Why Skin Care is Important, and How to Have A Skin Care Routine

Why Skin Care is Important, and How to Have A Skin Care Routine

Skin, contrary to popular belief, is actually the largest organ of the body. Skin also plays one of

the most crucial roles when it comes to health and overall well-being. Proper skin care helps keep skin not

only looking its best, but can also prevent infection.

Skin is the largest barrier of infection that the body has, and is the body’s first defense against the

environment, so keeping it strong and healthy is very important. Therefore, having a proper skin care

routine should be something that is a focus in every day life.

Though skin care may sound time consuming, it does not have to be. As well, a skin care routine

does not have to be complicated and expensive. In fact, adding skin care to your daily routine can be easy

and inexpensive. There is no need to shell out a lot of money on high-end products. Skin care can be

simple, natural, and even made at home.

Here are a few simple steps that are an integral to a proper skin care routine. The focus of this

routine is that it cleanses, moisturizes and protects your skin from the sun.

Cleanser:

To start off, probably the most important step in any skin care routine is a good cleanser. It is

important to find a cleanser that suits your skin type, whether it be oily, dry or combination skin.

However, all skin types can benefit from a quality cleanser that is non-drying and gentle on the skin.

A cleanser for the face should not be the same as a bar of soap for your body, rather a product

specifically made for the face. Soap for the body is too harsh for the delicate skin on the face, and will

strip away moisture from the skin that is important for keeping infections out.

The main benefits of a cleanser are that it will remove any dirt, oil, dead skin and lingering

bacteria that have built up over the day. It is important that all these impurities are taken off the skin, as

they can irritate the skin and even cause acne in acne-prone people. Acne occurs when the pores of the

skin become blocked with all the impurities that were previously mentioned. As well, acne occurs when

too much of the skin’s natural oil, called sebum, builds up on the skin.

Cleansers are a sure-fire way to get rid of any of these unwanted irritants from the skin.

Additionally, cleansers are important not only because they prevent skin from getting irritated, but also,

they keep the skin looking and feeling soft and smooth.

Some natural ingredients too keep in mind when choosing a cleanser: aloe, to treat acne and dry

skin, and tea tree oil, to treat blemishes.

A cleanser should be used twice a day: once in the morning after waking up and once before

bedtime. This way, all the oil that is built up during the nighttime and the daytime can be washed away.

Be sure to wet the face with warm water before applying cleanser. Then, apply the cleanser and

rub into the skin in small circles. After, rinse away with warm water and not hot water, as hot water is

harsh on the skin and will dehydrate it.

Moisturizer and Sunscreen

Exactly like cleanser, all skin types can benefit from moisturizer. However, someone with oily

skin will benefit better from a moisturizer that is lightweight compared to someone with dry skin (who

will benefit from a heavier moisturizer). Moisturizers prevent the skin from becoming dry and cracking, which prevents infection. As well,

moisturizer can help reduce the amount of sebum produced by the skin’s pores, which can help eliminate

acne.

Important ingredients in moisturizers include vitamin A and vitamin B5, which increase the

firmness of the skin, and help build moisture, and vitamin C and E which help protect new skin cells, and

fight against damage caused by the sun.

Some moisturizers have SPF (or sunscreen) added to them, and this is a very important ingredient

to include in your moisturizer. By applying sunscreen to the face everyday (even when you are inside or

when it is cloudy outside) the chance of getting skin cancer and sun damage are reduced. Moreover,

exposure to the sun is also the number one cause of wrinkles, uneven skin tone, loss of firmness in the

skin, and signs of aging.

A moisturizer that has at least 30 SPF included will do a good job of protecting from the sun. As

well, make sure that the sunscreen protects from both UVA (wrinkle causing sun) and UVB rays (cancer

causing sun). If your moisturizer of choice does not include sunscreen, then it is recommended that a

separate sunscreen is bought and applied to the skin after moisturizer to protect from sun damage.

Along with those mentioned ingredients, look for a moisturizer that is oil free, non-comedogenic

(meaning that it will not clog pores), as well as allergy and dermatologist recommended/tested (if

possible).

Moisturizer should be at the end of your skin care routine. As well, most people moisturize twice

a day, but if the skin is very oily moisturizing may only need to be done once a day. Moisturizing may

also be done after taking a hot shower or bath, as hot water strips the skin of its natural oils and leaves it

dried out.

Bonus: Hair Care

Along with skin care, hair care is also an important part of staying clean and healthy. Hair quality

is a strong indicator of overall health, because strong hair reflects that the body is receiving the proper

number of vitamins and nutrients to keep the body in good health.

Like skin care, hair care does not have to be expensive or complicated. Zero-waste hair care

products can be made at home using natural ingredients. For example, all-natural hempseed oil

conditioner bars.

Here is a link to a video created by us at Doon Valley Greens that shows you how to make your

very own hempseed oil conditioner bars: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwHS7gBqVlU

These bars, along with being all natural and easy to make, are zero waste, so by using them there

is no impact on the environment.

Overall:

Working on skin care and hair care is not a futile effort. It can be easy, inexpensive, and help save

the environment. By purchasing cleansers, moisturizers, and sunscreens for the skin, having a healthy

looking face that is protected from the sun and aging is not far away.