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The Basics of Skin Care

By Michael Russell

Everybody wants to have beautiful, healthy and younger-looking skin. And who wouldn’t? In this society where appearances are valued significantly, having a radiantly glowing skin can already be considered a great treasure! Here’s a bit of good news – do you know that keeping a more youthful looking skin can be achieved just by observing 3 basic principles? Yes, a more beautiful skin can be within your reach and what’s more - caring for it can be as easy as A-B-C!

The 3 Basic Principles in Skin Care - There are 3 basic principles in skin care – cleansing, toning and moisturizing.

Cleansing - Cleansing can be viewed as the foundation of good skin care. It helps keep your skin healthy by removing dead skin, dust, dirt and other environmental pollutants, which may have accumulated during the day. It also helps keep the pores of your skin free from any impediment that may otherwise prevent the natural secretions of your oil glands from reaching the topmost layer of your skin. These secretions are extremely vital to skin care - they help fight infections and other toxic agents that may come in contact with your skin and provide that natural glow to your skin.

Using soap for cleansing your skin is a definite no-no. Most soaps have a high pH that can damage the natural acid mantle of your skin and may eventually lead to premature skin drying and aging. So, go for skin cleansers that contain vegetable oils and stearic acid instead. These are mild enough to be used safely on any skin type.

Using facial scrubs can also be a great help in cleansing the skin but its use must be limited to 3 times a week. For best results, choose a scrub that contains a mild abrasive.

Toning - While cleansing may help keep the skin healthy by stripping away dirt, dust, grime and dead skin cells, it may also invariably strip off the skin’s protective layer in the process. This is where toning comes into the picture. After thorough cleansing, you must apply a skin toner to close the pores of your skin, tighten it and protect it from the toxins present in the environment.

There is a wide variety of toners available in the market today. However, it would be wise to avoid those that are alcohol-based since they can damage the soluble collagen below the skin’s surface that may eventually lead to the premature drying of your skin.

Moisturizing - Ever wondered what the secret of dewy-fresh skin might be? It’s water! Water moves through the body and when it leaves, it does so through the surface of your skin. This process leaves your skin looking plump and firm.

However, when your body is deficient in water, the skin’s surface eventually shows the problem.

It becomes dry, chapped and weak. As such, it is important to keep our bodies sufficiently hydrated at all times. This is a basic premise for good skin care. Drinking at least 8 glasses of water and eating a lot of moisture-rich fruits and vegetables may help provide your body with enough moisture to keep your skin looking good. Then again, this may not be enough. Your skin also needs to be moisturized from the outside.

This is the reason why the use of moisturizers and humectants is recommended. Like any other skin care products, there are a wide variety of moisturizers available and you are free to choose the product that agrees most with your skin.

A word of caution – avoid moisturizers and any other skin care products that contain mineral oil.

Mineral oil may do more harm than good since it can dry the skin by blocking your skin pores, hence making it difficult for your skin to breathe and eliminate wastes.

Michael RussellYour Independent guide to Skin Care

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posted by Cheryl Levesque @ 11:54 AM