We all want healthy skin! But, with the cold weather approaching, having healthy skin isn’t always easy. Well, the skin is the largest organ in the human body and is also a direct reflection of your body’s health, so we must protect it! Following are some key tips on how to protect your skin in the ensuing months. By aiming to follow these few daily rituals, your healthy skin worries should be alleviated and you should be strutting that glowing and fabulous looking skin that you desire!
Here are a few issues that we may all face (no pun intended!) and a few of my personal skin regiment tips that if followed in moderation, will help to deal with these issues:
Issue: Dirt and oil are clogging my pores!
Tip:
1. When washing your face, wash with lukewarm water first to allow your pores to open up. Once you’re done washing your face, rinse with cold water to allow your pores to close again.
2. Wash your makeup off each night to prevent your pores from being clogged.
Issue: My topical acne treatments are drying out my skin!
Tip:
1. Exfoliate! Exfoliating is the process that helps to remove dead skin cells on the surface of your skin. By exfoliating, you allow a new and healthier looking layer of skin to surface that looks smooth and radiant. Note: Because exfoliating can cause your skin to dry out, this is not something that you should do every day and it should be followed by immediate moisturizing. I exfoliate once or twice a week as a treatment to my skin. See what works best for you. One product that I use often is St. Ives’ Invigorating Apricot Scrub (http://www.stives.com/Facial-Products/Fresh-Skin/Invigorating-Apricot-Scrub/), which can be found in your local drug store. St. Ives sells unique scrubs for different skin types.
Issue: I can’t get my eye makeup off!
Tip:
2. I have found that cleaning your eyes with Palmer’s cocoa butter or vaseline and then wiping the skin surrounding your eyes delicately with cotton will take eye makeup off right away! These products will also leave the skin around your eyes feeling soft. Note: If cocoa butter gets in your eyes, it will burn! Be careful.
3. If you’d like to use something that is more gentle, you can use what my roommate, Katie Andresen, recently recommended to me: Johnson and Johnson products! They have botanical baby lotions, perfect for maintaining healthy skin, which comes in many different scents, including Vanilla Oatmeal, Honey Apple, Shea & Coca Butter, and Aloe Vera & Vitamin E.
4. Try to use waterproof eyeliner and mascara when possible so that your eye makeup can wash off easier.
Issue: My Skin is too oily!
Tip:
Treat skin with an astringent, which will remove excess dirt, makeup, and oils from skin that won’t be removed by your common facial cleanser. I like Witch Hazel’s astringent product, which aids in spot and blemish control. Check out some of Witch Hazel’s other amazing benefits here: http://www.wisebread.com/15-wonderful-uses-for-witch-hazel. I also like to use Clean and Clear’s Johnson and Johnson Deep Cleaning Astringent for sensitive skin. It contains 0.5% of acne fighting salicylic acid, which helps prevent the clogging of pores. This product can also be found in your local drug store or online here: http://shopcleanandclear.com/product_detail.asp?T1=CNC+CLEAN+SS&.
Issue: I need to moisturize!
Tip:
1. Most of us do not moisturize enough! Moisturizing is KEY to having healthy skin. It will give your skin a brighter glow and when applied before makeup application, it will allow your makeup to be applied much more smoothly.
2. Moisturize with coconut oil, which contains vitamins and protein that will help maintain the health of your skin.
3. Check out these moisturizers from Bleu Mercury, located right on Princeton’s very own Nassau Street: (http://www.bluemercury.com/Facial-Moisturizer/Facial-Moisturizer.asp)
Additional Tips for healthy-looking skin:
1. Get enough sleep and take your vitamins, such as vitamins C, E, A, K, and B complex. You can read more about these vitamins here: http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/features/skin-nutrition
2. Drink LOTS of water
3. Exercise to remove toxins from your body
4. Make sure that your makeup is not clogging your skin. I find that mineral containing makeup feels light on my skin, but also covers up any blemishes.
5. From time to time, treat your skin to a skin mask! Here are some “Quick Natural Face Packs for Dry Skin” that I found online (http://laila-rajaratnam.hubpages.com/hub/Fall-Tips-To-Avoid-Dry-Skin):
a. Mash a ripe banana, add a little milk, apply to skin and wash off with tepid water after 15 minutes.
b. Squash half an avocado, a few drops of lemon juice, apply and wash after 15 minutes.
c. Crush 1 cup of strawberries, a few drops of lemon juice, one egg white, and a few drops of eucalyptus oil.
d. Blend watermelon, papaya, banana or oranges, with two drops of lavender essential oil.
I hope that these healthy skin tips help!
Photos of Katie Andresen (Politics ’12) and Kelly Hall (Sociology ’12) are credited to Chloe Haimson (Sociology ’12)