What to Look For in Skincare Products

Browse the aisles of any pharmacy or beauty supply store and you’ll see shelf after shelf of skincare products, all of them promising to deliver healthy, radiant and glowing skin that is blemish and wrinkle free. Of course, if perfect skin could be had by using just any old cream then everyone would have perfect skin, wouldn’t they? So obviously much more is needed when shopping for products than to just read the marketing slogans and advertising on their labels. What should you look for when shopping for skincare products and is there any way to discern if any really are better than others?

For one thing it’s good to remember that your skin is as unique to you as your fingerprint. Your friend or mom or sister or coworker may have had great success with certain skincare products but this alone shouldn’t make you think that these products will work well for you. You may have very dry skin while theirs is very oily, or vice versa, and so on. What works for one person by way of skincare products isn’t always going to work for someone else.

It’s important for any skincare products you purchase to be water-based, which means that they’ll be absorbed by your skin more easily and that they won’t clog your pores and cause breakouts. Most skincare products list water as their first ingredient and this is a good thing; it doesn’t necessarily mean that their ingredients are watered down or diluted.

It’s also good to shop for skincare products that are meant for your type of skin specifically. Do you have dryness and flakes? Then of course you need a good moisturizing agent in your product. Do you have breakouts? Then you need an acne treatment product, but this should be used on the area of the breakouts only and not on your entire face.

No matter what your skin type you may want to opt for skincare products that are meant for sensitive skin as these usually are free of perfumes, dyes, fragrances, and other products that typically irritate most skin. And many people have sensitivity to new products whether they usually have sensitive skin or not. If you’re trying some new types of skincare products or something new in your skincare routine, then make sure everything is designed for sensitive skin.

Vitamins are also very important when it comes to any skincare products you’re shopping for. The skin’s health and appearance are greatly affected by the vitamins it receives from your eating and from the products you put on your face, so make sure you get skincare products that contain vitamins A and E especially. Vitamin A is important for your skin’s cellular regeneration, and vitamin E contains natural oils that work great as a moisturizer. If you keep yourself mindful of all these points you’re sure to find products that are perfect for your skin’s tone, condition, and that will contribute to its overall health and appearance.

Making Your Own Organic Skin Care Products

The craze for organic products doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon, and really, why should it? Organic simply means grown or produced without artificial chemicals and other ingredients, and this can be a healthy choice when it comes to the foods you eat and the products you put on your skin. But if you want to make up your own organic skin care products it’s really not that hard if you just know a few basic ingredients you can use and the best way to apply them to your face. Since organic skin care products contain no preservatives or additives anyway then of course it’s easy to whip them up right in your own kitchen! And if you think about it, what do you think people used to take care of their skin before products were mass produced and marketed at retail stores? Obviously women have been making their own organic skin care products for centuries even though they didn’t know it at the time.

One of the most basic ingredients used for homemade organic skin care products is oatmeal. Whole oats have a very soft texture that makes them a perfect cleansing and exfoliating agent. They very gently slough away the top layer of skin, removing dead skin cells and impurities, while keeping the healthy skin relatively untouched. Many masks and facial treatments you purchase at the retail stores have oatmeal in them, so why pay all that money for one small jar when you can buy a pound of oatmeal at the supermarket for the same price? Usually you need to add something to the oatmeal for your homemade organic skin care products and there are many natural moisturizers such as honey, avocado, olive oil, plain yogurt, and even mayonnaise. All of these ingredients add natural moisture to the face without leaving a residue, clogging pores, or irritating even the most sensitive skin.

Eggs especially are very high in vitamin A and this is vitally important to your skin’s health and importance; you can use a raw beaten egg as a simple mask. A simple paste of oatmeal and honey is one of the oldest facials every used and a good basic staple item in your homemade organic skin care products, but you can also add mashed avocado, a bit of olive oil, or anything else that you care to add to make the paste to your liking. If you have oily skin then a small amount of lemon juice can work as an astringent for the t-zone or areas of the face where you have excess oil.

Using your own homemade organic skin care products should be done with care and caution just as you would any new product for your face. Remember that even though the things you make up at home are organic, skin care products that the face isn’t used to can cause an allergic or irritated reaction especially if overused or left on the face for too long.