How to Properly Take Care of Your Skin

Taking care of your skin doesn’t have to be time consuming or complicated. But it is necessary to maintain healthy skin that looks its best. Here are some tips to help keep your skin feeling and looking its best.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Choosing products that are appropriate for your skin type is the first step. Always be sure to read the product labels before purchasing them. As a rule, skin care products are not ‘one size fits all’.
   
   Know your skin type.
   - Does your skin itch and flake and have a dull appearance? Then you probably have dry skin.
   - Does your skin look fresh throughout the day? You probably have normal skin (lucky!)
   - Does your skin look shiny, leaving you with the feeling that you need to wipe it often? You probably have oily skin.
2. Step two is to make sure that you give your skin all it needs: cleanse, exfoliate, condition, hydrate and protect.
   
   -Skin needs a quality cleanser to remove surface dirt and makeup. The face should be cleansed twice a day, once in the morning and once before going to bed at night. Your face should never feel tight after using these products.
   -Exfoliating your skin is to remove dead, dry skin cells that can give the skin a dry, dull appearance. Build up of dead skin cells can also prevent skin care products from penetrating into the skin and diminish their effectiveness.
   -Conditioning the skin deep cleanses it. Using a toner or freshener will remove deep down impurities that cleansers can miss. They should also keep the PH of your skin in balance. Your face should never feel tight after using these products.
   - Hydrate and nourish your skin with a moisturizer. All skin types need to use a moisturizer, even oily skin. The proper moisturizer should leave your skin feeling soft and smooth, but not greasy.
   - Protect your face and hand with a product containing SPF daily. The skin on the face and hands tends to age more quickly than the rest of our skin because they get the most sun exposure. An SPF of at least 15 but preferably 30 is the best age-fighting measure in the world. The vast majority of signs of aging of the skin are caused by damage due to the sun.
3. When trying new products for your skin, including products for special skin needs, such as acne or other conditions, you might want to exercise caution by sampling them in a small amounts, to assure that you will have no adverse reactions. Try them behind the ear or on the inside part of your elbow. This way if you get a rash, it won’t be on your face.

Tips & Warnings

• Save time by looking for moisturizers that contain SPF.
• Please be sure to consult with a physician before starting any new skin care programs.