Get flawless, glowing skin in no time

A few years ago, I bought this book titled You Being Beautiful – The Owner’s Manual to Inner and Outer Beauty by Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz.

In it they have a series of tests or everything from body type to energy levels, all things that determine how hot you feel about yourself.

While the authors have it their mind that the larger demographic is female, there are tips for men too. In the first chapter, where they discuss skin care, is a section that teaches you how to know your skin type, for you to know exactly how to treat your skin.

You need to get a facial fingerprint. To do so, you will need Scotch tape. Cleanse your face and leave it for two hours.

Don’t apply anything. Tear off a strip of tape and place it on the middle of your forehead all the way to the area between your eyebrows. Do the same with the strip on the area outside your eyes, across the roundest part of your cheeks pressing gently and leave for a few seconds. Peel it off gently. The tape will give you an indication as to how old your skin is. Check the piece of tape for flakiness and wrinkles.

If the tape is completely smooth, you have the skin of a typical 30-year-old. If it is flaky but has no lines, the skin is of a typical 40-year-old. If it has flaky cells and small lines, you have the skin of a typical 50-year-old.

There is another test for skin type, whether oily, dry, flaky, sensitive, combination or oily. The most accurate online test so far designed is the Real Age Test.

It is available online, and will require some time and thinking on your part. It gives you an indicator, based on your lifestyle, of how your body is aging. It calculates what your real age is versus your chronological age. If you take great care of yourself, you will more often than not look young.

TAKING CARE OF AFRICAN SKIN

When it comes to taking care of your skin though, there are things that will affect you, aside from time and when you begin to pay attention to yourself. African skin, for instance, when darker that is, has a natural SPF 16 UV protection. But, it will block your body’s production of Vitamin D.

So, an advantage turns into a disadvantage because in order for you to get the required amount of vitamin D, you need to spend more time in the sun than the Caucasian. Two hours more, to be precise. I have a friend who lives in Europe and she had a Vitamin D deficiency, and that is literally what the doctor ordered, even though she is black.

When taking care of your skin, look at several key issues. Look at your beauty products and eliminate the following glow killers.

If your products have mineral oil, which blocks pores and gets in the way of your body’s elimination of perspiration, ditch it.

The same goes for toluene. It is mostly found in nail polish and the brands that are going green are eliminating it from their ingredient arsenal. It is also there in perfumes and cosmetics. It is a chemical solvent that is apparently classified as hazardous waste.
SLS – or sodium lauryl sulfate, is the most commonly known anti-beauty ingredient.

It is used in cleansers and shampoos to generate foam. It is harsh and dries the skin. Imagine the impact it would have on your skin if used twice a day every day. Also, move away from fragrances. They smell pretty but your skin care products don’t really need it. Scents have been known to trigger allergic reactions.

When it comes to face creams that are loaded with vitamins, focus on A, B3, B5, C and E. Topical vitamin A is said to help with stretch marks incidentally. Vitamin C gets broken down with sun exposure, hence the reason a Vitamin C spray needs to be refreshed at least once in the course of the day. It is best to use it at night, just like Vitamin A.

For real effectiveness, combine your Vitamins C and E. They go well together. Apply Vitamin E at night.
When getting Vitamin C, look for L-ascorbic acid. It sinks into the skin. The concentration also needs to be no less than 10 per cent for it to work. If your skin is feeling dry, throw in Retin A. It increases the water content in your skin. It isn’t just for acne. Make it a point to exfoliate your skin at least once a week. Look for exfoliants with AHAs, glycolic acid or hyaluronic acid.
If you are not sure, ask a professional to make recommendations. Don’t go on a shopping spree and later find the products don’t work for you. Professionals could be makeup artistes with really good skin, dermatologists, aestheticians, facialists at good spas and salons and women who invest time and money on quality products.
Finally, it does not matter how much time and money you invest in taking care of your skin. You must wear sunscreen. It is the protective barrier between you and the world. You need it. Wear it on your face, neck and the backs of your hands. Always be on the look out for zinc oxide and titanium dioxide in your sunscreen.
They don’t coat your face with a white film and unlike other sunscreens, they work as soon as you apply. Usually, you need to wait 20 minutes post application to step out into the sun.
That’s generally overlooked because we will apply lotion then go through the motions of getting dressed and suddenly 20 minutes are up. But it is worth noting.