Exfoliation: Anti-Aging Secret!

Exfoliation: Who needs it?

So who needs exfoliation? What is it and why should you care? Here is the real truth: everybody needs exfoliation - men and women, young and old, dry skin types, oily skin types - everyone.

Exfoliation - this is the one crucial skin care step that's most popularly underrated and underused. What is it exactly? It's the step between the cleanser and the toner. It's the one step that's so critical to beautiful skin that it's remarkable to see how often it's brushed aside or off altogether in skin care regimens. Although many people already know what this is or that it is a necessary cleansing step, exfoliation continues to get skipped. This is mostly true for men, who often believe skin care treatments are for women only. One advantage men have is that they shave their faces...thereby exfoliating in spite of themselves! Women, on the other hand, often skip this important step, reasoning it takes too much time, but this is a mistake. Exfoliation is a technique that can and should be used by both men and women at least every other day in order to maintain healthy, vibrant-looking skin. This is because daily, hourly, minutely, dead skin cells are accumulating on the epidermis (outermost layer of skin) which then causes the skin to become dull and thicken. But via exfoliation, whether you choose to use a gentle scrub, glycolic acid or a washcloth, those very same dead skin cells that form on the top layer of your skin are removed to reveal the glorious skin underneath. By removing dead and dry skin cells from the surface of your skin, it allows the growth of new moisturized cells to surface, creating a glowing look for your skin. Your routine can include a gentle scrub, or can be alternated with a glycolic acid mask or clay mask. The combination of both techniques can be most beneficial for keeping your skin clear, and smooth.

When selecting the right product remember that using the most gentle products available. You wouldn't take a scouring pad to your delicate face, nor should your products have harsh exfoliants. A good organic base with tea anti-oxidants and gentle jojoba beads might be a good choice. When using masques, there are a couple things to keep in mind. Glycolic acid is a remarkably effective product for the clearest smoothest skin, but this active ingredient also causes a higher sensitivity to the sun, so you have to be very careful by using sunscreen after using a glycolic acid product. When you look at clay masques, ingredients matter! Masques can be a very effective way of deep cleansing and exfoliating, especially if they contain Vitamin E, DMAE or other active ingredients known to produce spectacular results for skin clearing.

Exfoliation is a critically important step in any good skin care routine. Remember the other pillars of skin care: careful cleansing, proper moisture and SUNSCREEN always! If you combine these elements with a healthy diet, plenty of rest and water, and regular excercise, you will have glowing skin well into your later years, and you'll be glad you did!

Visit our skin care page: www.pureblissessentials.com

Natural Beauty and Anti-Aging

There is a lot of interest these days with all things natural. What is natural beauty? I would define it as optimum health: a balanced lifestyle, pure, organic food in as "unprocessed" a state as possible, proper excercise, fresh air, quality loving relationships, and meaningful contribution to the world. We don't all just have these elements, but many people strive to keep these elements and integrate them.

The very same elements that contribute to overall health, also create great skin. There is a recognition that we are not just a mind, or a body, or some emotions, or a spirit, but we are an integrated system, and that when we follow healthy practices our whole being benefits from it. Anti-aging technologies are everywhere....clearly a rapidly aging demographic trends have a lot of people pursuing ways to stay younger or younger looking and feeling.

Your skin is the largest organ you have. When you take care to use pure, and mostly organic products on your skin it can be beneficial to you. Thorough cleansing, gentle exfoliation for the dead layers on the top of your skin and careful moisturizing are the elements of any good skin care ritual. When combined with a healthy lifestyle and diet, you will give yourself the very best chance to keep looking youthful and healthy well into your later years!