Skin Care Beauty Zone

Unattractive, large pores are a part of many of our lives. Personally, if I interrupt my skin care regimen the pores in my T-zone pore can become unsightly. However, just because we were born with less than perfect skin and pores doesn’t mean we have to live with it. For a little bit of time and money, and the right skin care products, we can clear our pores and maintain a healthy-looking face.

First, we need to define our needs. Are you on a strict budget? There are skin care professionals that can work miracles, but only for the right price. Luxurious facials and pore masks from spas can also be quite expensive. However, over the counter masks and skin care products in the $30 range are very effective and affordable.

Secondly, what are your skin problems and skin type? Are you looking for clear pores? Is acne a problem? Is your skin oily or sensitive? If your problems are very serious, you should probably see a dermatologist, but most can be solved at home. After we understand our skin problems we are then able to select the best pore clearing treatment.

No matter what your skin problems or skin type, the first step to clear pores and healthy skin is a simple and inexpensive facial cleanser. Washing your face with a gentle cleanser helps remove dirt and oil from the surface of the skin. Be sure to wash your face once or twice daily for best results. You should continue this for at least a week before moving on to the next, more aggressive step.

After your regular face cleansing routine is in place, we can proceed with stronger pore clearing methods. A facial mask with kaolin or bentonite clay will clear pores and remove unsightly oil. Effective masks are available for purchase for $20 per 1 oz or even less.

The clay in a mask is a powerful, all-natural absorbent that effectively removes impurities and oil from the pores. You will feel a slight pull on your skin; this is normal. While regular use of a facial mask is likely effective on mild acne, there are masks available with additives for additional acne fighting power. Look for ingredients such as benzoyl peroxide, tea tree oil, sulfur, peppermint, or salicylic acid on the label.

If you have sensitive skin, there are facial masks with soothing additives. Look for aloe vera, chamomile, lemon grass oil, or shea butter. These ingredients will serve to moisten the skin and reduce irritation. I recommend buying a mask with some of these additives even if your skin is not overly sensitive.

It is essential that you first find out what type of skin you have to know the right skin care tip, products and techniques that will keep it glowing, radiant and beautiful. The skin is a living organ able to regenerate itself so natural procedures and materials are important to support its basic processes and functions. Effective approaches and skin care products will focus on all 3 layers for well-rounded results.

Treatment for Different Skin Types

1. Normal skin means that your skin has enough moisture and can easily adjust to various temperatures. Characteristics of normal skin would be oily skin in the T-zone, dry taut cheeks and alters with the weather or seasons. It tends to be dryer during the cold months and weather and oilier during the hot months and weather.

This is not the same as combination skin and can also be referred to as normal-to in which it can be normal to oily or normal to dry. The most useful skin care tips for this type would be application of moisturizer and alcohol-free hydrating toner all over your face.

2. Oily skin is the most common type characterized by a lot of shine and vulnerability to pimples, blackheads and whiteheads. The skin will then have coarser texture as well as larger pores should the person cleanse or take out dirt. Oily skin attracts and stores more dirt compared to dry skin.

The best skin care tip for it would be to wash your face 2 times a day with gentle non-foaming cleanser and warm water. Remove other residue by using alcohol-free hydrating toner. Do not keep washing your face throughout the day or you risk drying out your skin. Blotting sheets will help control shine in between washing.

3. Dry skin is characterized by few or non-existent breakouts, dehydration, flaking, scaling, sensitivity to the sun and lack of elasticity. This skin type is more vulnerable to cold temperature and the wind. It can easily be damaged, wounded or break due to external elements. Use rich creamy cleansers and warm water to wash your face in morning. Pat your skin dry with a towel and never rub too hard. Stay away from toners with alcohol as well as other alcohol-based products that will dry up your skin more. Wash once a day then apply toner.

Treating Special Skin Types

4. Combination skin is the presence of 2 extreme skin types on the face such as having a lot of oil and acne on a particular part while the surrounding areas are very dry. People can have a combination of dry and oily skin type so you have to treat each type just the same by area. Dry spots should be washed with creamy cleanser and warm water before using alcohol-free toner. Oily spots should be washed with non-foaming cleanser followed by alcohol-free hydrating toner. You may treat the oily skin first followed by washing the dry areas an hour later.

5. Sensitive skin is described as having allergic reactions to certain skin care products, the sun, weather and wind. Characterizing features include rashes, redness, acne, dilated capillaries and inflammation. Always rely on natural fragrance-free hypoallergenic products like cleansers, moisturizers and masks. Use these once on a daily basis. The goal is to soothe with ingredients such as rosemary, thyme, aloe vera, chamomile, bisabolol, lavender, camphor and calamine.

Additional Tips for Great Skin All-Year-Round

Skin care tips also include intake of sufficient nutrients that enhance chemical and hormone production in the body. Adequate substances in your system will ensure balance so that circulation, metabolism and other processes can deal with stress properly thereby preventing disease and skin breakouts.

Eat lots of natural foods like fruits and vegetables and drink at least 8 glasses of water to stay hydrated. Regular exercise is important in getting rid of extra water and free radicals. Sweating will eliminate toxins through your skin thereby giving you better tone and complexion. Sleep regularly at least 8 hours every night to reduce stress and soothe your skin. Stay away from cigarettes, polluted areas, alcohol and harmful drugs.

Oily skin is probably the most difficult to manage of all skin types. Your pores are clogged. Your skin is very oily in the T-zone area – nose, forehead and chin. Your face looks shiny, greasy and oily. Your face is prone to pimples, whiteheads and blackheads.

Fortunately, you can control all these symptoms through basic care of oily skin. Take note that the emphasis is on control, instead of change, since most cases of oily skin are due to genetics. This is one aspect of human life that we cannot change at the moment so coping and controlling the greasy state of affairs with the help of oily skincare products is the best that you can do.

Daily Rituals

Oily skin is more prone to bacterial infections like pimple and acne and skin problems like blackheads and whiteheads. As such, it is very necessary to adopt daily beauty rituals to protect the skin. After all, we do know about prevention being better than the cure.

Care for your skin follows the same pattern of clean, tone and moisturize, applied in caring for normal skin. The main difference is that oily skin responds well to gel-based cleansers than creams and lotions simply because the former are formulated to clean out skin pores and strip away the excess oil. It also helps to look for oily skin care products.

People with oily skin should always use a toner as part of their daily routine, unlike those with sensitive skin who must skip it. This is because the toner picks up the leftover dirt and oil that the cleansing process may have left behind. Your skin becomes oilier when the pores are clogged with accumulated dirt.

And lest you think that you don’t need a moisturizer in your daily oily care, think again. You will still need it because the cleanser and toner will strip away the skin’s natural moisture, which a moisturizer will replenish. However, don’t use the normal moisturizer as it is too heavy for your skin type. Instead, go for a light moisturizer such as a serum.

Weekly Pampering

Your oily skin also needs pampering, probably more so than normal, dry and sensitive skin. Don’t worry about spending too much money on spa visits as you can actually perform said pampering in the comfort of your own home with the right oily skincare products particularly exfoliants and masks.

As part of said weekly oily skin care, you should exfoliate 1 to 2 times per week. It will cause dead skin cells to be sloughed off, thus, bringing to the surface new skin cells that provide a healthy glow. Be careful about applying harsh strokes as this will cause skin damage and possibly lead to acne breakouts.

Also, you have to apply a facials mask on a weekly basis. The preferred type is the clay mask as it can tighten the skin pores, thus, lessening oily skin. And speaking of acne, you must also consult your dermatologist about breakouts as soon as they start. You want to prevent the red splotches from taking over your face, not to mention, the infection from spreading to other areas of the body like the chest and the back.

Believe it or not, your skin care should change with the calendar. In the warmer months, most skin types have a lot more moisture especially in humid locations. If your skin is oily you will want to use a cleanser especially for oily skin types. Toner can really help tighten pores and help to cut down on shine and oil build up throughout the day. You will still need to use a light moisturizer with an SPF. You always want to protect your skin from the sun. Dry Skin types will need a bit more moisture. You may want to continue using your favourite cleanser, but you will want to lighten up on your moisturizer, perhaps investing in a combination moisturizer will help to balance things out. The combinations formula is a less heavy on your face then a formula for dry skin types.

If you have combination skin, you will want to use your toner in the T- zone, forehead and nose area to tighten pores and reduce oil build up in those areas. Moisturize with a combination skin formula. All skin types will benefit from using a good makeup remover. Removing makeup and dirt from your pores at night will help to keep your face blemish free and pores closed. Choose the right toner for your skin type. To keep skin glowing, you will want to exfoliate with a quality product 2 times per week. In the cooler months, your skin care program should focus on moisturizing creams and cleansers, even if you have oily skin.

Oily skin also needs to retain moisture as it can become very dehydrated. Using a moisture rich mask in the winter can really help aid your skins retention of water. You may have to try a few different products to find the right combination for your skin type. Investing in a good SPF moisturizer will be most important to all types. Protecting your skin from the sun’s rays will be very important in protecting against skin cancer and premature aging. Prevention is always the best medicine. After all, the skin is the largest organ in the human body. Taking care of your skin while you are young will prove most beneficial later in life. Having regular facials, perhaps adding an herbal peel once a year, can really improve the skins over all texture and tone and keep it looking youthful and radiant in every season.

Skin Care The Natural Way

The beauty of using organic or natural ingredients for your facial masks is that they do not strip your skin of the natural oils it produces all by itself already. Most conventional skincare products that use synthetic chemicals to “help” your skin are more likely to damage your skin rather than care for it. Crazy, isn’t it?

Products that substitute healthy skin for a brief period of soft skin with the cocktail of chemicals infused in the mixture to make it foam and add fragrance makes for unhappy skin and bank balance. Face it, buying facial masks are expensive and once you start using them you have to continue to achieve the same results.

The good news is you don’t have to fork out that much when you use what nature has already given us – food! Read on to discover easy ways to nourish and care for your skin the natural way using foods like honey, avocado, banana and a few more…

First – Know Your Skin Type

This is easy to determine. There are 4 different types of skin.

Normal
Dry skin
Oily skin
Combination Skin
Sensitive skin

Your skin is affected by your age (like you didn’t know that) but it also is greatly affected by genes, stress levels, medications and diet.

To find out what type of skin you have, wash your face and dry with a clean towel. Wait for about 30 min. Remember to wash your hands before touching your face. Use a piece of rice paper and drape it over your skin. If the paper sticks in multiple places you have oily skin, if it sticks only to your T zone (your forehead and nose area) you have a combination skin and if it does not stick you have dry skin. Sensitive and sun damaged skin can be recognised by skin that has an extreme reaction to new products and which becomes easily inflamed.