The Secret Of Clear And Radiant Skin

`Mirror, mirror on the wall, who`s the fairest of them all?` - Well, we do not need to be as narcissistic as the wicked stepmother in this famous children`s fairy tale but we can certainly take steps to ensure a clear, radiant skin! External and internal factors are both responsible for making our skin what it is.

The internal ones like a nutritious diet and proper exercise can be monitored by us to give us a healthy skin. What we eat and drink affects the texture of our skin to a large extent and we must ensure plenty of fruits, vegetables and water in our daily dietary intake to keep the skin supple and healthy. Since external factors like pollution, weather is not in our control, we must take the help of good skin care products to safeguard against the free radicals which can damage our skin.

Pollution has become an inescapable part of life and a certain amount of exposure is inevitable. Free radicals in the polluted atmosphere clogs up the pores, makes the skin dehydrated and rough, deprives it of oxygen and hastens the aging process. Fine lines begin to appear on the face and necks making you look older than you actually are. To counteract the ill effects of these external factors, it is necessary to maintain a strict daily regime of cleansing, toning and moisturizing your skin with high-quality skin care products which suit your skin type.

Keeping your skin clean is the first most basic step of a glowing skin. Though soap and water is the most regular skin care product, it is necessary to ensure that soaps especially made for the face should be used as these have the right pH (potential of Hydrogen - a measure of the acidity) balance and do not make the skin ultra dry. Various types of cleansing milks, lotions, soaps and gels are available in the market and you can choose the one most suited to your skin type.

A variety of scrubs are also available to exfoliate dead skin, blackheads and whiteheads from the surface of the skin. Scrubs are skin care products which should not be used daily but once or twice a week. Besides being excellent for removing all dead cells from the face, they are also very good for other exposed parts of the body like the knees, elbows, hands and feet.

After cleansers, come toners in liquid form which are used to wipe away the leftover dirt or grime after the cleansing and to tone up the skin. Rose water toner, cucumber toner, mint toner or alcohol and alum toners are all excellent toners suitable for many types of skin.

Moisturizing comes last and skin care products related to this should be chosen with care. Moisturizers keep the skin hydrated which is so necessary for soft and supple skin. Dry skins benefit from heavier moisturizers whereas for oily skin gels are very good.

Apart from these basic skin care products, there are specialized products like make-up removal creams or lotions, anti-wrinkle creams, skin-tightening creams, collagen-inducing creams, eye creams, night creams; the variety is mind boggling as you will find a product for every niche. Removing all traces of make-up before going to bed is essential to let the skin breathe and rejuvenate itself in the night and for this a make-up removal cream or lotion may be considered to be an integral part of the daily skin care routine. The usage of the rest of the specialized products is a personal preference.

Our skin is a living, breathing organ and we have to keep it healthy and radiant with the help of suitable skin care products.

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Roberto Sedycias works as IT consultant for Polomercantil