A Skin Care Recipe for Life – Ten Invaluable Tips To Save You Money And Keep Your Skin Glowing

The most essential ingredient for glowing, youthful looking skin is to look after yourself. Your skin is like a mirror for you, telling you whether you’ve had enough sleep or have been eating well or whether you are feeling relaxed or stressed, which is great when you’re on top of life, but a double whammy when life’s tough and your complexion is showing that loud and clear! Follow these basic guidelines and use the ingredients information given to try out your own skin care recipes, and you’ll have some fun on the way to looking great.

1. Do you know your skin type? Is your skin oily, dry, sensitive, combination? Know this because then you will have a far better idea what to put on your skin to help it. If you are not sure, ask an expert
2. Drink water. We are 70% water. I know that seems hard to get your head around, but it is true. Basically we are a bag of salty water with some bones and organs thrown in. Your body wants water to replace what you lose in breathing, sweating, urinating and basically every metabolic process that your body undertakes 24/7. Your body’s fluids do not consist of cola, tea, coffee, etc…Your body needs water – preferably clean and blood temperature. That’s about half cold, half boiling and just cool enough to be able to drink easily. (Hint – tepid water really isn’t nice so make sure it is good and hot without being too hot). Drink a couple of glasses about half an hour before you eat to help your digestion the best. You won’t notice it immediately in terms of your skin, but when you (and your bladder) have got used to drinking water, your general health will improve and you may find that you become incredibly thirsty as your body switches back on its thirst indicators (which it long ago gave up telling us as we reached for the next cup of coffee). Gradually you will notice your skin is brighter and more hydrated. Start by replacing one non-water drink with a water one per day and build up, gradually replacing your non-water fluids with water. Your body will thank you and so will your skin. Hydrate from the inside! A word of warning – you can drink too much water – no more than two litres a day spread out.
3. Cleanse your skin morning and evening. So few of us live in perfect clean air. Unseen pollutants and dust build up on our skin during the day, and we tend to touch our faces frequently without even realising it. Use lukewarm water as hot and cold can damage your skin. Cleansing will remove dead skin cells and help unclog pores.
4. Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. Never let your skin dry out. Dried out skin leads to the top layer breaking and that rough raw look which is uncomfortable and unattractive. Put your moisturizer on when your skin is damp as it will work better.
5. No soap. Let me repeat that – No soap above your neck. It is too harsh as a cleanser for the delicate skin of your face. Use a gentle facial cleanser instead.
6. What a shame that the wonderful sun causes so much damage. If you want to protect the long-term look of your skin, you must use sunscreen. Lots of day-time moisturizers have UV block built into them which is a great way to also protect on those cloudy days when you are still vulnerable. With UV radiation a cause of skin cancer, this is a must.
7. Exercise, exercise, exercise. I know – if exercising doesn’t come naturally to you then guilt goes hand in hand with that word. Have you noticed how so many of these skin care tips are just good advice for a really healthy and vibrant life? Do you not want to kill two birds with one stone? Feel great and treat your skin at the same time! Blood pumping around your body better and faster helps provide nutrients and oxygen to your skin and removes waste more efficiently, including damaging free radicals. Cellular debris is flushed out of your body more easily. It’s a no brainer, but the secret is to find something you like doing and build exercise into every corner of the day – running up stairs, walking to the store, cycling to work etc..And joining an exercise class can be fun and motivating – and you’ll feel fantastically pleased with your self afterwards.
8. Sleep. A good night’s sleep helps your cells repair and that includes your skin. Sleep deprivation reduces growth hormone which is also the repair hormone. New skin cells are produced twice as fast when you are asleep. Most adults are sleep deprived, especially those with young children and it can be hard to find a solution. A lot of us do spend more time that we are aware messing on our computer (reading this!) or watching TV. Do you even remember what you watched last week? Isn’t feeling refreshed and vibrant after a restful night’s sleep better than slumping in front of some mediocre programme…it’s just a thought…Sleep tight!
9. Beat the stress. Give yourself a break and start to look at small changes you can make to reduce the stresses in your life. Stress is harmful to skin. It dehydrates the body and reduces the effectiveness of all those cleansing bodily functions. Hopefully, if you have followed the advice above, you are already beginning to see the benefits of a healthier life-style.
10. Stop using chemical laden synthetic beauty products and start making your own natural, organic skin care recipes. You probably already have the ingredients lurking in the back of your kitchen cupboards or in the fridge. Nature provided us with what we need to look after our skin in the form of honey, yoghurt, milk, papaya, strawberries, pineapple, avocado, almond oil, lavender, apple, bananas, oatmeal, rolled oats, cornmeal, carrots, lemons, limes, oranges, mint, rosemary, sage, green tea…. The list is endless, as are the possible combinations you can make with all of these and more ingredients. Have a go at combining different ingredients. Once you become familiar with the properties of all the different ingredients, you can use your skin care recipes information to start making up your own recipes!