Skin Care GuideThe Ultimate Guide to Skin Care

Knock of each step on my skin care tips for glowing skin and you’ll be ready to pull out your favorite summer dress in no time flat.

1. Exfoliate Your Body
It’s so very important to exfoliate your skin. Your body sheds skin cells at an amazing rate every minute of every day. If you don’t get rid of them, they’ll just sitting on your skin making you look dull and dry. No matter how much lotion you use, you’re never going to have glowing skin if you don’t exfoliate. Grab a body scrub and hit the shower. Gently rub your exfoliator in circular movements on your entire body from the shoulders down (you’ll want a facial exfoliator for your face and neck) and rinse clean. Continue to do this 2-3 times a week for year-round beautiful skin.

2. Shave the Right Way
I won’t ask for a show of hands; you know who you are. In the winter, what is the point of keeping your legs religiously shaved daily when you know your legs will never see the light of day? Those lazy days of winter are over. Find a good razor that won’t cause razor burn. I’m a fan of Gilette’s Mach III. When picking out a shaving cream, don’t choose the $1.00 mens cream; a shaving lotion is much better for your skin as it will hydrate and help ward off nicks and cuts. In a pinch? Use your conditioner for a moisturizing shaving cream.

3. Hydrate your Body with a Summer-Scented Lotion
Find a summery lotion that you won’t forget to put on. It’s time to pack away your thick winter body butters for more light summery lotions. You don’t have time to wait for your lotion to sink in, so look for something light fast absorbing. Gels and Purees are perfect fast absorbers. I personally love to break out the coconut or mango scented lotion for summer. Nothing spells summer more than a light refreshing fruity lotion. Make sure you apply right after you dry off from your shower. You need to seal in the moisture your body just soaked in.

4. Get a Safe Summer Glow
Add a summery glow with a self tanner. You have so many choices when it comes to adding a little summer tint to your skin, and the tanning bed shouldn’t be one of them. Using a sunless tanner will give your skin a beautiful start to summer. Even if you’re not a fan of sunless tanners all over your body, you can happily use them on your face. If you alternate your facial moisturizer with one that builds a bit of color, you’ll have a healthy glow that will make it look as though you just spent the weekend on the beach. Most facial tanners build color gradually, by alternating with your regular moisturizer, you’ll never get too dark.

5. Don’t Forget your Feet
Winter boots have long since been packed away; it’s sandal season ladies. Either go and get a pedicure (try a beauty school if cost is a factor), or give yourself an at-home pedicure. You scrub off the dead dry skin to reveal your sandal ready feet. Nothing is worse than seeing dull dry feet inside cute sandals. It doesn’t have to be a big ordeal. Keep a foot scrub and file in your shower and scrub your feet a few times a week. You’ll notice a big difference in the softness of your feet.

6. Find a New Bold Summer Polish
Buy a bold new polish for your toes. Toe nails can be painted a much bolder color than you would usually put on your fingernails. Pick out something that screams summer. Polish tends to stay on your toes much longer than your hands because you don’t abuse your toe nails like you do your finger nails. Apply a clear base coat, two applications of color and a clear top coat to protect. Go barefoot or put on your flip-flops for at least a couple hours to make sure your polish won’t dent.

Common causes of skin boils include bacteria that can enter the skin if a foreign object such as a splinter becomes lodged in the skin, ingrown hairs, clogged hair follicles, clogged oil ducts, and clogged sweat glands.

Preventing skin boils

Skin boils can often be prevented. If you get a splinter of other foreign objected under your skin, remove it with tweezers. If you cannot grasp the object with tweezers, try gently squeezing the skin and pushing the object toward the surface of the skin. If you are unable to remove the object, see a doctor. Do not leave the foreign object under your skin, as you will likely develop an infection.

If you have ingrown hairs, try applying hot, moist compresses to the area. Then use tweezers and try to gently free the hair from the skin. Be careful not to break the skin, however. Don’t worry if you are unable to free the hair; most ingrown hairs will heal on their own.

To prevent cystic acne, wash the face twice a day with mild soap and water. If you are prone to acne, use a gentle cleanser designed to prevent acne. Wear minimal makeup, as cosmetics can clog the oil ducts and lead to acne and boils.

Boil Treatment

Skin boils can often be treated at home with hot soaks or hot packs. Boil treatment should begin as soon as the boil is formed for best results. Heat application increases circulation and brings antibodies and white blood cells (which help fight infection) to the surface of the skin.

Sometimes the appropriate boil treatment depends upon the cause of skin boils. Boils caused by an infection are often treated with antibiotics. In other cases, a doctor will have to surgically open the boil to drain the pus. If this is the case, make sure to follow the doctor’s instructions about how to care for the site afterward in order to prevent further infection. Don’t try to squeeze or poke boils to drain them on your own. That can cause the infection to spread and worsen.

Mint face-packs need not be bought in store and can be made at home very easily for treating acne, pimples and moisturizing both dry and oily skin:

# Make a paste with mehndi and oil and apply on the face
# Make a mixture of 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice and glycerin and apply it on the spots
# Apply the paste of turmeric and curry leaves on the face and wash it after 15 minutes.
# Apply a mixture of mehndi and turmeric. For a piece of turmeric, 2-3 leaves of mehndi are used
# Grind dried basil leaf, neem and mint (100 gm each). Add some turmeric powder and rose water to make it in a paste form and apply it on the spots.
# Grind betel leaf and add a little coconut oil and apply it on the spots
# Soak a chappathi in milk overnight . Make it into a paste and apply it on black heads. Repeat for several days
# Make a paste of saffron and add some honey , apply it on the face to remove black spots.
# To remove black spots… apply a paste of turmeric and basil.
# To remove wrinkles on the face, apply a mixture of sandalwood powder, rosewater and glycerin. Wash with cold water after some time

Skin Care Tips for Glowing Skin

* Cucumber is a natural cleanser. Mix cucumber juice with milk and use it instead of a cleanser.
* Take 1/3-cup cocoa, three teaspoons of heavy cream, 1/3-cup ripe papaya, 1/4-cup honey and three teaspoons of oatmeal powder. Mix it all together. Apply on your face. After 10 minutes, wash your face with warm water. This is best for oily skin
* For oily skin, apply a mixture of grapes, lemon and egg white. Leave it for 20 minutes and rinse with warm water. While lemon acts as a natural cleanser, grapes will soften your skin and egg whites will tighten it. Don’t be alarmed if your skin tingles.
* Cut the lemon and rub the wedge all over your face. Leave it for about 20 minutes, then rinse off with cold water. This will refresh your face. Avoid doing this if you have dry skin.
* Mix honey, lemon and vegetable oil .This mixture is a good moisturiser for dry skin. Apply this mask for 10 minutes.
* Apply the mixture of honey and milk on the face . This will make your skin glow.
* Prepare a mask by mixing a slice of pumpkin with egg yolk and milk. Let this mask set on your face for 30 minutes for a glowing skin.
* For a soothing body pack, prepare a paste of mint leaves and almonds. Mix it with warm water and apply all over your body. Leave it till it dries and rinse with warm water.
* Buttermilk dabbed on skin for 15 minutes will soak up oil from your skin without drying it.
* Carrot juice applied daily fades blemishes.
* For dark underarms and neck apply lemon juice mixed with cucumber juice and a pinch of turmeric daily. Leave this on for 20 minutes.
* For removing facial hair.. Apply a sticky paste of egg white blended with sugar and corn flour. When it dries, gently peel it off. Repeat this three to four times a week.
* Thin apple slices rubbed onto oily skin will help in controlling oily shine.
* For supple skin, apply a ripe smashed banana on your face for 20 minutes daily.
* Cauliflower juice applied on warts regularly will make them fall.
* For a fair skin, try this natural bleach. Mix orange peels (sun dried and powdered) with milk. Apply this paste for 25 minutes and wash off.
* Mix half teaspoon dried curry leaf powder with multani mitti (fullers earth) and apply on the face. Wash it after it gets dry.
* Apply the mixture of carrot juice and basin. Leave it till it dries and wash the face.
* Add two teaspoon of tomato juice with 4 teaspoon of curd and apply on the face.
* Add a pinch of yeast with 2 teaspoon of cabbage juice and apply.
* Mix 1 table spoon of barley powder with half teaspoon of lime juice and 1 teaspoon of honey. Apply it on the face and wash after 20 minutes.
* Mix pineapple juice and carrot juice together and apply it on the face and wash it after 15 minutes.
* Mix vinegar and rose water in equal quantities and apply.
* Mix curd and cucumber juice and apply it on the face.
* Apply the mixture of coconut water and thick pineapple juice.
* Make a paste with 1/2 teaspoon of milk powder, 1/4 teaspoon of egg white and 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice and apply on the face.
* For dry skin, Make a paste with egg yolk, olive oil and lemon juice. Apply it on the neck and face, wash it out after 10 minutes.
* For oily skin, take a mixture of oatmeal and egg white and apply it on the neck and face
* For glowing skin, use basin or green gram powder mixed with milk instead of soap.
* Apply the mixture of raw turmeric and cream of milk on the face and wash it after 20 minutes. It will make your skin fair.
* Apply the mixture of honey, basin, cream of milk and olive oil as a face pack.
* Apply the paste of fenugreek with milk on the face and let it dry. Wash off with luke warm water.
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Make a paste of red sandal wood and apply it on the face every day for glowing skin.
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Make a paste with red sandal powder and coconut milk and apply on the face for soft skin.