Skin Care Basics

Skin care is more a matter of discipline and a consistent skin care routine is what you need (and you need to follow the facial skin care routine with complete seriousness) to keep your skin looking great. Let’s check what comprises an effective facial skin care routine. An effective skin care routine should consist of :

1. Cleansing
2. Toning
3. Exfoliating
4. Moisturizing

Cleansing

Cleansing helps in removing dust, pollutants, grease and extra oil from your skin, thereby preventing damage to your skin. Just spot your face and neck with a good cleansing lotion or cream and gently massage it into your skin using upward strokes. Use a soft face tissue or cotton wool to wipe your face in a gentle patting fashion (do not rub).  Cleansing should be done at least twice a day i.e. morning (as part of complete facial skin care routine) and evening (on a standalone basis).

Toning

Toning is the next in a facial skin care routine. However, this is the optional part of the facial skin care routine.  Toning helps remove all traces of dirt, grease and excess cleanser. Instead of making it part of your daily facial skin care routine, you can using toning occasionally i.e. when you have been exposed to particularly harsh environment/pollution.

Exfoliation

Exfoliation helps in removing the dead skin cells that block the pores, thus assisting the skin in the natural process. However, excessive or harsh exfoliation can cause damage to your skin.

Moisturize

The next thing in facial skin care is moisturising. In fact, moisturising is the most important part of facial skin care routine. Moisturisers prevent your skin from getting dry. Dry skin is really undesirable since it cause the upper layer skin to break, leading to dead skin cells. Again, use light upward strokes to make the moisturiser more effective. Moisturisers work the best when applied on warm and damp skin. So do not try to remove all the moisture in the previous steps of facial skin care routine.

Besides the normal facial skin care routine, you should also exercise the following for facial skin care:

• Use make-up remover instead of just washing it away
• Be familiar with your skin type before choosing a skin care products.
• Before you start using a new facial skin care product, test it by applying it on a short patch of skin e.g. ear lobes.
• Use sunscreen lotions for protection against sun.