HOW TO KEEP YOUR SKIN FROM LOOKING OLD

You can improve the health of your skin and keep it from looking old with three easy strategies:

These strategies will boost collagen creation, help create normal skin cells, and greatly decrease fine lines and wrinkles.

Here is what you need to do: exfoliate, moisturize and bronze.

Exfoliate:

The ordinary person creates a new layer of skin every two to four weeks. At the end of the cycle, the old, dead cells on the surface are shed.

You can improve your complexion greatly by exfoliating and sloughing off these old, lifeless skin cells. The result will be a clearer, smoother, more even-toned complexion.

If these cells are not removed, they are able to clog the sebaceous pores. This will lead to surface spots or blackheads.

My recommendation is: John Masters Organics Jojoba & Ginseng Exfoliating Face Cleanser

How To Exfoliate

Please do this with care!

• Wet the area of your skin you wish to exfoliate.
• Employ a scrubbing sponge, exfoliating gloves or a body loofah.
• Apply an exfoliating cleanser to your skin or add it to your sponge.
• Don’t apply anything too abrasive, such as exfoliants that contain crushed nuts or apricot seeds.
• Using circular motions, rub the exfoliating cleanser on your skin utilizing your sponge or loofah.
• Be especially gentle over easily hurt parts of the body, like neck and thigh tissue.
• Rinse your skin completely.
• Follow up with an effective moisturizer.

You’ll discover that your makeup will go on smoother if you do this faithfully.

How often: No more frequently than two times a week.

Moisturize:

Moisturizing not only keeps your skin soft and supple, it actually improves the barrier function of your skin. This helps defend against toxins and increases the skin’s ability to retain moisture.

It is normal to think that applying water by itself to dry skin would manage the problem. However, hot or soapy water seriously reduces your natural skin oils.

To be totally effective, you must apply a moisturizer three or more times a day.

Search for products containing botanicals, such as free radical-fighting hibiscus or skin-calming chamomile.

There are four basic categories of body moisturizers: ointments, oils, creams and lotions. (These are listed in decreasing order of moisturizing ability.)

Ointment moisturizers possess the best ability to trap moisture in the skin, but they are greasy and they are likely to obstruct your pores.

Oil moisturizers are less greasy but still effective. In this group, I believe vegetable oils are the best to use. They can be applied directly to the skin. Examples of such oils are: sweet almond oil, apricot kernel oil, avocado oil, jojoba oil, olive oil, and evening primrose oil.

Cream moisturizers are typically white and vanish when massaged into the skin without leaving a greasy feel. As a result, they tend to be more popular than ointments.

Lotion moisturizers are suspensions of oily substances in alcohol and water. Lotion moisturizers are usually the least greasy and the most pleasing to apply and thus are very well liked. However, because of their alcohol content, they can dry out your skin if you use them frequently.

My recommendation: Pangea Organics – French Chamomile with Sweet Orange & Lavender, Hand & Body Lotion

Bronze:

Give some year-round color to your complexion with a brush of natural bronzing powder.

The color you want to achieve is the color you would enjoy after a day in the sun, with high-quality sun block on. Make certain your bronzer isn’t too dark, because you don’t want it to color your skin but to only add radiance or sparkle to it. Preferably, you should never select one that is more than two shades darker than your natural skin tone.

For a healthy glow, apply bronzer only to the areas of your face where the sun would naturally fall, such as the nose, cheekbones, forehead, and chin.

Look for a talc-free bronzer – breathing talc can irritate the respiratory tract.

My recommendation is: Afterglow Cosmetics Organic Glow Bronzer

How To Apply Bronzer

• Keep foundation to a minimum when using bronzer as this can make your skin tone too orange and “dirty” when the bronzer is applied.
• You have to apply it with the right type of brush – a wide and fluffy powder brush will work best.
• Dab the brush into the bronzer then tap off any surplus on the back of your hand.
• Apply to your cheeks, forehead, chin and nose and blend well.
• If your complexion is extremely pale, put a small amount of pink blusher on your cheeks to give them a more natural looking glow.

Conclusion

Remember, washing removes oil and moisture from your skin. Washing your face twice a day is enough.

When bathing, pick warm water over hot. It is not as drying and is more natural.

Get plenty of sleep. Most of the body’s repair and rebuilding happens when you sleep.

Your friend,

Janet Esther

Resources For This Article:

By Kim Erickson, http://www.naturalsolutionsmag.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/articleSearch.article/articleID/15088/keyword/3%20STEPS%20TO%20AGELESS%20SKIN/3StepstoAgelessSkin#

Author unknown, http://www.glamourgirlz.info/2007/06/17/exfoliating-your-skin/

Author unknown, http://www.sunsafetyrules.com/bronzers.htm

Author unknown, http://www.uihealthcare.com/topics/skinhealth/winterskin.html

Author unknown, http://www.mamashealth.com/skincare/exfoliate.asp

Author unknown, http://www.tellmehowto.net/howto/apply_bronzer_11

Suggested Reading:

Stephanie Tourles. The Herbal Body Book: A Natural Approach to Healthier Hair, Skin, and Nails. North Adams, MA: Storey Publishing, LLC, 1994

Janet Esther, Four Common Problems of Aging Skin

Janet Esther, Organic Skin Care Products: My Recommendations