Your face is the first thing the world sees. It’s no wonder as a culture we are obsessed with its appearance. Are we wrong for wanting such an important part of our body to shine bright like a diamond? Of course not. It’s only right that we know what to do when it comes to taking care of our beautiful faces.
Though skin health is primarily a reflection of what we put into our bodies, there are external and environmental factors that influence how it behaves. In this highly polluted and toxic environment that we live in, our faces are constantly exposed and takes a licking from the elements. So how do we keep it ticking? Well aside from eating clean, wholesome foods, we gotta wash well.
Here are a few basics for effective face washing:
Avoid too hot water: Try lukewarm water instead. Water that’s too hot will dry out your skin and leave it looking dull. This is especially important in the winter.
Avoid over wash: The key is to know your skin type and wash accordingly. For example, if you have very oily skin you may have to wash with cleanser twice to tree times per day, especially if you exercise. If you have normal skin, once per day with soap and once without is quite acceptable, or even twice per day with soap is ok.
Aoid scrubbing your face: Go, easy sweetie. Be gentle. Scrubbing can irritate the skin, which can lead to unwanted acne. Also, when finished washing, do not rub. Rather, pat dry with a towel. The Clarisonic brush does a great job of gently cleansing without irritating the skin. You can also get a manual, natural hair face brush to do the job.
Avoid harsh cleansers: Harsh cleansers like soap and those that contain alcohol can strip the skin of its natural oils and cause dryness, which will ultimately lead to premature wrinkling. Again, knowing your skin type will help you to better determine the types of ingredients that are appropriate for you regimen.
Dixie Lincoln- Nichols is a biological science educator, health and wellbeing consultant and Qigong instructor. Her work has been featured in media outlets like, Oprah Mag, SELF, Yahoo and more. She is the founder of Inside Outer Beauty Market, a multi-cultutal retailer curating and creating products to support the body inside and out. Visit the site at www.iobeautymarket.com
