Skin Care

A friend of mine asked me to do a post on skin care which I am very happy to do but I have two confessions to make. First, I don't know a whole lot about skin care. I have done some research to prepare for this post and I have read bits and pieces here and there. Second, my skin is extremely low maintenance. I can probably count on my fingers the number of times I have gotten a pimple on my face and I do not have an extensive skin care regime. Both those things being said here is what I have learned and here is what i do to take care of my skin.
First off, everyone's skin is different. Thus what you need to do to take care of your skin and your skin care regime will look different than the person's next to you. Peoples' skin types fall into three broad categories; dry, normal and oily. People with dry skin rarely break out, most likely won't get acne and only have to clean their faces once a day. Their disadvantages are that their skin is most likely very sensitive, they have to moisturize regularly and are prone to wrinkles as they age. People with normal skin have.. well.... normal skin. Very few people are blessed with perfectly normal skin. Usually they are normal bordering dry or oily. My skin is normal bordering dry. People with oily skin have to wash their face at least twice a day, usually have trouble with acne and pimples. But also their skin is not usually as sensetive and they are not as prone to wrinkles.
Our skin is very absorbant but it also is one of our bodies ways of getting rid of waste material. That is why we must make sure to clean our skin regularly. Since our skin absorbs everything we put on it we should be very mindful of what is in the products we stick on our skin. It is up to each person to decide how natural or unnatural they will go in regards to skin care.
The basis of beautiful skin is a healthy diet. If you eat poorly it will be reflected in your skin. Make sure your diet includes lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, protein rich foods and healthy fats. 
No matter what type of skin you have there are four basic things that are essential to healthy skin besides a healthy diet.

Cleanse:
You should wash your face everyday at least once. There are several ways to do this. Studies are showing that regular soap is probably not the best thing to use on your face because it strips your face of all the natural oils leaving your face dry and vunerable. There are lots of face cleansing creams, liquid etc. available. You should decide which one to use based on your skin type. If you have dry skin look for cleansers that say
gentle, hydrating or moisturizing. If you have oily skin look for cleansers designed just for you. scrub your face in an upward circular motion because your pores on your face face downward and scrubing them in this direction will help make sure you clean them thoroughly. After you clean your face rinse with cold water to close your pores.

Moisturize:
After you clean your face you need to replenish it's moisture even if your skin is oily. Again, the moisturizer
you choose depends on what type of skin you have.

Protect:
It is very important keep your skin protected from the sun even if you are blessed with skin that naturally tans. I don't tan; I turn pink which is most unattractive. I need to put sunscreen on if I go out in the sun for any extended period of time (i.e. anytime longer than 15 minutes) because I am very prone to sun burn which puts me at a high risk for skin cancer. But even if you don't have light skin you need to protect your skin from the harmful rays of the sun. The damaging rays of the sun lead to skin cancer and early aging. When looking for sunscreen products look for ones with either titanium oxide or zinc oxide because those work the best.

Exfoliate:
You always have skin cells that are dying and it is important to remove the layer of dead skin cells regularly otherwise they will clog your pores. There are several ways to do this including scrubs and masks.








Here is what I do and use to take care of my skin.
I clean my face in the morning and at night with Trader Joe's tea tree oil face cleaning pads.
then I rinse with cold water.

 In the morning I moisturize with Aveeno natural body lotion with oatmeal

  I like it because it does not leave me all shiny. In the summer I will use a lotion with sunscreen in it.
 At night I use Tropical Traditions Lavender Moisturizer.

Coconut oil is super good for your skin and the scent of lavender is very relaxing.
For sunscreen I use Coppertone for sensitive skin.

It stays on even in the water and smells pretty good too. Sometimes if I am just going for a walk in the neighborhood in the summer  I will use coconut oil because it acts as a sunscreen and it moisturizes at the same time.
 To exfoliate my sister and I make face masks and try to use them twice a week. Our recipes are always different but here is one of our favorites.

I hope this was helpful to some of you! What do you do to take care of your skin?