Being the largest, not to mention most exposed, organ of the body, the skin offers many telling details about a person?s identity?from one?s lifestyle to choice of products. This is why the skin has been subject to frequent, sometimes intentional, scrutiny. And for fear of failing the test, a lot of people have paid much closer attention to the skin. This is purely normal; in fact, proper skin care should be in the mind of every individual. This doesn?t mean, however, incorporating complex skin care routine in daily itineraries, because practicing skin care basics should do well enough.
Here are the four basics of skin care. Do them with regularity and your skin will look as radiant and young as you want it to.
1. Cleanse. A healthy skin is a clean skin, so regularly cleanse your skin with a compatible facial cleanser. A good cleanser removes dirt, excess oil, and germs, while being gentle on the skin. When choosing a cleanser, consider your type of skin and be extra critical. Some cleansers come in the form of soaps, others in liquid form. There are beauty experts who prefer using liquid cleansers since they believe soaps can strip off moisture from the skin and leave it dry. However, this is an issue of personal preference. Should you be more comfortable using soap, it?s okay. But be sure to choose mild soaps.
TIP: Do not over-wash your skin because it will do your skin more harm than good. At the most, wash your face twice?morning and night. Some people prefer to wash with only lukewarm water in the morning, and use cleanser at night. Again, whether you omit the cleanser from your morning routine is an issue of preference.
2. Moisturize. The goal of moisturizers is to keep moisture locked into the skin, preventing it to be dry, flaky, and cracked. Every skin type needs to be moisturized, even the oily skin. Good thing is, there are specially designed moisturizers for each skin type.
TIP: Because of the advanced science, moisturizers today are a far cry from their early counterparts, which used to be only made of water and wax mixtures. Nowadays, there are ingredients that replenish natural oil and help with exfoliation, such as glycerol, ceramides, and hydroxyl acids. Look for these ingredients when choosing a moisturizer.
3. Exfoliate. Few people know that exfoliation is as important as cleansing the skin and so leave it out from their routine. This should not be the case. Skin exfoliation at least once a week is necessary to remove dead skin cells that cause blackheads, whiteheads, and pimples. With regular exfoliation, the skin is smooth and radiant.
TIP: Facial scrubs have potent exfoliation properties, which is why many skin care manufacturers are now producing their own scrub products. But because there are a lot of options in the market, it pays to be a little critical. When looking for a facial scrub, choose the one with small grains. This is proven to work more gently on the skin.
4. Sun-protect. A lifetime of sun exposure causes most of the skin damages, and usually these damages, which include wrinkles, dark spots, uneven skin, and dryness, appear later in life. But because they tend to manifest slowly, these damages are all too often ignored. Protect your skin from the sun, particularly from the damaging UV rays, early on and use sunscreen protection.
TIP: When you don?t apply sunscreen, your efforts of practicing the other skin care basics are all in vain. So start investing on sunscreen and choose those products with SPF 15 or more. For more protection, apply sunscreen 20 minutes before going out and reapply when necessary.
