SkiNcaRe.BasiCs.101.

It can be quite overwhelming seeing all the different commercials or advertisements selling products for "perfect" skin or products that can make your skin "better". Even walking into your nearest drugstore or department store can leave your head spinning with confusion. If you agree with any of theses statements, you are among majority of the population. 

But skin care does not have to be so complicated. Simplicity is key; it doesn't have to be a twenty step process for basic skin care. And plus that you don't need to spend a lot of money. Basic skin care only includes 3-4 steps.

All the steps are important in maintaining a healthy and radiant skin. 

The first step would be cleansing. Cleansing is basically essential to remove any impurities, dirt, germs, excess oils makeup or grime thats on the skin. As most of us know that this is an important step, I find many of my customers are not doing this step properly. Cleansing should be done twice daily; once in the morning and once in the evening. If you are going to choose one time per day I would say the most important would be in the morning because the skin detoxifies itself during the night and all the impurities are on the surface of the skin in the morning. Now if you wear makeup it is essential to do this in the evening as well. A question that I get as well is "which cleanser should I choose for my skin type?" 

If you have: 

Oily/combination skin - Usually this skin likes a gel or foaming type cleanser at it leaves the skin feeling clean and fresh.

Normal skin - This skin type is lucky as they have many choices. You can choose anything from a gel, cream, foam, milk or bar.

Dry skin - This skin responds well to cream or milk cleansers, they leave the skin feeling comfortable.

A good thing to remember is that your skin should never feel dry after a cleanser, if it does, you are most likely using the wrong cleanser for your skin type. You can also find a micelle type cleanser that is a waterless cleanser for each skin type.

The second step to basic skin care would be a toner/astringent/lotion. Toning the skin is definitely a step that gets overlooked or forgotten. It is however a key part of a good skin care regime. A toner will help to balance the skin and make sure that it is not too oily and not too dry. The reason that you need a toner is because your skin has a natural barrier that protects the skin which is called the hydrolipidic film. Think hydro=water and lipidic=oil; a combination of your sweat and oil. Once you wash your face with water and cleanser, you wash away the hydrolipidic film. Thus leaving the skin exposed. Your skin will then take 3 hours to build up the natural film. With a toner you bring this back instantly! Another key importance of a toner is that if your skin is wet with a toner and you apply your moisturizer on it, it will penetrate the skin faster and better; making your moisturizers benefits increased. 

The third step to basic skin care is moisturizing. Moisturizing the skin will have many benefits including protecting the skin, balancing the skin, leaving the skin feeling comfortable, holding essential moisture in the skin. But don't just use your grandmother's cold cream! Choose a moisturizer thats good for your skin type and concern.

Oily/combination skin - This skin usually likes something light weight like a lotion or gel texture. Oil free is a great option. You can also find ones for acne prone skin as well.

Normal skin - A normal skin can choose a lotion, a gel or a cream. 

Dry skin - This skin usually likes a thicker formula such as a cream or balm. 

You can also find moisturizer for all these skin type with other concerns such as anti aging, redness on the skin, with sunscreen, eczema.

The last step to basic skin care is sunscreen. Sunscreen is an essential part of healthy skin. It is only worn in the morning and reapplied during the day. Using this will help prevent premature aging,  sunburning and skin cancers. You may think you only need sunscreen during times at the beach or when you are spending the day in the sun. But did you know that the most damage done is when you are sitting next to a window, or walking from here to your car? The little bits of time exposed to the sun add up over years and can cause wrinkles, dark spots and skin cancers. I often find customers complain about how thick sunscreens are but nowadays we have formulas that are as light as water. So check around and make sure to get something broad spectrum. More questions on sunscreen? Check out my post on it. 

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