The Most Effective Methods to Relieve Your Acne

Author: Rachel Flanagan
Source: ezinearticles.com

Do you know which ingredients in your facial skin care products actually cause you to have skin problems such as acne, dry spots, blemishes, or wrinkles?

A Very Harmful Ingredient

Major cosmetic companies still rely on petrolatum (which comes from petroleum) as an ingredient for facial care creams, make-ups, and moisturizers. Petrolatum is damaging and drying. It is certainly not healing and moisturizing. Petrolatum clogs your pores, strips your skin of its natural oils, and can cause premature aging.

Maintaining good moisture in your skin is very important to the way it looks and how healthy it is. Dryness leads to damage–and damage leads to sagging and wrinkling. Basically, unhealthy skin in general.

What You Put On Your Skin Absorbs Into Your Bloodstream

Things you put on your skin, like lotions, must have oils that come from plants…not petroleum. That’s because your skin absorbs whatever you put on it. That’s also where the ‘health’ importance of ingredients comes in. Please, don’t put chemicals on your skin! Your body will absorb them and they will get into your bloodstream.

Plant oils are very similar to your skin’s natural oils. They will penetrate deep and quick, and have the proven benefit of delaying or correcting signs of age.

Your facial care routine should be safe, gentle, and non-drying throughout your entire life. These days, that may sound counterintuitive. You were probably taught to dry the heck out of oily skin to make acne go away. Or to dry the heck out of acne. But drying your skin too much will cause itching, scarring, infection, or more pimples. Ideally, you need a balance between dry and oily.

Some Of The Good Stuff

Some plants, such as jojoba, have been shown to balance your natural oil production. Other natural ingredients like manuka honey are antibacterial and prevent infection. And kaolin is known to absorb excessive oils and unclog your pores.

Those facial care ingredients have other benefits as well. Jojoba and manuka, for example, have antioxidant activity. Antioxidants counter free radical damage that can result from overexposure to the sun or other aging factors. The sooner you begin to follow a routine that delays signs of aging, the better you’ll look when you get older.

Antioxidants are an important part of facial skin care for another reason. Free radical damage plays a role in the development of skin cancer. Antioxidants can help prevent it. Older cells contain more free radicals and fewer antioxidants. You can restore that balance with the right ingredients.

Coenzyme Q10 is one of the most important. Research has shown it is quickly depleted when your skin is overexposed to UV rays from the sun. A facial care routine cannot be complete if it doesn’t include COQ10.

Natural vitamin E is another important ingredient. Not only is it an effective antioxidant, it is also an effective preservative. It promotes shelf-life of the whole product protecting you from the possibility of using a product that has gone rancid.

A great ingredient to look for in daytime facial care moisturizers is grape seed oil. It contains vitamin E and forms an invisible barrier that locks in moisture and keeps out dirt and grime.

Some Of The Bad Stuff

Avoid facial skin care products that contain artificial preservatives and/or added fragrances. Fragrances can mask the odor of rancid oils. Some chemicals used to create fragrance are neurotoxins, or toxic to your nervous system.

There is very little sound regulation for cosmetics and hygiene products in the US. What that means is, the job of protecting you from harmful ingredients…well, is up to you. If you don’t have a lot of time to do personal research, then a safe bet would be to simply look for products that contain natural ingredients.

Rachel Flanagan is a wellness expert and teacher of healthy living with over 17 years experience and has helped thousands of people improve their lifestyle. Would you like to live healthier and look younger simply by adding natural skin care to your daily routine? Learn how to dramatically improve your appearance, and impress your friends and family with this simple shift in your thinking => http://www.HealthBySkincare.com.

Author: Kerri Stalton
Source: isnare.com

Taking great care of your facial skin is easy once you establish the right routine, and sticking to a regular cleansing, exfoliating, and moisturizing schedule can help you achieve a flawless, smooth complexion that glows with health. Every person’s skin is unique, so developing your facial care regimen will be likely to require some trial and error. Knowing thoroughly what different kinds of products do, and what your skin type needs, can help you create the ultimate skin care plan custom designed for your individual complexion.

The first thing to consider when choosing skin care products and coming up with your treatment plan is your skin type. If you often notice flaking, find your skin is easily irritated, or feel that you are prone to premature wrinkles, you probably have a dry skin type. If you are vulnerable to acne and blemishes, or find that you constantly need to powder your nose to keep shine at bay, you have an oily skin type. If, like many people, you have pimples and grease in some areas and irritation and flaking in others, you have combination skin, which usually requires the most individualized care.

Keep your skin type in mind when buying the four products that will make up your skin care routine. You will need a cleanser to use twice daily, an exfoliant to use a few times per week, a moisturizer to use as needed, and one intensive treatment for weekly use. The cleanser should wipe away dirt, makeup, and excess oil, and will keep your pores free of clogs. The exfoliant will slough away dead skin cells that can cloud your visage, and exfoliating will help keep your skin looking youthful and vibrant. The moisturizer will tackle dryness, redness, and irritation so that you can maintain a silky smooth texture and a fresh, dewy look. The intensive treatment should be a commercially available or homemade mask that will tackle your biggest skin problem.

For your cleanser, look for a product free from alcohol or other potentially drying agents, and choose the gentlest product possible. It should be strong enough to cut through excess grease, but not so strong that it strips your face of the natural oils that keep it resilient. Your exfoliant should be especially designed for facial skin, the most delicate skin on the body, so don’t try to make your body scrub do double duty on your face. The moisturizer you pick must be non-comedogenic to keep your complexion clear, and should be water based for maximum effectiveness. Use your moisturizer only when you notice redness or dryness. For people with dry skin this may mean applying a thin layer after every cleansing, but for others it might mean occasional spot treatments. Use a mask treatment once a week for a luxurious, deeply penetrating solution to your skin problems. You can find a mask recipe or premixed product for any issue under the sun, so whether your dominant skin trouble is acne, dryness, or visible wrinkles, or if your skin is in great shape but could use an infusion of nutrients, you will be able to find a treatment ideal for your skin.