So far we’ve mainly discussed things to put on the outside to make you look better but what you put inside your body is as important when it comes to creating perfect skin. Here’s what you need.

Vitamin A

Not only is it a powerful antioxidant, but vitamin a also helps your skin produce keratin (a substance that strengthens skin cells, maximizing their Protective role) and proteins that help with cell regeneration.if you’re lacking in it, your skin may be drier and flakier than normal.you can get your daily dose from fruits and vegetables that are high in an ingredient called beta carotene, which your body turns into vitamin a. Beta-carotene is found in the highest quantities in orange fruits and vegetables like carrots, peaches, pumpkin and sweet potatoes.

Vitamin C

Collagen is one of the most important substances in the structure of the skin it is what keeps it firm and well toned to feed collagen you need vitamin C. there are two reasons for this first the antioxidant action of vitamin c helps fight the free radicals that destroy collagen and second, vitamin c also contains substances called flavonoids that are essential for replenishing collagen. Vitamin c can be found in many fruits and vegetables one of the richest sources is kiwi fruit. One kiwi contains the minimum recommended daily amount of Vitamin c pop four or five down in a day and you’ll be dramatically boosting your skin health. Other great sources are oranges, red peppers, blueberries and melon.

Iron

Low iron levels in the body lead to reduced oxygen in the blood and this can be the cause of pale skin and pronounced dark circles under the eyes. In order to boost your iron levels you should include more lean red meat and plenty of dark green leafy vegetables in your diet.

Zinc

Zinc is a mineral that is vital for healing the skin and it’s also been shown to reduce acne you’ll find high levels of zinc in foods such as shellfish, hard crumbly cheeses, nuts and seeds.

Essential Fatty Acids

Dry skin often occurs when women start on low-fat diets and the lack of essential. Atty acids is the reason, one of the most frequent symptoms of a deficiency of fatty acids is dry, scaly skin efas are commonly found in oily fish, nuts and seeds (which also contain high levels of another important skin nutrient,vitamin e).

Water

Water not only keeps skin cells plump, but every rejuvenating process in the skin needs water to fuel it without enough water in your skin you’ll never recapture that healthy glow. Aim for at least eight glasses of water a day but don’t guzzle them all at once your body can only hold so much water in one go exceed that level and it will be flushed straight through your system, aim for one glass an hour.

What You Don’t Need

• Salty Foods: These dehydrate the skin and are high in iodine, dermatologists believe that this can trigger acne.

• Caffeine: Every cup of coffee needs three cups of water to process it through the system this is often drawn from the skin, caffeine increases the level of stress hormones, which can lead to poor skin health.

• Hydrogenated Fats: Found in nearly all processed foods and margarines, these are believed to generate free radicals in the skin.

Tagged Under:antioxidant action, beta carotene, dark green leafy vegetables, fruits and vegetables, keratin, kiwi fruit, low iron levels, perfect skin, skin care, structure of the skin vitamin c

Calming Facial

Once a month, treat your skin to a facial designed to calm and stabilize. There aren’t many steps here as the aim is to reduce your exposure to too many ingredients.

1. Camomile is incredibly calming, so for this session were going to skip your cleanser and opt for a soothing camomile wash instead. Soak four camomile teabags in hot water, once the water has cooled to warm, splash your face with this 20 to 30 times.

2. While your skin is still damp, stroke or tap the skin rapidly in downward motions. This helps drain away fiuids and toxins under the skin’s surface and the fewer toxins there are in your system, the less chance there is of allergic reactions occurring.

3. Apply a hydrating face mask from a hypoallergenic range or try our soothingmoisturizing mask on page 53, as sensitive eyes can often feel red and itchy give them a treat by applying some catton-wool pads soaked in the camomile mixture of step. I relax for five to ten minutes, then wash off the mask with tepid water.stroke a soft cloth gently across the face to remove any excess. Don’t rub the skin it will only make it redder. Finish off with a cooling gel moisturizer. For ultimate soothing power pop the gel in the fridge before you apply it.

Common Tips For Sensitive Skin

• Use products with fewer than 10 ingredients to reduce the risk of coming across something you’re allergic to. Research has shown that applying too many ‘ingredients to the skin can send the skin’s immune system into overdrive.

• Wear sunscreen.choose one that contains physical rather than chemical blocks like titanium dioxide and is less likely to cause an allergic reaction.

• Alternate products. The skin tends to become sensitized to things it encounters often. Find two different products and alternate every few weeks.

• Read labels if you know you’re allergic to a particular ingredient, avoid it.bubble baths can contain chemical sunscreens to prevent them fading,nail varnish contains formaldehyde, which id a common cause of itchy eyes.

• If you’re really allergic, use only water and hydrocortisone cream for six months. introduce gentle products one at a time.

Your 5 Key Products

• Facial wipes
• Eye make-up
• Remover light moisturizer
• Chemical free sunscreen
• Hydrocortisone cream.

Make Your Face Mask

This soothing mask helps reduce irritation. It’s also great on sun-damaged skin.use the following ingredients -

• 1 cup natural yoghurt
• ½ cup oatmeal

Blend the yoghurt and oatmeal together, mix well and apply to the skin for 10 minutes. Rinse off with warm water.

Tagged Under:allergic reactions, bubble baths, camomile, face mask, nail varnish, sensitive eyes, sensitive skin skin care

Hydrating Facial

Dry skin needs a lot more care than most other skin types, so do this facial once or twice a week until moisture levels are boosted.

1. Exfoliate using your gentle facial scrub. Rub the skin in a circular motion. Concentrate on areas like the nose and forehead. Some scrubs can dry the skin out, so rinse well.
2. Cleanse the skin with a milky cleanser. Doing this after the exfoliation will help remove any deep down grime rather than just polishing the dead skin cells on the surface. Wipe it away with cotton wool:it’s less absorbent than tissues and so will leave more protection on the skin.
3. Spritz or splash your skin Toners are a no-no on dry skin as they will dehydrate it instead, freshen up your face with a spritz of facial mist or a splash of cool water absorb any excess afterwards but don’t completely dry the skin.
4. Now apply a hydrating mask. Look for’ emollient or humectant ingredients in these – or try our recipe on page 45 which is packed with natural moisture givers. Leave this for 10to5 minutes, then rinse off Again, leave the face damp.
5. Apply your moisturizer. The best. way to do is by patting the skin with your fingers – this helps bring blood to the skin’s surface which will help hydrate it from within.

Common Tips For Dry Skin

• Only cleanse your skin once at the end of the day. This will remove dirt and grime but will prevent further drying. in the morning, a splash of water and some moisturizer are ail you need.

• Exfoliation is essential for dry skin.When choosing your facial scrub, avoid any made from seeds or salt – these can have sharp edges which may tear dry skin, increasing moisture loss.

• Never expose your skin to really hot water it dries out parched skin.

• Never dry your skin completely. One of the best ways to hydrate dry skin is just to pat it with the towel after washing, then apply moisturizer to seal in that extra moisture.

• Increase your intake of oily fish or take a supplement of essential fatty acids. One of the main tell-tale signs of deficiency of these essential nutrients is dry, flaking skin.

Your 5 Key Products

• Creamy cleanser
• Exfoliating scrub
• Rich moisturizer
• Facial mist
• Moisturizing mask

Make Your Face Mask

Honey and avocados are particularly rich in moisturizing properties. For the perfect skin food mash together the following ingredients -

• ½ avocado
• ¼ cup honey

Apply to your face and leave for five minutes before removing with a flannel and some tepid water:

Tagged Under:dead skin cells, dry skin, exfoliation, facial scrub, milky cleanser, moisture levels, moisture loss, moisturizer, skin care, skin toners skin types

Balancing Facial

This once-a-week treat intensively tackles both the dry and oily areas of your skin.

1. Cleanse your face using a moisturizing facial bar or a foaming cleanser. This will effectively target the oil on the greasy skin of the t-zone, without removing any of the moisture from the dry skin on your cheeks.

2. Exfoliate to avoid flakes of dry skin clogging pores. Using a gentle facial scrub or a flannel, rub the cheeks lightly. Go more intensely when tackling the greasy areas of the face to help loosen blackheads.

3. Boil a kettle of water and pour some into a large bowl. Add four drops of rosewater to the bowl. This hydrates the skin and will prevent the steam drying out the cheeks while it tackles the nose. After the hot steam has dispersed, lower your face over the bowl, keeping it 10 inches off the water: Put a towel over your head and stay put for up to 10 minutes.
4. On big pamper sessions like this one. Go for the double mask. Shop around for a hydrating moisture mask you apply to your cheeks and throat and a clay-based mask for the oily areas, leave the masks on for 10 minutes and rinse with tepid water before applying your normal light moisturizer:Alternatively, try our mask on page.

Common Tips For Combination Skin

• Don’t scrub oily areas – this irritates the skin and increases oil production.

• Don’t treat your whole face the same your t-zone will require cleansing twice a while the cheeks only need doing once. It’s vice versa with moisturizing.

• After using pore strips, apply tea tree to your nose. It will reduce redness and cut bacteria levels in the pores.

• Avoid leave-in hair conditioners. Ingredients in these block the forehead’s pores making already greasy skin worse.

• Don’t forget eye creams: you may need to avoid rich moisturizers on your cheeks, but you shouldn’t skip them on the delicate skin around your eyes.

Your 5 Key Products

• Cleansing bars
• Pore strips
• Exfoliating scrub
• Oil-free moisturizer
• Eye cream

Make Your Face Mask

A rose-based mask is an excellent balancing treatment for combination skin, use the following ingredients:

• 1 rose
• 1 tbsp rosewater
• 1 tbsp natural yoghurt
• 1 tbsp honey

Wash the rose petals in water. Soak for a few minutes and then crush them in a bowl, add the rosewater, yoghurt and honey.mix well and apply to the skin for five minutes. Rinse off with tepid water.

Tagged Under:combination skin, delicate skin, dry skin, eye creams, facial scrub, greasy skin, light moisturizer, moisturizing, oily areas, pores, skin care tepid water

The old theory was that cellulite was caused by toxins, building up under the skin, but that’s probably not true. It’s more likely to be the result of poor skin structure, the fibres to spilt. This means fat and, yes, possibly toxins squish out through the holes in the fibres, creating that lumpy effect. In other words, your bottom is rather like an old mattress with the stuffing sticking out! Chances are the problem is genetic, and lies with the X chromosome only women have this, which would explain why men don’t get cellulite). While all this may mean cellulite isn’t your fault, reducing its appearance is within your control. Strengthening the skin fibres, plumping the skin’s surface and breaking down the stubborn fat and ‘toxin’ deposits can help minimize the look of cellulite. Here’s our list of top techniques.

Body Brushing

Some experts claim this is the key to total cellulite removal. saying it helps speed up the lymph system to remove toxins from the body. Of course it depends on the whole cellulite/toxin theory being true; but as an active lymphatic system helps improve your skin anyway, there’s no harm in trying it. For the best results. dampen your skin. then use a from-bristled brush to stroke each limb briskly in the direction of the heart. Do this twice daily. But be careful – applying perfumed products directly afterwards can irritate. Wait at least half an hour before using any products.

Diet

Many different eating plans claim to beat cellulite, but there’s no miracle cureeating watermelon for three days won’t make your thighs dimple-free. Instead, the best anticellulite diet is rich in fruit And vegetables, which help flood the body with water but also contain essential skin-firming nutrients. It’s low in fat (about 25 per cent of your dally calories should come from fat – that’s around 50 grams a day). Finally, it’s low in ‘toxins’ like caffeine, nicotine and alcohol. This will help if the theory on toxins is true, but more importantly these all dehydrate the skin, and dry skin shows cellulite more. You should also drink at least two litres of water a day.

Exercise

Not only does this burn the excess fat that can cause cellulite, it also increases blood flow to the surface of the skin and this plumps the skin, making it less noticeable. For the best results you need to do 30 to 60 minutes of aerobic exercise five or six times a week. Weights also help as they firm the muscles under the skin, which helps disguise cellulite. You should notice an improvement in six to 12 weeks.

Creams

The most important ingredients in cellulite creams now are those called phosphodiesterase inhibitors. in plain, simple English, these stop production of the enzyme that leads to fat storage in our body and so cause the dimples to shrink, many ingredients have this effect, including caffeine, aminophylline, theophylline, kola nut and guarana. Alongside these are ingredients like menthol or butcher’s broom, which help dilate blood vessels, increasing circulation in the area, gingko biloba which is said to firm the skin; and lemon and fennel, which help detox the body and repair skin. Apply the cream two hours after eating or one hour before – your body will only bum fat when it has none in the blood stream. Whatever happens, don’t expect any improvements for six to eight weeks and don’t expect the cellulite to disappear completely – the creams only ever promise to reduce it.

Moisturizer

Plumped-out skin shows cellulite less than dehydrated skin, so it’s a good idea to incorporate body lotion application into your daily regime.

Sunscreen

Cellulite gets worse as collagen and elastin levels decrease in the body, if you always use sun protection you will slow that decrease, and add moisture too.

Fake Tan

The darker your skin the less noticeable cellulite will be, as the shadows caused by the dimpling will be less obvious.

Massage

As with body brushing, massage is supposed to speed up the circulation, but kneading the cellulite areas is also supposed to help break down toxins and fat. Certainly, the only approved treatment for cellulite (endomologie) uses rollers to squish and squash the skin, though the pressure used is more intense than you’ll ever manage on your own, if you have the time try it using your moisturizer, a cellulite cream or detoxifying massage oil, spend five to ten minutes on each area, rubbing, roiling and pressing the cellulite.

Tagged Under:anticellulite diet, body brushing, cellulite, Creams, diet, exercise, moisturizer, nutrients, skin care, skin care products skin structure