Skin Care Basics

Skin is our body’s largest organ and it has a very important role contributing for your health. It’s our overcoat, it helps to protect our body from external threats such as bacteria, viruses and also from environmental menaces, like climate extremes. The skin has further relevant action as being able to release substances that are no longer essential for you body to work.

When we are young it’s easy to take care of the skin, it takes almost no effort, it’s at it’s full potential, making almost no mistakes, regenerating from every attack/aggression as if it has renewed again.

However by the time we start growing into young adults, some troubles arise due to the hormonal changes of adolescence. At this moment the awareness of body image gets a lot of emphasis, even to those who seem to be careless about theirs. I remember when I got my first zit, in my forehead, somehow in an impossible to hide place, it felt like I was under the major acne attack the world had ever seen. Soon I discovered that was just a mild beginning. Looking back, those days appear hilarious, but back them it was a real drama. I tried many different treatments, some were more successful than others. Yet I learnt a few basics for skin care, that were and still are essential to present day.

1- Hydration 

Water is crucial to living a healthy life. Naturally your body contains on average 60-75% of water, it’s its major element. You may think it’s a lot or even wonder where its at. Most of the water present in the human body exists inside it’s cells. Therefore this powerful tool is relevant to keeping a fresh, healthy and beautiful skin. 

Generally a person should drink a least a minimum of 50 oz of water per day, this recommendation doesn’t mean that you have to take in that amount only in a water form, although it would be the best choice, however other fluids and even many foods are able to provide the amount of hydration your body needs daily. Hydrated skin is usually a synonym of healthy beautiful skin, shining naturally, in a not oily way, though balanced.

2 –  Hygiene 

There are essentially two ways to clean your skin. One is washing with a neutral soap of your choice, either liquid or solid, preferably a specifically face product. If not possible or affordable, you can use your everyday body wash soap or gel, as long as your take extra care with the time you spend, meaning you should not leave it for too long in your face. In my opinion, it’s also import not to repeat this procedure throughout the day, as washing your face normally removes a lot of your skin essential oils, that protect and keep its elasticity. Repeating it could dry out your skin, even if your have the best moisturiser in the world. 

For me I consider the perfect choice a DIY skin cleanser, since it’s more natural and you get to know your ingredients. For example, regarding every skin type, the Coconut & Honey Cleanser (check recipe post).

Another way you can use to clean your face is with a skin toner. Using face cotton disks to remove the impurities. This kind of products can be expensive, however there’s an affordable choice available everywhere, rose water… Yes, it’s that simple! It cleans and freshens up your skin, you can take my word for it.

3 – Moisturise

Besides the internal hydration of your skin, I referred before, it is also important to moisturise it, enhancing the external protection of the skin and helping it to keep its elasticity longer. You can seek professional help to define what’s your skin type and therefore what’s the best moisturiser for you. In the other hand, if you have a budget to stick to, there are just a few aspects to take in consideration in order to define your skin type quickly. These are simple things you can evaluate yourself, please read the post about Skin Types. After defining your what’s your skin usually like, you can buy a moisturiser specifically made to satisfy your skin needs. Another option is for you to make your own moisturiser. My favorite option, even for atopic skins, is the Coconut Oil & Lemon Moisturiser (check recipe), a simple and easy DIY project that will amaze you.

4 – Exfoliation 

Everyday millions of cells renew in your body, as to replace dead ones, for that reason exfoliating is relevant. It helps to remove dead cells from your skin, giving the fresh skin cells the opportunity to appear, enhancing a fresher and younger look. It also allows you skin to be able to better absorb any everyday product or treatment you might be doing, boosting the results achieved.

Nowadays dermatologists recommend exfoliation as a basic tool for every skin type. There are many different ways to accomplish it, such as laser therapy, chemical or even mechanical exfoliation. The first two I strongly advise to be executed under a dermatologist’s supervision, as they can imply some unwanted side effects. The third one, mechanical exfoliation, is available to you, with little to no risks involved, for example in a department store. There are some natural scrubs that can be made easily at home. For me the best, really effective and inexpensive one is the Sweet Almond Oil Scrub (check recipe post).

This DIY natural scrub, can be used in your face, hands and feet, as well as in any other part of your body, as frequent as once a week or a fortnight for the best results.

5 – Sunscreen 

The sun is the most significant source of energy, speaking specially in biological terms. It sure helps you to keep awake and more productive, also it influences your mental  health generally enhancing humor by acting as a relaxation factor. Who doesn’t enjoy a sunny afternoon?!

In your skin the sun enables the production of vitamin D, which will allow your digestive tract to absorb crucial minerals for your body, such as calcium. On the less positive side sun radiation can accelerate your skin’s aging process and has also the potential to be harmful, leading to a sunburn or ultimately to skin cancer. Consequently, it’s imperative to prevent these damages, that could lead to life threatening situations, and there’s one simple way to do so, covering your skin with sunscreen, specially the exposed surface. This should be a ritual, never go outside in the day light without applying sunscreen on your exposed skin, even when it’s a cloudy day, radiation is also present. Your can buy these products in many stores, my recommendation is that it’s at least SPF 20, preferably with a creamy texture that absorbs quickly.

However currently scientists are investigating the potential carcinogenic effect of commercial sunscreens, nothing has yet been concluded or proven. Regarding this matter you can make your own sunscreen, that can reach SPF 40. My special DIY sunscreen is based on coconut and carrot seed oil. It’s the my favorite and very simple to make too. Coconut & Carrot Sunscreen (check recipe).

Nevertheless remember that if you’re going to the beach or intent to be by the pool, in an all day long sun exposure you should renew the sunscreen frequently, either the bought or the homemade version. Also avoid the dangerous hours for sun exposure, from 12h to 16h.

Hope this post can help simplify your skin care routine, allowing your skin to shine in the most beautiful, healthy and balanced way.

Bella.

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