Easy, Simple Skin Rules to Live By!

I have decided to give some tlc to this blog as it has been long deserved and everyone can always benefit from a bit of useful info on taking care of their skin. Whether you're heading out on a night on the town, bumming around in your pajamas or striving for that perfect complexion, there are always some basic rules that need to be followed to ensure your skin is always in tip-top shape! I'm pretty sure if you follow these simple rules, you'll notice a difference in your skin and will thank yourself later in taking the time to do so! :)


Wear Sunscreen


Ladies..and Gents..of course, always remember to wear sunscreen, I cannot stress this enough. Just like Baz Luhrmann's popular hit song had us singing the tune so should you...on a daily basis! Not only are you saving your skin from hyperpigmentation but you are also helping to prevent it from age spots, sun damage and possible premature aging which you will see more evidently in the latter years of your life. Make sure you find the right SPF (Sun Protection Factor) for your skin type. If you burn very easily and have relatively fair skin, you may want to opt for the higher SPF. Whereas, Mediterranean to darker complexions can get away with an SPF of 10-15. Be weary, however, of sunscreens that act like you'd be better off using them, but are in fact loaded with chemicals out to create worse health problems then if you didn't use it to begin with. Stay away from sunscreens whose ingredients include any parabens, or petroleum-based derivatives, as they have been linked to causing certain cancers.


Tone up...your face that is


Ah, the feel of a nice misting all over the face, after a good cleanse is a great way to say "I love you, face!", just be sure you're not in public when you say it! Toning has been something I have always mentioned to all my clients as a must following the cleansing of your face, which I hope all of you do! :) Toning helps to close the pore and prevent it from clogging up with "new dirt" right after you've just finished cleansing it. Although your pores don't actually change in size, it is important to help in bringing your skin back to its homeostatic balance and pH level. It also helps the skin to maintain its moisture by containing moisture-binding humectants that latch onto the skin and retain what nature gave you, which in turns makes you end up using less of your moisturizer - bonus! Remember to stay away from toners which contain harsh alcohols as they only dry out your skin faster.


Say no to colourful pillowcases


Before you think I'm harping on you for your taste in bedding, by this I mean to wash that face of makeup off before bedtime! Ugh, if there's anything that grosses me out more than anything else, is knowing that you've decided to curl into bed and have taken the many colours of the rainbow with you! Even if you're too smashed or can barely keep an eye open, it's no excuse to doll up for bedtime. At night, when your resting, your skin is taking the opportunity to renew and repair itself because of all that it's exposed to throughout the day, which you don't get the full benefit of if you skip cleansing. When you leave makeup on your skin, or forget to wash your face before bedtime, it's also giving bacteria you have picked up throughout the day the chance to have a little fiesta on your face, at your expense! Combine that dirt with oil secretion and well, it's time to call the police for some crowd control. 


Scrub-a-Dub


No, I'm not referring to a bubble bath with duckies, although re-living my childhood at times wouldn't be so bad. :) I'm talking about exfoliation. It's great for the skin in helping to stimulate collagen production, lighten dark spots/hyperpigmentation, achieve a smoother complexion, brighten the skin, and remove dead skin cells. Each time you exfoliate you help to remove any dead skin cells that are floating around on the top layer of your skin which it was unable to shed on its own. It takes approximately 28 days for your skin to renew itself and push "old skin" to the surface while new skin is growing underneath. However, how can something that has so many benefits be too much to do and too often? I can answer that easily. Although you want to keep exfoliation to once a week, there are some exfoliants from some companies that will allow them to be used 2-3 times a week or even daily. Please, read the packaging carefully and ask a professional skin therapist on how to use the product correctly. The general rule is that the lighter or less granular the exfoliant, the more it can be used in a week, opposed to a coarser grind exfoliant which should be used no more than once a week. If your not careful, over exfoliation can lead to excessive dry skin, eczema, rashes or even breakouts due to the rawness of the skin. 


There you have it! Some easy simple rules to live by.. nothing too fancy shmancy! So, anytime you're feeling like it's getting to the point where you want to quit the regime and go on vaca, just remember that taking a lil' bit of time out now for your skin is only gonna get you big brownie points with it for years to come! :)