Daily Skin Care Ritual

As we move on to the next chapter of  our  diary we will  learn about  how to get that  perfect   facial glow  which  makes you get compliments from everyone around and most importantly   the  inexorable  gaze  which does not appear to shrink  anytime soon  which sets  across a beautiful bridal blush ..

The glow of your face says it all, the sparkling bridal glow is what we all long for . The wedding preparations take quite a toll on the face if in summers the skin gets damaged due to tan and dirt, Monsoons come with a gift of humid weather and winters leave our skin looking extremely dry.  Whatever maybe the season there is one miracle that works for all seasons and all skin type i.e “WATER”.  Make it a ritual to carry a bottle of water with you at all times.  Keep yourself hydrated as water helps to flush out toxins away from the body.

Cleanse, Tone, Moisturize is the beautiful skin mantra and should be followed every morning and evening to add to this once or twice a week Exfoliation should be done but not everyday. It’s very important to keep your skin clean exfoliated and moisturized. It’s a simple regime and can be done in just a small span of time.

Step 1: Cleanse

It is important to remove the dust particles from the skin before applying any product on your skin. You will need a good cleanser based on your skin type. So people having dry skin   should look out for clesers that remove dirt , on the other hand do not make the skin  too tight and dry after washing off  so not every cleanser work for all  look for the labels that read for dry skin . For those having oily and acne prone skin can look out for cleansers formulated for oily skin .There are number  options available from VLCC, Cetaphil , Neutrogena,Aromamagic, BioutiqueHerbals ,Lotus Herbals.

If you are looking forward to some natural homemade cleanser you can try these methods.

Yogurt cleansing: Wash your face with normal water and gently apply yogurt on the face and neck leave it on for few minutes and wash off.

Honey Lemon Cleansing: Wash your face with normal water.  Mix two teaspoons of Honey and squeeze 1 Lemon in it. Mix the two so that it forms a homogeneous mixture . Apply it on face and neck and leave on 5 Minutes and wash off.

               Step 2: Tone

Toning the skin helps to remove the extra dirt particles that were left behind during cleansing and also leaves the skin hydrated .You should try to use a gentle skin toner so that it does not alter the skin pH  levels.  For toning most preferred is  Rose water as it is very mild on the skin and gives skin a calm effect and leaves behind a good aroma. There are also good number of toners available in the market that are gentle on the skin like tea tree, cucumber, green apple  apart from the chemical toners , prefer  using herbal products as chemical based products can be harmful for the skin .

Aloevera Gel :  Aloe Vera Gel has moisturising, anti-oxidant, skin lightening, anti-inflammatory antibacterial ,anti-aging benefits and soothing  properties.The best is to use one extracted from the plant, but if you don’t have one you can try out one available in the stores, look put for herbal brands . Squeeze out  Aloevera Gel from the  aloevera leaf or from the bottle /jar   and apply it all over face and neck.  Aloevera gel as toner is good for oily skin if you have a dry skin mix some water to the gel and then apply.

Green Tea : Another great toner is Green Tea, yes you read it right its Green Tea it can also be used to tone your skin Just brew it  ,let it cool and apply like other toners with the help of cotton pad.  So next time if you forget sipping your hot green tea don’t throw it away instead use as a toner. You can also add Aloe Vera gel to  it, it just gets better.

 Step 3 : Moisturize

 Skin care regime is incomplete without moisturization. The moisturizers   help to attract the moisture  to your skins  and  protects the skin from loosing hydration. Moisturization is very important for a glowing   skin. There are myriads of moisturizers available at stores, but for all of them to really work on outside it’s quintessential to be hydrated from inside. Drink approximately 2 litres of water a day to keep your skin hydrated. Our body is composed of 75% water and skin being the largest organ of our body it requires hydration to keep itself soft and supple.  Before choosing a moisturizer it’s very important to determine The Type Of Skin you have, as all skin needs are different. There are petroleum based moisturisers, oil-based moisturizers and water –based moisturizers make sure to know your skin type before grabbing one.

For Dry Skin:   Look out for Oil Based Moisturizers or petroleum based moisturizers as they prevent skin from drying out.  You can try out Cetaphil Moisturising Lotion, Olay Moisturising Cream. If you are looking out for herbal category  you can try these   Khadi Peach Avacado Moisturizer, Aloe Veda Vitamin E Nourishing Face Moisturiser, SoulTree Apricot Oil & Honey Moisturizer With Kokum Butter.

For Oily Skin: Look out for Water Based Moisturizers. Choose moisturizers which are light and less greasy as  heavy mosturizers makes the skin looks oily and can cause breakouts. You can try out these Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisture With SPF15 , Clean & Clear Oil Free Moisturizer, Clean & Clear Essentials Dual Action Moisturizer is also a great product for oily skin seems little expensive  but is  best for oily skin .  You may not find it easily in stores you can follow the  link  .  If you are looking for something herbal then you can try out  FabIndia Vitamin E Skin Hydrating Cream,  BodyShop Vitamn E Cream, Lotus Herbals Mosturiser

Normal Skin:   Consider using Water Based Moisturisers with a little oils.  Try out Fabindia Aloe Vera Moisturising Lotion For Normal Skin, , Dove Silky Nourishment Body Cream For Normal Skin

Combination Skin:  For this skin type use the moisturisers  specially formulated for combination skins as you may require to use different  moisturisers for different  zones as the skin may be dry flaky  at some areas and oily at some areas . You can try out  Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisture Combination Skin,  The Body Shop Seaweed Mattifying Day Cream, 1.7 Ounce.  For herbal Beauties try out Lotus Herbals Aloe Hydra moisturizing gel

             Some Natural Mosturizers

Rose water: Mix some glycerin along with rosewater and apply it on the skin. It works well for all skintypes.

Milk Cream:   Apply milk cream commonly known as malai  on the skin .  You can also add little water on the palm and mix with milk cream before applying. It works best for dry skin.

Oils: – You can use coconut oil, olive oil, jojoba oil and  argan  oil as skin moisturizers.  Coconut oil is very good for dry skin. You can take a spray bottle mix some coconut oil along with water and just spray it on to the face rubbing it is not required or  can also use it directly . For those  having oily skins mere thinking of applying oil on skin can freak you out but  Jojoba  oil , macadamia oil  won’t create  an breakouts  instead  will moisturise  .  For oily skin you can mix olive oil along with some fresh milk and lime. Macadamia Oil also works very well for oily skin. It is a good moisturiser for hair ,skin and body.  You can apply jojoba oil directly on the skin or can also mix macadamia oil along with jojoba oil

Vitamin E Oil Capsules:  Vitamin E is good for both skin and hair as  it contains antioxidants . It can help the removal of dark spots, hinders premature aging of the skin , will treat sun burns .  It is best to be applied as an evening moisturising ritual.   These are easily available at the local drug store  , you can also find it at your  nearby cosmetic store  and you can also check them out here . Those with oily skin can mix with Aloe Vera gel . Just use it with a carrier oil such as olive oil or lavender oil and leave it overnight.

Finding the perfect product for your skin is a strenuous job. Choose products free of parabens as  they do much harm to the skin due to carcinogenic  properties.  You may  find  some good paraben free  products from the brand  like   Just Herbs , Khadi , Soultree, Biotique Botanicals, Kama Ayurveda , AromaMagic, Lotus Herbals,  Forest Essentials, Dear Earth  there are number of herbal brands to choose from . If you aren’t looking out for some commercial products there are lot of choices present in our kitchen closets and what better than a DIY.

Follow the daily skin care mantra   Cleanse Tone Moisturise (CTM ) and you will see visible difference in your skin.  

Please let us know if you have your special skin care regime and the products that you  love  to  use as part of your skin care in the comments section below.