What to do to take Care of Our Skin?
Many of us yearn for perfect and flawless skin. As much as everyone would want this, only a tiny percentage do enjoy such a privilege. The other percentage has to deal with dark circles, dry skin, oily skin, patchy skin, and even dead skin every single day. As many have found out, Cleanser – Toner – Moisturizer (CTM) seems like the perfect way to handle some of these skin blemishes. Most people will try the latest sunscreen, face wash, and anti-aging cream that hits the market in an attempt to have naturally beautiful skin.
As if dry, oily, and patchy skin aren’t enough, there are now skincare products offering a combination of all these. While these products promise you a blemish-free skin, you shouldn’t expect an overnight miracle from them. The reality is, you need to take proper care of your skin to see and enjoy the benefits. Outlined below are some of the best-kept beauty secrets and tips on how to get that baby face you have always dreamt of. As an added advantage, the skincare tips outlined below are purely natural; hence, no need to worry about chemical-laden beauty products. Here are the top 9 dos and don’ts for a naturally beautiful skin.
The Rule of Thumb
Do: Always remove your makeup before going to bed. This gives your skin space to breathe and cells to rejuvenate. Leaving makeup on overnight will only clog skin pores causing blackheads among other blemishes. If you’ve run out of makeup remover, try olive oil on a cotton pad. Massage your face with the olive oil until the skin is free of makeup.
Don’ts: Do not forget to exfoliate at least once a week. It is by exfoliating that you can get rid of dead skin cells. This leaves you with a fresh, healthy glow. A natural exfoliant would come in handy for this. Make a paste of walnut powder with yogurt, then apply it on your skin. This should remove dirt and any dead skin.
Your Skin and The Sun
Do: Protect your skin from harmful sun rays by applying sunscreen of at least 15SPF. Sunscreen protects the skin from harmful UVB and UVA rays that cause age spots, wrinkles, and other problems to the skin. It would also be advisable to use non acnegenic and non comedogenic sunscreen for improved skin health. These do not cause clogging to skin pores.
Don’t: Never go out without sunscreen. Whether it is cold or cloudy, the harmful UVB and UVA rays can penetrate through inflicting damage to skin cells. Be sure to put more sunscreen if going to areas with reflective surfaces such as ice, snow, and sand. Sunscreen with 30 SPF is recommended for such occasions.
Nutrition
Do: Be mindful of what you eat. Take note of everything on your plate before putting it in your mouth. For instance, it would be advisable to eat fresh vegetables, fruits, and foods rich in vitamins and proteins. Increase your intake of foods low in fats and sugar but high in vitamin C. Vitamin C is one of the essential compounds required for healthy skin cell development hence a radiant skin. Low-sugar meals also help keep insulin levels low and balances. This results in healthy skin cells.
Don’ts: Eat fermented, spicy, fried, and salty foods. Citrus fruits ought to be avoided as well. Replace such foods with blander foods including oatmeal, rice, and applesauce. This is according to Vasant Lad, an American author, and Ayurvedic physician.
Sleep
Do: Make it a habit of getting at least 8 hours of sleep every night. Lack of sleep is known to lead to saggy skin and bags around the eyes. Health experts, therefore, recommend 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep every day. An 8-hour sleep isn’t enough for naturally beautiful skin, soothe skin cells by applying natural honey on your face twice weekly. This should help rejuvenate skin cells leading to radiant and smooth skin.
Don’t: According to Dr. Rahul Nagar, a certified dermatologist at Max Hospitals, you should never forget to wash and moisturize your skin/face before hitting the sheets. Moisturizing helps keep the skin soft and moist through the night. Be sure to avoid cleansers with alcohol as an added ingredient. You should also consider avoiding hot water as it washes away body oils leaving the skin dry.
Water
Do: Drink lots of water to help keep skin cells well hydrated. Experts recommend drinking at least eight glasses of water every day. You should also consider eating fruits with high water content as well. Cantaloupe, strawberries, oranges, cucumbers, grapefruits, and watermelons are good examples of such fruits. Dr. Vasant Lad also recommends using a blue-colored bottle for your drinking water. It has a cooling effect, he says.
Don’t: Do not ignore rose water. Rosewater helps hydrate skin cells while maintaining a healthy pH balance. Drinking rose water should also reduce eye puffiness, especially if you didn’t sleep well at night.
Get rid of Acne
Do: Use warm water to wash your face at least 3 times a day. Be sure to massage the entire face in circular motions with a cleanser containing beta hydroxy acid or alpha hydroxyl acid. Once done, pat dry your face then apply a lotion containing benzoyl peroxide as a key ingredient. Benzoyl peroxide is effective in fighting/preventing acne thanks to its antibacterial properties.
Don’t: Never pop acne pimples. Doing so will only cause redness, swelling, and scarring on the affected area. Attend to pimples by placing chilled green tea bag on it, or use rose water to clean the area. If you love sunglasses or are on prescription glasses, take time to clean them regularly. Oil might accumulate on the frame clogging pores around your nose and eyes.
Back to The Basics
Do: Make use of ayurvedic scrubs for skin nourishment. These also help open up skin pores while eliminating microbes that cause infections. Luckily though, all the ingredients you need to make the scrub are available in your kitchen. You will need ½ tsp turmeric powder, 2tbspn chickpea flour, a pinch of sandalwood and camphor, and milk/rosewater, or water. Mix these well then use them as a face scrub.
Don’t: Do not forget Ayurveda for skincare. Use it as your beauty mantra. Simple breathing techniques and exercises help harness the power of qi, thus promoting skin health. According to Sudarshan Kriya, specific rhythms of breath help bring emotions, mind, and body together. This makes it easier to relieve stress. It is by alleviating the stress that the body can function optimally hence a healthy skin.
Make Every day A Spa Day
Do: Use fresh cherry mask to care for dry skin. Make it a habit of applying fresh cherry pulp on your face just before hitting the sheets. Leave the pulp on for several minutes (say 15), then rinse it off with lukewarm water. This should help cleanse as well as hydrate your skin.
Don’t: Neglect your face and skin. Get a facial massage with oils known to improve skin wellness and tone. While this may depend on your skin type, almond, coconut, mustard, and olive oils pack numerous nourishing properties that can help you to have a beautiful and radiant skin. Get a gentle facial massage once in a while to help facial muscles relax. In addition to this, you can listen to soothing music with your eyes closed for improved relaxation.
Practice Healthy Habits
Do: Avoid stress and negative energy as much as you can. Stress and anxiety cause hormones to go on disarray leading to more problems. Stress is known to cause a flare-up of cortisol levels and even overly oily skin. Learn to avoid stress to prevent all these from happening. Stress will only make your skin seem wrinkled and older than it is. Meditation, yoga, and breathing practices may come in handy when stressed.
Don’t: Forget your facial muscles and jawline. Learn to exercise these parts of your face. Simple exercises such as jutting your lower lip, as well as looking up should help stretch your facial muscles toning them. Practice this every day for even more radiant and beautiful skin.
