Taking Better Care of Your Skin Naturally
In spite of all of our efforts to stay young, our skin ages right along with us. Even when we slather it with anti-aging and collagen boosting products it keeps aging, it becomes more and more important to take proper care of our skin. The best way to do this is to use products that are made from natural and organic materials because as our skin gets older it also gets more sensitive.
Natural Cleansing
There are two steps to cleansing your skin: exfoliating away the dead skin cells and other debris that can clog your pores, and then washing your skin so that any lingering bacteria or microscopic particles are taken care of as well.
Many people do a deep exfoliation a few times a year at a dermatologist’s office or spa and then follow up on that at home with methods that are less invasive and gentler on the skin. Here’s a secret: if you keep up with the gentler methods, you shouldn’t ever need the more invasive treatments.
For gentle and natural exfoliation, you can either buy organic products or you can make your own for a fraction of what you’d spend on chemically based products or spa treatments. Honey, for example, is great for your skin and helps speed up the exfoliation process. Yogurt exfoliates and smoothes. Sugar (any kind will work) when mixed with olive oil is a fantastic skin brightening exfoliant. Oatmeal is one of the most famous natural exfoliants you can use.
For cleansing, you’ll want to go with oil. Using oil to wash away oil seems counter intuitive, but since oil attracts oil, it can be used to both get rid of oil that might be clogging your pores and rebalance your skin’s naturally occuring oils to help keep your skin clean and properly moisturized.
Natural Moisturizing
The third and most important part of a natural skin care routine is moisturizing. Skin dehydrates faster than any other part of our body because of its exposure to outside elements. If you do not properly moisturize your skin it will get dry and papery. It might even crack and scar. Nobody wants that! There are a lot of great pre-made natural moisturizers out there. Burt’s Bees offers a great line of them. Whole Foods store brand is also really great.
You can also make your own! Cold buttermilk (or even regular milk), for example, is great for soothing and moisturizing irritated skin. Shea butter is one of the most popular ingredients in any natural moisturizing recipe. Olive oil, in addition to helping cleanse, is also great for moisturizing. Avocado masks are wonderful for moisturizing as well. There are a lot of great recipes out there using ingredients you probably already have on hand. Try out a few to find the one that will work for you.
Dealing With Specific Skin Issues
When it comes to severe acne, skin tags, etc., you’ll probably need something more specialized than buttermilk or oil to help treat the condition. This doesn’t mean that you have to resort to chemicals though! There are plenty of naturally based skin tag removal products and acne fighters out there that you can get over the counter and by ordering online.
Note: do not attempt to physically treat skin issues yourself. For example, an old wives’ tale says you can get rid of a skin tag by tying it off with dental floss. Do not do this! Try an over the counter natural solution first. If you do not have luck, ask your doctor or dermatologist for professional help with the removal.
Don’t Ignore Your Body
A lot of skin care treatment tips focus on helping you keep your face as pretty and healthy as possible. This is certainly understandable, but it’s important that you do not forget to care for the rest of your skin as well. The skin on your arms and feet (and the rest of you) is just as important as the skin on your face! Caring for your skin doesn’t need to be difficult or expensive. Natural products makes it easy!
Ashley Andrews is a San Diego-based freelance writer who blogs on a wide range of green living, business, health and technology topics.
See also:
Radiance: The Key To Beautiful Skin
