Herbal Skin Care

With people becoming more interested in natural products, herbal skincare has seen a boom in recent years.
This has happened to some extent due to the manufacturers of skincare products realizing that people are interested in natural solutions and by supplying it on a large scale more people can take advantage of herbal skincare.

Prior to the manufacturers getting involved, the only way you could get hold of herbal skincare would be by creating the products yourself or relying on small manufacturers who had to charge a premium to cover their costs.

While a lot of the herbal skincare products that on the market have additional ingredients in them to preserve their shelf life, the majority of the ingredients are still natural and that is what is important to most people.

Many people find these herbal skincare products are a lot easier on the skin although with any product, for people with sensitive skin, it is wise to test samples first.

One of the best natural skincare products is Aloe Vera.
As an extract from the aloe plant, Aloe Vera is often used for healing purposes for cuts and burns.
If you've been over exposed to the sun Aloe Vera is an excellent solution to remove any pain and assist with the healing process.

Many of the top brand manufacturers of skincare products add Herbal ingredients to their products due to the added benefits that can be gained from using natural extracts.

Extracts such as dandelion, chamomile, rosemary and so on are finding their way into more and more top brand face care products.

Essential oils have been used for years in skin care products.
As demand continues to increase for the use of natural ingredients you'll find more opportunity to continue using your favorite manufacturer products while moving towards a more natural approach that can only be good for your skin.

Foundation Textures

Foundation makes the skin look smooth by giving it a healthy natural complexion while helping to make it appear as flawless as possible.

There are various different types of foundation textures on the market and you need to find the one that suits your complexion the best.

Sheer foundations are one of the better choices for helping to give you a more natural look.
Sheer foundations generally contain silicon which helps them to glide easily over the skin without giving you an oily look.
By using this type of foundation sparingly it can appear as though you don't have any foundation on at all.

Oil based foundations are excellent for dry or flaky skin.
As many oil based products can appear to be a little bit heavy, it might be wise to add a few drops of toner to the solution before applying it.

Matt foundations on the other hand dry out extremely fast and they need to be applied rather quickly while taking care to blend them in well at the same time.
These foundations can be good for people with oily skin as they tend to remain matt for longer.

Cream foundations are excellent for people with aged skin as they help to cover surface lines and wrinkles while still maintaining a natural finish.

Light reflecting foundations have specially shaped particles that help to give a youthful appearance by reflecting the light off the skin.

Along with the many different developments that are being made with skincare products you can buy foundation now that is light responsive.
This foundation has special pigments that are receptive to the light and they will change according to the natural light conditions.
There will even change according to electric lights and in doing so will remain a color that looks the same in the various different conditions.

FAKE TANS

For a great way to have that 'healthy' tanned look without the damage that can be expected from sun exposure you should consider using fake tanning products.

These products have come a long way from the days when a person wearing fake tan could be spotted a mile away looking like a carrot with their orange skin.

There are two important areas when using fake tans that you need to consider.

The first one is to choose a coloring that is no more than two shades darker than your natural coloring.
To go any darker than that will look unnatural unless you prefer to look like George Hamilton and appear as though you have been baking under the sun for the best part of your life.

The tan needs to appear natural and if it is too dark it will be obvious that you are wearing a fake tan.

With many products you will need more than one application and where this is so, you should always wait for the tan to dry between applications before deciding whether to apply another layer.

Often the tan will dry slightly darker than anticipated so an additional layer might not be required.

Another area where you will need to be careful is in the application of the tanning products.

The skin needs to be clean before applying the tanning products and care needs to be taken to ensure that it is applied evenly to remain streak free.

The higher quality tanning products will generally be a lot easier to apply and there will be less chance of having unsightly streaks after application.

Artificial tanners allow you to wear lightly tinted or transparent foundations and powders.

You can also wear a lightly tinted moisturizer that will enhance the natural look of the artificial tan.

FACIAL OILS

Contrary to popular belief facial oils can benefit any type of skin - even oily skin.

The reason why many women are reluctant to use facial oils is because nobody likes to have greasy oily skin but this is not the case when using facial oils.

As the facial oils are rapidly absorbed into the skin the surface is not left greasy and oily.

With the active ingredients that are in these oils there are many benefits that can be had from using them.

Many of the natural health clinics will use and supply these facial oils and there is nothing quite like having a facial massage from somebody using good-quality facial oil.

There are different types of facial oils for the various skin types and these are all designed to address different problems.

Some people combine these facial oils with aromatherapy.

Most of these face treatment oils use 100% pure plant extracts.
Some of the common essential oils that are used include sandalwood, cardamom, lavender, blue orchid, geranium, lotus extract, and more.

These oils are used to help restore and comfort the skin, while reducing reddening and irritation.

Other oils such as hazelnut help prevent moisture loss and are excellent for anti aging.

Oils are used for normalizing the skin and revitalizing and toning the epidermis.

The best time to use these face treatment oils is at night as an alternative to night cream.

After you have thoroughly cleansed and toned your face you will apply the oil to your face and neck while it is still damp.

Avoid excess oil around the eye area.
Once applied, you can gently remove any excess oil with a soft tissue or face cloth.

It is particularly beneficial to use oils on the forehead, nose and chin.
Massage the oil gently into these areas and also on your cheeks.

If you've never used face oils before you should try as you might be surprised how well you like it.

FACE MASK

Face masks are another treatment used for cleansing and rejuvenating the skin.
There are various types and the most common of these are the clay or mud masks, epidermal treatment masks, non-hardening masks and peel-off masks.

We will look briefly at each type of mask starting with clay or mud masks.
Mud masks are used as a way to remove impurities from the skin including flaking skin, dead skin cells and even excess oil.
While these are only temporary measures they do go someway to cleansing the skin and that can only be good for you.

The mud is applied to the skin and allowed to harden for between 15 and 45 minutes.
After this the mask is washed from the skin along with the impurities.
Depending on the type of mask that you purchase they can have added ingredients that will assist with the cleansing process.

Epidermal treatment masks are somewhat more convenient and for many people more effective.
They consist of sheets that are applied to the skin.
These sheets have ingredients infused in them that assist in face cleansing. These ingredients often include moisturizers, antioxidants and alpha hydroxy acids.
These are good for people who have sensitive skin as they can deliver the required cleansing properties with less chance of irritation.
They are excellent for the removal of blackheads where strips are placed on the affected area and left to react with the dirt and sebum.
When the strip has done its job and is removed from the skin the grime will be removed with the strip.

Non-hardening masks are applied to the area to be cleaned and left for a few minutes before being removed with a cloth along with any impurities.
Non-hardening masks are ideal for people with sensitive skin and can be used more often than the other types of masks.

The final mask in this group is the peel-off mask.
These masks are also very convenient as they come in a tube or a bottle as a gel and can be spread over the skin and once again left for a short while until they dry thereby forming a skin.

This 'skin' is then peeled off the face along with the impurities that were in the pores of the face.
There are various strengths of peel-off masks and while there are many that can be used on most skin types, people with sensitive skin need to test first to see whether a particular brand might be too intense.

FACE CLEANSING TIPS

If you wear makeup often you should get into a good routine of cleansing, toning, and moisturizing your skin every evening.

By getting into a good routine of cleansing you help to hold back the aging clock by maintaining your skin in better condition.

Cleansing will remove all the old makeup that has been on your face throughout the day.
It would also clear away the accumulation of grease and grime that is collected on your face through the day from your working conditions and even from your hands as many people tend to touch the face often throughout the day.

Pull your hair back from your face to ensure that you clean all of the skin right to your hairline.

When cleaning off mascara from around the eyes, be very careful not to stretch the skin.
When working around the eyes use cotton balls or cotton buds to remove the mascara and eye shadow using a quality cleansing lotion.
This is one area that you have to be particularly careful as the skin is most delicate around the eyes.

Over the rest of your face you can apply the cleansing lotion using your hands.
Massage the cleansing cream into the skin particularly those areas where you are prone to blackheads and other skin blemishes are.

By massaging the cleansing cream into the skin it will help to ensure that any buildup of makeup grease and grime will be removed from the pores of the skin and reduce the possibility of further skin problems such as acne.

Once you have thoroughly applied the cleansing cream all over your face you can gently remove it with a tissue or cotton ball in preparation for toning.

Even though you have used a cleansing cream at night it is always wise to get into the habit of washing your face first thing in the morning.
This will ensure that you are starting with a clean foundation in the morning before applying your makeup.