Sunday 20 February 2011

Dry Facial Skin Care


When I was younger many of my friends were suffering from acne and I didn't. I had the opposite problem, dry skin. My friends thought I was lucky, but I knew better. I knew that they would likely outgrow their acne stage but I would have to deal with my dry skin for the rest of my life. Having dry facial skin presents unique challenges when it comes to finding proper skin care products. Here is some of what I've learned.


1. Be very careful of what types of soaps you use on your face. You need to find a soap that is gentle and has a moisturizer. Ideally you should use a totally organic product since, believe it or not, many store bought cosmetics including moisturizers have very harmful chemicals in them. Many of the chemicals in American made cosmetics have actually been banned from use in Europe. 


2. Limit your exposure to extreme temperatures. Too much heat and sun in the summer can be just as damaging as too much cold in the winter. Whenever you are outside in extreme conditions take care of your skin.  


In the hot summer months use sunscreen and wear hats and other protective clothing. In the cold winter months make sure to protect your skin from the biting winds by using scarves and gloves. 


3. Get plenty of exercise. It's important that you always remember that a healthy looking outside starts with a healthy inside. Exercise helps you skin in a couple of ways. For one thing it will increase blood flow which will give your skin that radiant glow that we all want to have. 


Secondly, when you sweat you are getting rid of harmful toxins in your body. By exercising,and sweating, several times a week you are preventing the buildup of these toxins.


4. Drink plenty of water. Remember, all your healthy skin care starts on the inside. If you want to keep your skin properly moisturized you need to keep your body properly hydrated. Drink about eight glasses of water every day. 


5. Find, and use, a good lotion, 'good' being the operative word. Like I mentioned above many of the products you buy at the store contain harmful chemicals. The minimum problem with them is that they simply don't work. The worst problem is that there is mounting evidence that these products can actually cause cancer. 


When looking for good skin care products try to find those that are organic. When it comes to choosing an organic product don't pay too much attention to the label, since many companies will try to make it appear their product is organic when it isn't.  


Instead pay close attention to the ingredients. That will give you a better idea of what is truly in that product. Basically, if you see something listed and you,ve never heard of it, or can't pronounce it, stay  away.


Use these tips and you can make real progress in battling your dry facial skin. Having dry skin can be challenging to deal with, but it's not impossible.