Facial skin care’ is more a matter of discipline than anything else. A
Facial skin care routine is what you need (and you need to follow the
Facial skin care routine with complete seriousness). So let’s check what comprises an effective
Facial skin care routine. Well, very simply, a
Facial skin care routine can follow the following 4 steps:
* Cleansing
* Toning
* Exfoliating
* Moisturising
Cleansing is the first thing in
Facial skin care routine. Cleansing helps in removing dust, pollutants, grease and extra oil from your
skin, thereby preventing damage to your
skin. Just spot your face and neck with a good cleansing lotion or cream and gently massage it into your
skin using upward strokes. Use a soft face tissue or cotton wool to wipe your face in a gentle patting fashion (do not rub). Cleansing should be done at least twice a day i.e. morning (as part of complete
Facial skin care routine) and evening (on a standalone basis). Water soluble cleansers are the best for inclusion in your
Facial skin care routine.
Toning is the next in a
Facial skin care routine. However, this is the optional part of the
Facial skin care routine. Mostly, proper cleansing can compensate for toning. Toning helps remove all traces of dirt, grease and excess cleanser. Instead of making it part of your daily
Facial skin care routine, you can using toning occasionally i.e. when you have been exposed to particularly harsh environment/pollution.
Exfoliation is again, kind of, optional step in everyday routine for
Facial skin care. However, exfoliation is necessary at least once a week (or twice, depending on the
skin type and the environmental conditions). Exfoliation finds its place in
Facial skin care routine because of the natural tendency of
skin to replenish the
skin cells every 3 or 4 weeks. As a
Facial skin care technique, exfoliation helps in removing the dead
skin cells that block the pores, thus assisting the
skin in the natural process. However, excessive or harsh exfoliation can cause damage to your
skin; so you need to balance it out.
The next thing in
Facial skin care is moisturising. In fact, moisturising is the most important part of
Facial skin care routine. Moisturisers prevent your
skin from getting dry. Dry
skin is really undesirable since it cause the upper layer
skin to break, leading to dead
skin cells. Again, use light upward strokes to make the moisturiser more effective. Moisturisers work the best when applied on warm and damp
skin. So do not try to remove all the moisture in the previous steps of
Facial skin care routine.
Besides the normal
Facial skin care routine, you should also exercise the following for
Facial skin care:
* Use proper make-up remover instead of just washing it away
* Pay heed to your
skin type and the environment, when choosing
Facial skin care products.
* Before you start using a new
Facial skin care product, test it by applying it on a short patch of
skin e.g. ear lobes.
* Never rub your
skin too hard.
* Use sunscreen lotions for protection against sun.