneficial as they had no chemical components in them and were safe for usage on all skin types. Natural products such as milk, milk cream, honey, yogurt, turmeric, neem, basil, clay are those products that benefit the skin keeping it naturally healthy and free from the effects of pollution and premature aging. The sun can have very damaging effects on the skin and this can be effectively treated by using a paste of tomato juice and cucumber and even potatoes! Did you ever think these things could work miracles for your skin? You only considered them as salad ingredient!

Natural facial skincare treatments are available at all parlors and salons. Skin is sensitive and you must be careful to see what touches it. Going natural is the best possible way to treat your skin to make it perfect.

Natural Facial Skin Care For You

Yearning for beautiful soft and supple skin is very common. There are very few people who are blessed with soft, supple and flawless skin. It is just a routine skin care for such people. Majority of the people do suffer from some skin problem or the other. There is constant search for natural skin products to combat most of the common problems like dryness, pimples and acne.   The product made of natural ingredients is safe, mild and extremely effective. The natural ingredient can be used directly if available nearby. The only hitch is the time which people do not seem to have and they find it convenient to buy is from a store. The process involved in making the beauty product takes time and one has no patience to prepare one and use it. Caution is required while buying the natural facial skin care product to see if all the ingredients are truly natural or not.

There are endless benefits in the usage of the natural products for skin care. Using masks is one of the ways to keep the skin soft and smooth. It works very well as an anti aging process as a mask tightens the skin on the face. There are special masks to deal with specific problems. Different compositions of natural elements are used for different problems. It is always useful to educate oneself with the benefit of various products.

Diet and life style affect the skin to a great extent. Many a times it is not realized that a very commonly used home product can cause allergy of the skin and inflammation is noticed. There are foods which can build up the skin resistance. It is best to recognize the cause and then avoid the allergy creating article from the daily life. Take help from a dermatologist to recognize the cause.

Chocolate as an Effective Facial Cleanser

Ever heard of chocolate skin care techniques? Sounds crazy! This is actually true. Chocolate is essentially an edible which is now being used an effective skin remedy. This however, is only a little definition of chocolate. Some may consider it as a cause of skin problems. Actually, this is not true as chocolate is among the top natural facial cleansers that are used to treat various skin disorders.

Chocolate is widely used for curing acne. It has great antioxidant properties which makes it suitable for all skin types. Since, it includes cocoa butter, so it delivers skin brightening properties. Products made up of chocolate can be used not only for treating acne but also for all sorts of premature aging problems. Due to its antioxidant properties, it prevents all sorts of skin troubling radicals that can cause damage to skin’s collagen, protein and elastin. Such nutrients are very much required for maintaining skin’s healthy texture.

Chocolate also exfoliates skin naturally. Facial masks prepared with chocolate are used for removing dead cells and stimulate regeneration of skin cells as well. This also helps in skin hydration which is important to maintain skin’s natural pH balance. It is widely used as a natural moisturizer as it has the capability to make skin soft and supple without disturbing its natural moisture content. With so many benefits, it can safely be used for securing a rejuvenating skin. A chocolate body wrap can also be used for relaxing the entire body by deep cleansing, exfoliating, toning and moisturizing.

This is a natural product used in various skin treatments. Due to so many benefits related with it, chocolate has become the foremost choice among all beauty salons. The only consideration to be made is that all these qualities are present in dark chocolate only. So, if you also want to have a sparkling skin texture then don’t just eat chocolate, apply it also.

Treat your Skin Gently with Natural Facial Skincare

Organic beauty products will always stand high over the synthetic topical creams regardless of the advancement in the field of cosmetic industry. The benefits of natural facial skincare can literally go on endlessly. Glossy synthetic products may look irresistible on first sight but you must not be duped by the striking packing and coaxing advertising. Yes, these chemical-based products do produce fleeting results but what if you stop using them? The moment you stop their usage, you get back to exactly where you’d started from! So, what is the idea behind using these synthetic beauty products?

Natural skincare products provide motherly care to the skin. Natural beauty products that use ingredients from genuine biodynamic cultivations are actually really helpful in regenerating dead skin cells.

These organic beauty products come in different variations. Natural face masks are really effective. Likewise, natural scrubs, natural anti aging formula, organic anti wrinkle cream, natural cleansers and moisturizers are very common. Unlike chemical-based beauty products, natural skincare products do not cause skin dryness. Natural ingredients used in organic products produce no side effects and as such there is no apparent harm in using them. These products in fact make you appear much younger than your actual age. There is absolute worth in using organic beauty products.

Both natural and synthetic beauty products work to achieve same results. Their approach is however different. While natural skincare products help you to achieve long term effects, synthetic beauty products will only show momentary effects.

Before purchasing natural skincare products, a person must however be cautious as regards the ingredients. You must only buy those natural cosmetic products that are made up of high-grade natural constituents. You will obviously have to examine different suppliers to be able to judge that. Product quality is something that you can’t compromise on. Right?

Want A Beautiful Skin? Come In The Lap Of Nature!

Unhealthy diet and inadequate skincare are the two reasons that lead to unhealthy skin. If you desire a flawless skin, you must pay heed to both diet and skincare.

Natural skincare helps to promote beautiful and healthy skin. There is absolutely no need to spend a fortune on chemical-based cosmetics that are flooding the market. Of course not all of them are ineffective. There are many genuine and unadulterated beauty products available in the market as well. The all-natural beauty and bath products are however unmatched.

There are a numerous creams sailing in the stores with the label ‘natural’. A prospective consumer needs to double-check if the product is genuinely natural or not.

Primarily natural skincare products are made from natural plant oils, herbs, fruit extracts and essential oils. There are many antibiotic and antimicrobial natural products that can work wonders on a damaged skin. These are specifically designed to battle all major skin problems. The right blend of ingredients makes the skin supple, youthful and radiant.

Natural cosmetics are free from all side effects. You will yourself find the difference in your skin texture within a few days of use of natural beauty enhancing natural products.

If your skin is acne prone, you will find 100% natural skincare and beauty products to be even more useful. The regular over-the-counter cosmetic products usually further deteriorate acne skin. Natural products are known to work gently on affected skin.

Natural skincare is especially apt in anti aging. Most anti aging products proclaim to contain collagen. Actually collagen molecules are way too big to seep down into the skin. Instead a person must look out for those products that help to rouse natural collage production.

Natural skincare products undoubtedly stand head and shoulders above all other cosmetic products. Come in the lap of nature and see how Mother Nature works wonders for your skin!

Natural Way To Facial Skincare

We can actually go endless on the benefits of natural facial skincare. Women, by nature, fall for glossy creams and lotions. They have been falling prey to such harsh mix of chemicals since long. It is only after using and losing from these over-the-counter products that they realize the unworthiness of these so called beauty creams and solutions. No, we do not mean to say that all those creams that the store shelves are teeming with are worthlessness. No, not all are bad but yes many of them are and you may have no clue how badly they can react to the skin.

Natural facial skincare products act mildly on the skin. They are unbeatable and rather magical mix of constituents that add vigor and vivacity to the facial skin. Natural skincare products are made from naturally available products so it makes sense to use the natural products directly. Some people however keep utterly busy and do not have the time and energy to go through the hassle of making a so called ‘Beauty product’ at home and hence they find it convenient to buy readymade facial mix. As long as the product is ‘All natural’ in true sense of the word, it is okay.

For those who have ample time to experiment with various gifts of nature, here is some aid-

There are many natural ways to expedite collagen production for example sea kelp, zinc, algae, magnesium and ascorbic acid. Likewise there are many natural emollients like glycerin, Aloe Vera, Shea butter and many more. Oatmeal, banana, strawberry, essential plant oils, beeswax, floral wax, honey, papaya, fine salt, Aloe Vera and turmeric are amongst those hundreds of naturally availably effective beauty enhancers.

Apart from this, a person desiring a healthy and glowing skin must pay adequate attention towards one’s diet and lifestyle.

Natural Skincare For A Naturally Glowing Skin

You must have often heard of people complaining about synthetic skin creams and other beauty products available over-the-counter. You should not for a moment, think that all readymade facial creams and lotions are allergy causing. Some are, indeed very benefitting but how does one go about searching such ‘skin friendly’ beauty creams? It is always good to be on the safer lane by opting for either herbal beauty lotions/creams or better still homemade or naturally available beauty herbs for skincare.

Not all, but a major chunk of products that pronounce themselves to be ‘effective’ contain irritation causing elements like mineral oil and lanoline. Let alone erasing scars, as harmful elements as these can furthermore worsen your soft facial skin thereby causing rashes, irritation, marks and acne.

Treating your skin in a herbal way can be done either at home or got done from a professional in a beauty salon. If you choose to get it done from somebody else, you must clearly explain it out to the facial doer as to what all elements give you irritation. Howsoever sensitive your skin may be, you can always go in for exfoliating your facial skin once in a while. Proper hydration of skin is necessary, no matter what the kind of skin type is.

Intake of omega 3, zinc, vitamins and proteins will bring a natural radiance on your face. It is, as such, equally important, rather more important to eat well. Natural beauty that comes from deep within has no comparison, without doubt!

Then it is required from you that you take care of your skin as per the season. For example winters, autumn and dry days demand a little more skincare. Proper eating and proper skincare can make you look and feel much younger than what you actually are. Beautiful skin comes from beautiful skincare!

Natural Facial Skin Protection from the Sun

Zinc Sun Care and Summer Skin

Summer is rapidly approaching and it is time to once again stock up on sunscreens and hats. Sunrays can have a detrimental effect on the skin, so it is very important to protect the skin from too much sun exposure. Sun damage to the skin can show up almost immediately and will also appear over time. Different sunrays have different effects on the skin. A great way to remember the difference is by the letter A or B. UVA rays or ‘aging rays’ cause wrinkles, pigmentation and cancer. UVB rays or ‘burning rays’ are the rays that cause a tan and sunburn. These rays also age the skin but do not penetrate as deep as UVA rays.

To protect the skin from harmful sun exposure it is important to use a sunscreen that has both UVA and UVB protection. These sunscreens are commonly known as dual spectrum sunscreens. It is also important to check for ingredients that absorb and block sunrays. Ingredients such as oxybenzo absorb sunrays while zinc oxide actually blocks the rays. It is also important to look for sunscreens that are non comedogenic and non acnegenic which means that the sunscreen will not clog pores or promote acne. A SPF or sun protection factor of 15 or higher is recommended. A generous application is needed in order to attain protection; most people do not apply sunscreen liberally enough.

The SPF indicates how long you can be exposed to the sun before burning. For example, if your skin will burn within 10 minutes of sun exposure with no sun protection you can be exposed to the sun for 150 minutes with a sun protection factor of 15 before burning.

To estimate how long you can be exposed to the sun before burning, multiply the probable time you can be exposed to the sun with no sun protection before burning and multiply it by the SPF on the label of the sunscreen. Multiple applications throughout the day are necessary in order to be protected, and it is recommended to reapply every two hours, as sweating and water activities may rub off the sun screen. Sunscreens do more than just protect skin from burning, so reapplication is necessary to shield the skin from other harmful damage like premature age spots, wrinkles and fine lines.

Sunscreen Application

Regular sunscreen use will protect the skin from burning, premature aging and possible skin cancer. It is important to make sunscreen use as much a part of your daily routine as brushing your teeth. As summer is approaching it is even more important to wear sunscreen as the sunrays are stronger and more harmful during this time of year.

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