Keeping your skin looking bright and healthy really isn’t as difficult as a lot of people think. Eating well and taking part in regular exercise will obviously help, but it’s really all about choosing the right skincare products for your skin type. There’s no reason why sticking to a proper skincare regime should take up a huge chunk of your day either, as applying the basic products really shouldn’t take more than five minutes at the end of each day.
When it comes to modern day skincare, you’re not limited in choice and high quality products are available from pharmacies, specialist skincare stores and from the internet at amazing prices. Although the products that you use will differ depending on your skin type, the basics of a good skincare regime never change.
Cleansing
Cleansers help to remove dirt from the surface of the skin and deep inside the pores and should be the first port of call in any skincare routine. It’s essential to go through your regimen twice every day – first thing in the morning and before you go to bed. Cleansing should be done just after you’ve washed your face, but make sure you avoid harsh cleansers that contain alcohol because these strip your skin of essential moisture which will leave it prone to irritation.
Toning
After cleansing, toning is your next step towards perfect skin, but just as you should avoid cleansers that contain alcohol, you should also avoid alcohol-filled toners. Toners help to replenish necessary moisture in your skin that has been lost when cleansing and it can also be used throughout the day if you think your skin could benefit from some additional rehydration. However, if you choose an alcohol-based toner, it will remove moisture from your skin, causing it to become dry and therefore produce more oil.
Moisturising
A lot of people think that moisturising is optional, especially if they have oily skin. However, this is not the case. If you have oily skin then this is no reason not to moisturise, you should just make sure that you’re using a moisturiser that doesn’t contain any oil – for example Active Moist by Dermalogica. Moisturisers are great for all skin types because they replenish essential moisture levels and keep the skin feeling smooth and soft while also reducing dryness, irritation and tightness. Moisturisers can also be used to help combat aging. There are plenty of specialist anti-aging moisturisers out there that will plump up the skin and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Exfoliating
Skin is constantly renewing, which means that dead skin cells are continually being shed and if they’re not removed from the surface of your skin, they will clog your pores and cause spots and breakouts. Allowing dead skin cells to build up over the surface of your skin is not only bad news because it causes spots, but also because it can make your skin look exceptionally dull. In order to maintain a bright and flawless complexion, exfoliating is essential as it removes all of the dead cells from the surface of your skin and from within the pores, leaving your skin looking much brighter, rosier and healthier.
Exfoliating face scrubs are the best things to use to exfoliate. There are many chemical alternatives but a lot of them are far too harsh for the skin which means that it is liable to become irritated, red and sore. An exfoliating scrub on the other hand contains soft, spherical beads which are much gentler on the skin. Although using an exfoliating scrub is much better for your skin, you should still avoid using it more than a couple of times a week.
Vitamins
Although it was once thought that it was impossible for vitamins to be absorbed by the skin because their molecules were too big, it’s now known that this is not the case and now skin care products that contain vitamins are extremely common.
Perhaps the most beneficial is a derivative of vitamin A – retinol – as it can penetrate through to the base layers of the skin where collagen and elastin are produced. This not only makes the skin much plumper and improves the texture by reducing the signs of aging, it also improves skin tone making you look much younger and brighter. Vitamin C is another skin essential. It reduces the appearance of fine lines, scars and can even reverse the effects of sun damage.