LET YOUR SKIN GLOW
Sure, beauty is more than skin deep, but a beautiful glowing skin is definitely a plus!
Skin is the largest organ of your body. Yes! It is an organ just like liver, spleen, and kidneys. It also needs proper nutrition in order to be healthy and functioning well. The difference between skin and other organs is that instead of beign protected inside your body, it protects your body from what is around it.
What we don’t realize that instead of a barrier, our skin is like a sponge. It absorbs whatever you put on it.
Think of your skin like a plant. A plant needs nutrition from inside the soil and outside. If the soil is not nutritious, a plant will never fully develop and be strong. At the same time, if it is denied sunlight and water, it will wither and die.
A well-balanced diet works like the nutritious soil which strengthens and beautifies eveyrthing else. What you put on your skin, soaks in and helps to keep it strong and healthy, like the sunlight and water.
WHAT DOES YOUR SKIN NEED?
People slather, lather, rub and spray a myriad of skin care products on their body; and since skin is like a sponge we absorb hundreds of chemicals from these products. Would you do the same to let’s say to your kidney? Would you expose it to all these harmful chemicals so willingly? So why abuse your skin?
Your skin needs proper cleaning, proper hydration, removal of oil, and of course, some pampering. Believe it or not, all your skin care needs can be found right in your pantry!
Before you can really take care of your skin, you need to know your skin type.
SKIN TYPES
Just like you are unique, your skin is unique as well. Just like you get affected and irritated, your skin also gets affected and irritated. Some of the things that can irritate the skin are hormones, chemicals, weather, and even the quality of water. When you travel next time, notice how your skin and hair change. They are reacting to the change of air and water! Everyone’s skin is different, but broadly speaking, skin can be divided into the following types: normal, dry, oily, combination, and sensitive.
Each skin type requires a different care and it helps when you know which skin type you are!
To determine your skin type, use a simple test with a clean facial tissue to wipe your face in the morning, when you have just woken up…
NORMAL SKIN
If you skin belongs to a normal type, the tissue will not reveal any traces of oil. Normal skin looks clean and smooth, and has a healthy complexion. It is the easiest to maintain since it does not require too much care.
How to care for it…
There are many companies making natural skin care products and cosmetics, but nothing is as great as what comes from your kitchen. At least you know exactly what you are applying on your skin!
Natural skin is fairly easy to care for. You need to make sure you clean your skin regularly, moisturize it, and hydrate it. Here is what you can do…
Goat Milk Soap Goat Milk soap is a great skin cleanser. Use it daily on your entire body including your face. You can find it at most beauty product stores or you can purchase it online.
Honey is a great antibacterial facewash. It can be used for all skin types. This is how you use it…
This facewash can be used once or twice a week.
Yogurt Mask
Yep, you read it right! Yogurt is a great cleanser and moisturizer for your skin. You might find its odor too strong…I did when I first used it. But once you feel how smooth and clean your skin gets, you will get over the smell. Place a tablespoon full of yogurt in your palm and with the fingers of the other hand, gently massage the yogurt onto your face and neck in circular motion.
Apply this mask at least once a week for a glowing skin.
DRY SKIN
If your skin is dry, the tissue will be clean, but your face skin will feel flaky, dry, and tight after you have wiped it. Dry skin can easily become irritated and look unhealthy. It needs special care with moisturizing and regular facial masks.
How to care for it…
Dry skin requires needs to be treated gently and requires extra moisturizing.
Olive Oil
Olive oil is full of antioxidants and healthy fatty acids. You can use it both as a moisturizer and a facewash…
Oatmeal
Oatmeal is great for both dry and sensitive skin. This is how you can use it…
Avoacado
Avocado is packed with nutrients that heal the skin from the inside.
- Mash the pulp of an avocado into a smooth paste. Rub the paste all over your dry skin. Let it sit on your skin for 10 to 15 minutes and rinse it off with cold water. Use this mask once daily.
Glycerine and Rosewater are excellent after-shower moisturizers for dry skin. *Heritage brand Rosewater and Glycerin combination is my favorite!
Note: Skin usually becomes dry due to nutritional deficiencies. If your skin is dry, eat fish at least once a week, drink plenty of water and fresh fruit juices, and take multivitamin supplements.
OILY SKIN
If you have oily skin, the tissue will have spots of facial oil on it, at the areas of your cheeks, nose, and forehead. This skin requires extra care – it usually looks greasy, thick, and shiny, has enlarged pores, and tends to break into acne.
How to care for it…
If you have oily skin, it means your sebaceous glands are creating a lot of sebum, the waxy substance that protects your skin. It makes the skin look oily and may cause acne. Heredity is a factor—for instance, people with dark hair make more oil than people with lighter hair; but there are other factors, including stress and changes in hormone.
Since adolescents’ hormone activity is changing, they tend to have oilier skin and acne. These are some of the things you can do for your skin…
Warm Water
Wash your face several times a day with warm water. Warm water dissolves oil unlike cold water.
Almond-Honey Scrub
- Place a spoonful of almond meal (ground almond) in a bowl. Mix enough honey to make a fine paste. (This is enough for face scrub. Increase the quantity if you want to use it on your entire body.)
- Gently massage it onto your face for 5 minutes. Wash with warm water and pat dry. This facewash can be used daily.
Baking Soda
Baking soda helps to balance your pH levels of the skin and exfoliates your skin to control the oiliness. It removes dead skin cells and regulates the production of oil in your skin.
- Take 2 tablespoons of baking soda and mix it well a tablespoon of water.
- Take this paste and apply it by massing on your face. Leave it to dry for 5 minutes and wash it off with warm water. Use it once or twice a week.
Witch Hazel
Witch Hazel is a natural astringent. After you’ve washed your face, soak a cotton pad in distilled witch hazel and dab it all around. Use it once a day. Witch hazel contains tannins, which have an astringent effect, making the pores tighten up as they dry. You can find witch hazel at pharmacies and at beauty stores.
COMBINATION SKIN
If your skin is a combination, the tissue will have traces of oil from your nose and forehead, but will be clean in the areas that touched your cheeks. Combination skin has patches of both dry and oily skin. Dry areas are located on the cheeks and around the eyes, while oily areas are usually on the forehead and nose. Dry areas need moisturizing and oily areas need frequent and thorough cleaning.
How to care for it…
Honey Facewash
- Wash your face with honey as shown in the natural skin care section.
- Place 1 tablespoon of brown or white sugar in a bowl. Pour a few drops of lemon juice on it, just enough to make a paste. Scrub your face (or body) with it for a few minutes. Wash with warm water and pat dry. This could be your ‘it’ body scrub.
Rosewater
- Wash your face before going to bed. Apply rosewater on a cotton ball and dab all over your face and neck.
SENSITIVE SKIN
Sensitive skin is usually very dry, tends to feel tight, and becomes inflamed and irritated easily. Typically, sensitive skin develops reddish areas which can be itchy and tingly, and is prone to breaking into spots. It is the most problematic and fragile type of skin, which needs a very special type of care.
How to care for it… Sensitive skin needs to be healed and should be treated very gently. It should not be scrubbed or exfoliated, rather washed with very mild soaps like goat milk soap, castile soap, oatmeal, and avocado mask as discussed in dry skin care.
Raw Papaya
Raw papaya heals the skin, hydrates it, and makes it smooth, supple, shiny, and blemish-free. Apply finely grounded paste of raw papaya on the face (and body) for 25 minutes and then wash with cool water. It also helps reduce pimples and removes blemishes from the face.
Aloe Vera
Aloe Vera gel is very effective in healing all skin types and is especially soothing for sensitive skin. Grow your own plant or buy a leaf, remove the gel from inside, and store it in a container in the refrigerator. Apply every time you wash your face or your skin feels irritated!
NATURAL MOISTURIZERS
Skin needs to be moisturized in order to remain healthy. Think of it like the water that you need to give to the plant. If the skin is not properly moisturized, it will lose its fresh, healthy glow. Skin generally needs more care during the winter than any other time of the year because of the harshness of cold weather. So make sure to regularly moisturize during the winter season.
Some of the best natural moisturizers are…
Coconut Oil Coconut oil is a wonderful daily skin moisturizer, including your face. If you do not like the smell of coconut, add a few drops of your favorite essential oil in your bottle of oil. This oil will keep your skin smooth, strong, healthy, and glowing!
Almond Oil Almond oil is a deep moisturizer so it is very effective for dry and irritated skin, even though it is great for all skin types. Almond oil keeps the skin smooth and glowing, soothes skin irritation and inflamation, and improves the complexion. It is very effective for eczema and psoriasis. It helps remove dark patches from the skin, including dark circles under the eyes. It removes impurities and dead skin cells so it is a great moisturizer to apply at night before going to sleep.
Argan Oil
Argan oil is often called ‘liquid gold’, that is how precious it is! Argan is a fruit that grows in Morocco. Inside the fruit there is a nut, from which the oil is extracted. Argan oil is loaded with Vitamin A and E…the two secrets of gorgeous skin. It absorbs quickly and does not leave a residue which makes it a perfect moisturizer to use before leaving the house.
Argan oil is a natural toner, exfoliator, and effectively heals razor bumps and burns. It is a great moisturizer for those who have acne, as well as a great lip moisturizer.
Olive Oil Olive oil is great for all skin types. It heals dry, irritated skin; firms the skin and tones it; and softens rougher and drier skin areas like the knees and elbows. It is a great night moisturizer for those who have extremely dry skin. It is also a very effective and safe make-up remover.
Know your skin, love it, pamper it!
Have you tried any of these natural skin care products?
Which one is your favorite?
Have I missed something in here that you would like to add to this list?