What Skin Type Am I?

The type of skin that you have plays a huge role in what products you should use and how you should treat your skin. As you have probably noticed, there are a lot of products in drugstores and other beauty shops that are marketed towards certain “skin types”. Don’t take this lightly; the type of product you use on your face is dependent upon whether you have normal, dry, sensitive, oily, or combination skin.

Oily skin is quite obvious. Your face feels greasy, there is a shine to it, and you often suffer from breakouts, acne, and other blemishes. Oily skin can also be quite problematic when it comes to using make up and other facial products which makes it all the more important to use the proper facial skincare products.

Dry skin is exactly that – it’s dry! Your skin often feels tight, often has a paper-thin quality to it, and it may even be slightly flakey in spots (such as in the corners of your nose). Dry skin requires a whole lot of special care too to ensure that you do not dry it out TOO much when using cleansing and toning products.

Combination skin is a tricky one as it is a combination of both oily and dry skin. If you have an oily nose, chin, and/or forehead but have very dry cheeks, there’s a good chance you have combination skin.

Sensitive skin is the type of skin that will break out into a rash should certain products come in contact with it. Take extra good care of your sensitive skin and use the appropriate products formulated for this skin type to prevent any further problems.

Lastly, normal skin is, well, normal skin. You may get a pimple or two here or there, but it’s a rare occasion. Your skin generally has the same texture, tone, and is evenly hydrated. It never feels uncomfortable, and it is generally not problematic.

So what do I Need for proper Facial Skincare?

The most important thing when it comes to facial skin care is to choose a good cleanser. You want one that is formulated for your skin type, so be sure to read the bottle, but you also want it to suit your needs. If you wear make up, make sure you buy a cleanser that can remove make up or purchase an eye makeup remover as well to get rid of all residue. If you suffer from acne often (such as if you are a teenager) then buy products that both suit your skin type, and that also promise to get rid of your acne.

Next comes the toner. Toner’s are a bit more liberal, as many are alike. Sensitive skin users, beware! Pay particular attention when it comes to what’s in the toner you’re using and test it out. If you have combination skin, it may be a good idea to use the toner only on the more oily parts of your face and avoid applying it to your dry skin.

Last comes the moisturizer. Some of you with oily skin may benefit simply from spreading your facial oils on your face and skipping a moisturizer all together. For everyone else, a good quality moisturizer is a must, especially for anyone with dry or sensitive skin. And no matter what your skin type, always try to choose a moisturizer with at least an SPF rating of 30 or above to really protect your face.

What is Rosacea?

The problem with rosacea is that what causes it is not exactly known. Some will tell you that it is hereditary and genetic, while others will blame the environment that you are living in. Others still believe that it is caused by the Demodex folliculorum mite, or by a bacterium that is well known to cause intestinal infections (the Helicobacter pylori), or even the immune system.

Not knowing what may cause rosacea does impede the rosacea skin care process, but advances have been made which allow you to better treat and manage your rosacea symptoms.

What is Rosacea Skin Care?

There are some strategies you can use to help manage and control your rosacea. The first is:

1) Be gentle. At all costs avoid any sort of scrubbing or rubbing of the skin that is currently affected by rosacea. Rubbing that area will only make the rosacea worse by irritating it and causing inflammation.

2) Use gentle cleansers and cleansing routines. No harsh detergents or chemicals should ever be used on skin that is affected by rosacea. Some simple yet effective tips for cleaning skin that is affected by rosacea include:

• Wash and rinse your face with tepid or lukewarm water and never use hot water
• Cleanser should not be rubbed into the skin; gently apply it in a circular motion with your fingertips
• Aim for the most natural product out there! Avoid fragrances, dyes, and preservatives at all costs.
• Pat your skin dry; never rub it dry, as this will further irritate our rosacea symptoms

3) Always allow your skin to fully dry before applying any sort of moisturizer or treatment product. Applying any sort of product to wet skin will only cause an uncomfortable burning sensation that will leave your skin irritated and that will exacerbate your rosacea symptoms.

4) Visit a dermatologist. One of the best things that you can do as a rosacea sufferer is to visit your dermatologist. A dermatologist will be able to help you narrow down just why you may be suffering from rosacea, and offer some fantastic over the counter and also prescription products that will be able to help cure or at least reduce your rosacea symptoms.

The cost upfront for a dermatologist may be rather high, but when you consider how they will be able to help you get to the root of the problem you may potentially be saving yourself hundreds of dollars worth of useless product and heart ache.

So what is all natural skin care?

All natural skin care really starts from treating your skin from within. What ever we ingest or put into our bodies also affects our skin, something that many of us do not even pay particular attention to. So if you notice that you are breaking out more lately and that you happen to also be spending more time in the fast food lineup at a fast food chain, cut out the greasy foods and start cooking at home. If you notice a redder tint to your skin lately and have been having cravings for spicy foods, leave the spicy foods out of your diets for now and see where it takes you.

Another important part for all natural skin care is to get your digestive system moving along at a good pace. This means drinking a lot more water (which also helps bathe the cells and eliminate toxins of the body) and consuming more fiber (this also will remove toxins and also really rev start your digestive system). Be sure that you are consuming the following amounts:

For women: 19-50 years old, 25g of fiber; for women over 50, 21g of fiber
For men: 19-50 years old, 38g of fiber, for men over 50, 31g of fiber

You can add both more water and fiber to your diet by eating more things like apples, cauliflower, prunes, beans, flaxseeds, and any whole grain products. Try substituting brown rice for white rice and whole wheat pasta for white pasta. There are a whole lot of alternatives to using bleached “white” bread and pasta products out there – you just have to go looking for them!

Having your digestive system move is one thing, but having your circulatory system work is another. To get your blood pumping and flowing through yoour body, all you need to do is to take a quick walk ever so often around the office, indulge in a massage therapy appointment, or exercise.

Blood circulation is crucial when it comes to all natural skin care as it is the blood in our bodies that provides the nutrients to our skin. This means that the amount of nutrients received is very much dependent on how well our body is pumping blood through our veins, so it is important to ensure that the blood keeps circulating!

Most importantly, watch your diet. Do not indulge in foods that contain high quantities of white sugar. Sugars will cause cravings, fat build up, and have even been linked to cancer so you want to be sure that you consume these foods in moderation. Focus also on consuming good fats (that would be the omega 3 fatty acids) rather than the omega 6, omega 9, or whatever other fats may be in that double cheeseburger you had for lunch.

The First and Most Important Skin Care Product: Sunscreen

As tempting as it may be to have the hottest tan amongst all of your friends, resist! The sun does you absolutely no favors past the age of 35. That really bad sun burn you had at 15 will come back to haunt you and regular tanning either outside or in a tanning bed will haunt you even worse.

When ever you are going out for the day, whether it is in the dead of winter or in the middle of summer, use sun block. SPF 15 is often not strong enough for those with fair to medium complexions, so bump it up to at least an SPF of 30. Use this on your face, but also take care to use it on your hands and arms. No, you won’t notice the benefits of using sun screen immediately, but 20 years down the road when you are still wrinkle-free and your friends are “pruning” up, you’ll know exactly why you’ve been able to maintain your youthful looks.

Work It from the Inside Out

What we put into our bodies every day plays a huge role in how wonderful our skin looks. If you eat greasy foods, chances are you will end up with oily skin that is prone to acne. If you eat a lot of sugars, you may be faced with pimples. If you do not drink enough water, you can develop rather annoying skin issues such as eczema.

So before you eat that hamburger from your favorite fast food joint, stop and think of the affect that has on your skin. Eating foods that are rich in nutrients and omega 3 fatty acids (such as salmon and nuts) will keep your skin looking younger and more fresh. Eating a hamburger, on the other hand, will leave you looking greasy and will also be an open invitation for hazardous chemicals to enter into your body. Any toxins and pollutants will only advance your signs of aging, so try to eat as naturally as possible.

Another important thing that we often forget is that our bodies need water – and this includes our skin! Drink at least 6 glasses a day, preferably 8 to 10, to really keep your skin looking great.

Natural Products are Best

There are a whole lot of anti aging products out there that promise to do this, that, and what ever else by use of chemically engineered ingredients – but are these really good for us? Some times the best thing to do for our skin is to keep it as natural as possible. Using your own facial oils (if you have slightly oily skin) will keep your skin looking younger for a long while. Or you can try using something such as extra virgin olive oil to really hydrate your skin and help maintain its youthful glow!

The Benefits of Seaweed Skin Care

Here’s something that you may not have known: seaweed can actually protect, nourish, and increase the circulation of your skin which helps it stay healthy and fight off the airborne pollutants we are constantly bombarded with each and every day.

Seaweed hosts numerous different vitamins and minerals, trace elements and amino acids that are absolutely essentially in keeping our skin healthy and youthful (why else do you think the Japanese began incorporating it into their sushi?). Some of the many vitamins and minerals that you can find in seaweed include:

• Vitamins A1, B1, B2, B6, B12, C, E, K, pantothenic acid, folic acid, niacin
• Beta-carotene
• Potassium
• Calcium
• Organic iodine
• Magnesium
• Phosphorus
• Iron
• Zinc
• Manganese
• Selenium
• Ascorbic acid
• Fatty acids

These vitamins not only help keep skin youthful and slow the aging process, but they also protect the skin from free radicals (aging and cancer-causing agents), boost our metabolism, and fight off skin irritation and inflammation.

Maybe next time you have some seaweed stuck to your feet after coming out of the ocean you’ll think twice about rinsing it off.

Seaweed Treatments

Almost all spas have a host of different seaweed treatments available, given just how natural yet effective seaweed is at protecting and nourishing our skin. You can start by giving yourself the seaweed treatments at home by choosing soaps, creams, masks, bathing products, and other products that contain seaweed or seaweed extracts. Some high end stores also offer “do it yourself” seaweed wraps (though these should best be left to the more adventurous!)

Seaweed wraps are a very common spa treatment. The algae Fucus and Laminaria are usually used for the seaweed wraps, as these will best expel any toxins in your body and bacteria from your pores. The organic iodine found in the Laminaria and Fucus will also help both burn and reduce the fat in your body. Seaweed wraps are truly a detoxifying experience.

You may also want to try out the seaweed thermal heat treatment. This involves a seaweed powder being mixed in with warm, distilled water. This water is then applied right onto your skin. You will then be wrapped in a Mylar and a towel wrap so that the vitamins and minerals that are in the seaweed can sink in and really penetrate into your pores. The Mylar and towel wrap help your pores expand and open, allowing the pores to both expel the toxins and bacteria, and to allow them to take in the vitamins and minerals that the seaweed offers.

Seaweed skin care is safe, natural, and a nourishing experience. Try a different type of seaweed skin care out today and see how it can truly benefit you.

With all of the pollutants in our environment today, it’s no wonder that women have increasingly sensitive skin. Having these toxins and pollutants build up in our bodies only leads to problems, such as sensitive skin. Learning the proper skin care for sensitive skin care is important for you to ensure the health and quality of your face and body, from both the inside and out. So what are some methods of skin care for sensitive skin?

Change your Diet

Believe it or not, but what we put into our mouths each and every day can be causing our skin problems. From oily skin to rosacea to sensitive skin, what you eat will be reflected upon in your complexion. If you do find yourself suddenly suffering from sensitive skin, what you will first want to do is to ensure that you are drinking a minimum of 8 glasses o water a day. Water will help flush out any toxins that may be causing your sensitive skin.

Next, focus on eating more fruits and vegetables. Not only do these foods also have added hydration benefits, but they are choc full of vitamins, minerals, and other trace elements that naturally will improve both the texture and appearance of your skin.

TIP: Some natural foods will still cause a reaction, such as hot and spicy foods. Avoid these at all costs, and have yourself checked out to see if you have any allergies to other food products.

Go Natural

There are a whole lot of products on the market that are geared towards helping those with sensitive skin, but nothing will help your skin more than taking the natural route. Using spice, oils, and foods that are already in our own home will go a long way in helping cure your sensitive skin better than any $20 facial wash or cream will. Here are some natural ways to help your sensitive skin:

Aloe vera is a great natural moisturizer. Use it when ever you notice red, blotchy patches of irritated skin.

Drink green tea and apply cooled green tea directly to your face! Green tea has natural anti-inflammatory properties, meaning that your skin will be soothed and have a less harsh reaction to what ever product or products are causing your sensitive skin.

Aim to buy natural products that contain licorice.

Both almond oil and jojoba oil are great for sensitive skin. You can incorporate these oils into any natural facial cleanser to really help soothe and treat your skin.

A mix of mashed cucumber and yogurt is a great facial mask. These ingredients not only soothe sensitive skin, but they can heal it as well!

If you are looking for all natural skin care products, it is important to know that not all products marketed as “natural” are, in fact, natural. Sure, one ingredient out of the 30 may be natural, but the other 29 may be some sort of laboratory concoction. So what should you be on the look out for if you want a true all natural skin care product?

No Fragrances

Rose. Lavender. Vanilla. These scents all sound natural and like things that we can find in our environment, but when it comes to producing skin care products most of these so-called “natural” fragrances are actually a certain combination of several of the 3100+ chemical ingredients that are at hand to create certain scents and fragrances.

That’s right, that water lily after shower spray that you love so much that claims to be “natural” is probably made up of several different chemicals, a whole lot of them just to create that fake water lily fragrance! As a matter of fact, a good handful of perfumes on the market today contain at least 15 different synthetic petrochemicals that are added together in varying amounts to create those smells you have come to love.

Moral of the story: No product with a chemical fragrance is even remotely natural. Instead, always choose products that are made of natural oils only. Essential oils should be the only fragrance that you find in your all natural skin care products.

No Dyes

FD&C Blue No 1. FD&C Blue No 2. FD&C Yellow No. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. Flip over to the ingredients on several skin care products (and food products!) and you will be sure to find these dye shades listed on the back. Just what exactly is FD&C? Who came up with these colors? FD&C dyes are artificial, synthetic dyes, many of which have actually been withdrawn from several countries due to their carcinogenic (cancer) causing properties.

So next time you think you care about the color of your facial cleanser or your moisturizer, think again. You can certainly do without a slight “blue” tinge to your facial cream and save your health.

No Preservatives

Finding skin care products with no preservatives can be pretty tough, even where the “all natural” skin care department is concerned. Preservatives allow the life expectancy of any product to be extended exponentially, therefore ensuring the company who has produced it that it is less likely to go to waste. This also means that the company can make less of their product, which of course means that they are saving money in the process.

Preservative-free all natural skin care products do exist out there, and they certainly are worth seeking out as you will be saving yourself a number of extremely harmful ingredients from touching your skin. You will pay a higher price for these products, and need to be astute about finding the freshest product available, but your body will be thanking you for it.

Holistic skin care isn’t a new invention; it has been around for almost 7,000 years in Chinese medicine. India was also beginning holistic skin care around the same time as the Chinese, both documenting the benefits of following such a natural, all encompassing health routine. For thousands of years holistic skin care was all that was followed – until money and companies and earnings became involved.

Once money was introduced, holistic skin care tended to go right out the window as women were fooled by marketing ploys and tactics into thinking that certain things they did would make their skin better (such as smoking, which has now been well documented as certainly NOT improving one’s complexion or well being!).

Holistic skin care began to come back onto the beauty scene only 20 years ago in the 1990s, though the term is often interchanged with “natural” and “alternative” skin care. Don’t be fooled, these are not all the same. So what is the definition of holistic skin care?

Holistic skin care can be defined as: incorporating a method or methods into one’s every day life to treat one’s mind, body and soul to achieve a balance that will improve one’s well being.

What this means is that, as anyone who practices holistic skin care treatment will tell you, every part of your day to day life affects the quality of your skin. This means that your world view, your perception of the world, your nutrition, how you exercise, and your mental downtime or meditation plays an important role on how your skin appears.

As anyone who practices holistic health will tell you, the thought of being able to “cure” something with a pill is a short term solution, and they are most often right. Once someone stops taking a certain medication, old symptoms come back to haunt them and they need to go back on the medication to achieve desired results.

Holistic skin care, however, has a goal to permanently eliminate any skin woes and troubles by eliminating the causative factors. Those who practice holistic health often believe that the quality of one’s skin is linked directly to their mind. Meditation, relaxation, massage, and aromatherapy are all methods that would be recommended to improve the quality of your skin.

If you do visit a holistic skin care practitioner, you can expect them to not only try to teach you relaxation techniques, but to also:

• Offer advice on your nutrition and how your current diet may be adversely affecting your skin quality
• Using only natural ingredients on your skin
• Massaging you facial muscles so as to keep your skin taut and to prevent sagging, the appearance of scars, wrinkles, and other skin issues

So just how can clear mascara work for anyone?

Clear mascara definitely isn’t for everyone. When it comes to trying to make your lashes look darker and fuller, if you have light colored eyelashes that are blond or light brown, clear mascara will not be of any use for you in this regard. If you do happen to have darker eyelashes already that are quite thick, clear mascara can give you that polished, natural look.

If you do have lighter lashes and want to pull off that more “natural” look, then clear mascara can help you there too – just don’t expect any volume to be added to your lashes by using it. Clear mascara will help define your lashes, separate your lashes, and keep them from bunching and overlapping, something that women with longer lashes have a problem with.

Some cosmetics that you can pair up with your clear mascara to get that dewy, fresh faced look is a tinted facial powder (try to go for a mineral powder if at all possible), a natural shade of blush (think of the flush of your skin after a run or a good work out), a neutral down eyeshadow and an eye liner that is a brown or light charcoal shade.

After you cleanse and moisturize your face, lightly dust the mineral powder of your forehead, nose, chin and cheeks and then apply a neutral shade of eyeshadow to your lid. Try to opt for a peach or taupe shade of eyeshadow, and fill in the crease with a light grey or light brown shade. Next, take your eye liner and create a thin line along your upper eyelashes.

Then take the clear mascara and sweep it over your lashes, from base to tip, to really finish off your eye makeup. Complete your look by applying blush to the apples of your cheeks and you’re set!

Another use for clear mascara is to use it as a touch up tool. If you already have a black or dark brown mascara on, you can sweep the clear mascara over your mascara to help keep it on and prevent it from flaking off or smudging under your eyes. Some women use a colored mascara for these touch ups, but using a colored mascara can make your lashes appear thick, clumpy, and very unnatural. Clear mascara will keep your lashes separated and prevent you from having that “caked on” look after reapplication.

TIP: If you do use the clear mascara as a touch up tool, make sure that you do keep the mascara wand very clean. After you use the clear mascara wand, wash it with warm soapy water and then pat it dry with either a clear tissue or a cotton cloth (be sure to use materials that won’t leave residues or material behind on the wand). This will help prevent contamination.

That’s where gel pedicures come in. Gel pedicures have been around for a short while, but recently the demand for gel pedicures has been on the rise – and for a good reason. Gel pedicures guarantee you a longer lasting pedicure.

If going to the beach was a problem for your pedicure before, it won’t be now as the gel pedicure is resistant to salt and water. As a matter of fact, it cannot even be dissolved or removed with a nail polish remover! It maintains that glossy sheen no matter what you do. This type of pedicure is almost seemingly impervious to becoming damaged.

You don’t need to worry about chipping, fading, or peeling. Your biggest concern will be having to either have the pedicure filled as your nails grow out, or having the pedicure removed from your feet. The good news is that toe nails tend to grow far more slowly than fingernails, so you can go up to 2 months with a gel pedicure and not even have to touch it up once!

You can have a gel pedicure done in any color you can think of. As decals and gems grow in popularity, it’s good to know that these sorts of additions can easily be applied to your gel pedicure.

So just how is a gel pedicure applied to your feet?

If you have ever had a false gel nail manicure, then you will be quite familiar with the process. The gel nails tend to be made from a premixed polymer solution and monomer gel. This solution is applied to each of your toenails. Then, your feet will be placed underneath an ultra violet or UV light so that the nails can be “cured” to your feet. The curing process allows the gel nail to properly shape and confirm to your toenail. The nails are then cut to size and filed so that they look natural.

TIP: You can also opt for no-light gel nails if you have concerns about the UV radiation, but be sure to call the spa or salon beforehand to ensure that they offer this type of service. For no-light gels, a special “activator” is brushed or sprayed directly onto the nail, or these nails can even be dipped in water.

Once the nails have been properly cured to your feet, you’re ready to have the nail polish applied! The fun part about your toenails is that you can really let your wild side come out and play. You may not be able to pull off rainbow fingernails, but not everyone can always see your toes! Take advantage of the different patterns and designs out there too and really “wow” anyone who is privileged to see your cute pretty toes.