How to Protect and Take Care Your Skin

The Sun Is Your Skin’s No. 1 Enemy You should always make sun protection a priority. Use a sunscreen formulated for your skin along with your moisturize. Much of the evidence of aging; rough skin, wrinkles, age spots, etc., are really the result of too much sun exposure. Always apply lots of it not only to your face, but slather it on neck, hands and hairline.

Tip Don’t buy a vitamin E, A or C enhanced moisturizer. Go to your local pharmacy, and purchase these vitamins in capsule form. Get as much potency as is available. Prick open the capsule, and add it to your moisturizer. You will get all the benefits of the expensive cosmetic cream without the extra chemicals or expense.

Add Water You’ll find most moisturizers more effective when applied to damn skin. It forms a thin film that will trap moisture in the skin. Evening is the most important time to take care of your skin. The sleeping hours are when your face is away from makeup, dirt, pollution, etc., and is free to rejuvenate. Your evening regime is also effective and useful in de-stressing your entire psyche to prepare you for the best treatment of all: beauty sleep.

Just Follow These Steps:

1. Cleanse

Make it easy on yourself, your skin, and your purse by using just one product to remove both makeup and dirt. If your skin is dry, use a lotion or cream based product that leaves behind emollients (it will feel like a light film on your face). If your skin is “normal to oily,” use a gel cleanser or a very mild facial soap. Even though your skin may be very oily, be sure to use a gentle soap like Neutorgene or Dove. Never use a deodorant soap on your face or neck. If your skin particularly sensitive, don’t even use it on your body!

2. Exfoliate

I cannot overstate the need for this step. What is exfoliating? It is very much like peeling an onion or removing tiles off a roof. Exfoliating is necessary to get blood flowing into face, as well as to remove grime.

Here’s what to use:

Take a packet of sugar (raw sugar works the best), add a couple of drops of olive oil to create a spreading condition, and gently rub it into the creases of your face.

Open a packet of instant oatmeal, mix it with water, and create a paste. Rub this mixture into your face, and rinse off the residue. I would suggest that you use instant oatmeal on your face and the traditional old fashioned oatmeal to exfoliate the entire body.

Rub sea salt (available in health food stores) all over both your body and face. You’ll love its invigorating effects.













3. Masks

My favorite face mask is the result of my most memorable investigative reporting story. I had been informed that those very expensive spas that charge hundreds of dollars for “herbal wraps” were using mud. Now the inside “scoop” is that these “chichi” places were not using some exotic mud from the Dead Sea, but actually a formula created from kitty litter.

Okay, we’ve all heard of clay masks. Clay is perfect for detoxifying the skin. What I discovered is that these so-called “mud” or “clay” treatments used by some salons is nothing more than kitty litter. The catch is that the bag must be marked “100% Natural Clay.” It cannot contain any chemicals, additives, or clumping materials. The good news is that this type of kitty litter is generally the least expensive on the market.


How it use it:

Take about a tablespoon of the dried clay and reconstitute it with a small amount of water. Mud is mud is mud! I don’t if it comes from the great Springs of Italy (and if it does, you’ll spend about $60 a jar) or from your local grocery store. At less than $2 a bag. Detoxify your entire body with it. The most fabulous celebrities swear by the kitty litter facial including top makeup artists. Although they love this facial, they know that their clients may be a little reticent to try such an unorthodox facial. So they pour the kitty litter into an attractive container. You might want to do the same at your house to avoid strange looks. Potpourri jars make delightful hideouts for your new find.

Many people who tried this before said it doesn’t felt anything but absolutely refreshing. It actually possesses a kind of pleasant, minty feel. Minerals in the mud also benefit the skin.

Please don’t try to dig up the mud from your yard. Real mud is dirty and contains organisms that harbor diseases.