John BenosYour skin is the single largest organ of your body. It covers every inch of you and it’s no where more prominent and noticeable than your face. So, if your goal for 2015 is to start looking and feeling much healthier it’s time you pay more attention to your skin and face.
Vibrant skin on your face is not only a sign of good health but is also incredibly important to make you look more attractive.
Achieving glowing and vibrant skin is everyone’s goal to looking and feeling better but this is easier said than done. Whatever is going on inside your body, such as stress, emotional distress, bad diet or illness, will ultimately manifest itself on your face. Prolonged issues with your body could be unhealthy in the long run.
So, how do we start to improve the skin on our face? What are the steps involved? How long does it take? And will the results be permanent?
All these and many more questions will be answered in this section. We will delve into the basics of facial skin care and then suggest 11 essential tips for you to start improving your skin and making changes to how you look.
Some Skin Care Basics for your Face
To understand facial skin care you must first understand your body’s skin deeply. This is often confusing and like me you may have a lot of questions when you first start out. But I assure you its simply a case of observing how your skin behaves in day-to-day life and taking steps to counteract the harmful things that tend to happen to it.
Figure out if your skin is excessively dry or excessively oily and how different products affect the look and feel of it. Then continue to experiment with products recommended by dermatologists and see which suits you best.
Here’s a general list of the products you may need to maintain your skin on a daily basis:
- Cleanser
- Toner
- Exfoliate
- Acne treatment (if needed)
- Anti aging treatment (if needed)
Water alone is not enough to clean your face skin adequately. Therefore, using a cleanser will remove the dirt, oil and debris that settles in the pores of your skin while also removing make up (if you put any). Cleansers are needed to clear the skin for further treatment.
Toners are then used to hydrate the skin and replenish its nutrients efficiently after the cleansing process is complete. You skin needs this hydration to maintain its youthful and healthy appearance.
Hydrate and Protect your skin
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Now its time to go much deeper. You’ve cleaned your face superficially and toned it for rehydration. Prolonged exposure to the sun and acne outbreaks have thicken the top layer of your skin. The top most layer is now essentially a layer of dead skin that is clogging up your pores.
The process of exfoliation is the removal of this layer of dead skin with a quick reacting chemical agent. This treatment also targets blackheads and removes them from the surface of your facial skin.
At this point it is important for you to focus on issues specific to you.
- So if you need sunscreen apply it for protection against the sun.
- If you have frequent and severe outbreaks of acne find a dermatologist who can recommend products to destroy the acne causing bacteria on your skin and lessen the redness.
- If you are older, then consider using anti aging treatments to counteract the onset of wrinkles.
- Some anti aging products also have moisturizers or sunscreen elements in them. See what suits you best and purchase it.
Once you’ve understood your skin and the products that suit you, it’s a good idea to consider developing a set routine of using the cleanser, toner, exfoliate and other treatments daily in the morning and evening after shaving your face. Use the ones you need when you wake up and then again before going to bed to see best results.
Here’s our list of the top 11 tips to make your face look healthier and cleaner.
1) Maintain a balance of hydration and oil
Constantly bombarding your facial skin with products and cleaners will not only fail to give you the desired results but also potentially damage your face. Your face naturally produces oils and moisture from the pores. Do not hamper this natural process but maintain a balance with the proper use of hydrating and oil enhancing products. Remember, the most natural solution is often the best solution. Try to use products specific to oily or dry skin.
2) Take time to find the best products
In today’s day and age, getting information about what you want to buy is not only simple but also remarkably quick. Everything you need to know is just a click away. Do your research while looking for skin care products and ideally consult an expert such as a dermatologist or aesthetician for recommendations on the products you need to use.
3) Wash your hands
This tip is one of the most crucial but also most commonly overlooked. Your hands come into contact with an incredibly large number of surfaces and germs throughout the day. You are also prone to touching your face all the time. So your best bet is to either wash your hands regularly or break the habit of touching your face so frequently.
4) Eat better
No other piece of advice will help you as much as this one. You must remember, the issues on your face and skin are only an outward manifestation of what’s going on inside you. If you suffer from prolonged stress or bad dietary habits make efforts to change these right away. Eat more greens and vegetables to improve your digestion and those added nutrients will make your skin glow in a short while.
5) Don’t use soap
Gone are the days when a bar of mainstream soap was all you needed to keep yourself clean. In fact, a lot of people have stopped applying soap due to the harmful pH concentrations in most of them. Use a gentle cleanser for cleaning out the pores of your face without causing any damage.
6) Use the toner right after the cleanser
While it is recommended to use a cleanser daily, the process dries out your skin. The skin losing moisture is not ideal so you must try to use a toner to replenish the moisture and nutrients to your skin. This will maintain a lush and youthful look for you.
7) Moisturize
Some are afraid of oil based moisturizers bug this fear is only justified if your skin is acne prone. If you don’t have oily skin or you’re not particularly susceptible to acne then do not be afraid of oil. It’s in fact good for your skin. Now, moisturize on a daily basis to maintain the skin’s healthy look and feel. Also use specific SPF solutions at different times of the day and night for best results.
8) Use eye cream regardless of what age you are.
Eye cream isn’t only for people looking to appear younger. You are susceptible to bags under your eyes after a few long nights or lack of sleep. Also some people just tend to ignore the part of their face right below their eyes till it’s too late and they start noticing wrinkles when they’re much older. So start using eye creams regardless of your age now.
9) Exercise
The single most important solution for any of your health related issues is to exercise. In terms of skin care jogging or swimming will increase the amount of oxygen your lungs can hold and also replenish your blood circulation. Both these elements are the key to improving the vitality and vibrancy of your face. As blood circulates more freely your face will be brighter.
Specific poses of yoga are also targeted towards increasing blood flow to the face so you could give it a try.
10) Exfoliate once per week
As we’ve mentioned before, exfoliation is the process of removing the layer of dead skin present on the top most part of your skin. Though it is extremely important to exfoliate your skin you cannot do this too often. Stick to a set regime of exfoliating. Once per week should be more than enough especially if you haven’t done it so far.
11) Don’t forget your lips
The final tip for a healthier and cleaner looking face is for that part of your face which may get overlooked if you focus too much on products meant for the skin. You cannot ignore your lips when trying to make your face look better. Apply a lip balm to hydrate the lips when needed and keep your lips free from cracks and cuts for an overall healthy look on your face.
Wrapping Up
These are only a few tips to help you maintain the health and look of your face but there are a ton of other tips that could help you towards your goal of improving your appearance. Look younger and healthier is a commendable goal for everyone.
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