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The skin on your face is exposed to a barrage of toxins and environmental damage on a daily basis. It must withstand pollution, ultraviolet rays, wind, and debris, as well as the harmful chemicals in 99% of all skin care products and cosmetics. The skin on your face is the most delicate skin on your body. Therefore there are many specialty products that have been developed specifically for your facial skin. It can be difficult to decipher which products perform which tasks, and which products would work the best with your skin type. Here's a primer on the most common facial products available.

A Word About Facial Skin

Before you can select the facial skin care products that would work best for you, you need to determine your skin type. Basically, facial skin is categorized as either normal, oily, dry, sensitive, or combination. If you've never had problems with oily skin or dry skin, it's likely that you have 'normal' skin. The pores of normal skin are small and the overall skin tone is even. Oily skin, on the other hand results in medium to large pores that are prone to blockage and breakouts. Oily skin is usually slightly too moderately greasy and is thicker and firmer than normal skin. Dry skin feels tight and itchy, especially in the winter. It is thinner than normal skin and may even be slightly rough to the touch. People with sensitive skin are usually the ones who actually know their skin type. Sensitive skin is prone to rashes and breakouts from any kind of irritants such as sun, perfumes, shaving cream, temperature extremes, and even soap. Avoid products with dyes, per!

fumes, or unnecessary chemical ingredients in all skin conditions. As its name implies, combination skin has both dry and oily patches. Most commonly, combination skin exhibits an oily 'T-Zone' (forehead, nose and chin) with dry skin on the cheeks and around the eyes.

Facial Skin Care Products

Facial Cleansers: Soap can be very drying to facial skin. So it is best to use a facial wash or cleanser that is specifically designed for the face.

Skin Toners: Skin toners offer extra cleaning and help to restore the pH balance of your facial skin. However, these products can be quite drying, so if you have dry or sensitive skin, you will not need to use a skin toner.

Anti Aging Creams: Facial skin care creams made of antioxidants (particularly vitamins C and E), vitamin A or alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs), are commonly used to help reduce the appearance of wrinkles and restore luster to the skin. These products may make a variety of claims regarding their efficacy and time required to see results. Use caution when reviewing a facial skin care product that claims to be a 'miracle cure' to aging.

Eye Creams: Eye creams are specifically made to pamper the delicate skin under and around the eyes. They help to plump and tighten under eye skin and they can reduce fine lines and wrinkles (like crows feet) that develop around the eyes. I recommend 'Parfait Visage'

Moisturizers: Moisturizers help to hydrate skin and reduce the effects of aging over time.

Sunscreen: Sunscreen is the most important facial skin care product for the health and protection of your skin. The sun's rays, even in small amounts can be very damaging to the skin on your face. Protect it with a natural sunscreen of at least an SPF 15 everyday.

Facial Cleansers: The fragile skin on your face needs a gentle cleanser that is designed for facial skin. Facial cleansers may come in liquid, foam, gel, towelette, or bar form.

AHAs: Alpah Hydroxy Acids (AHAs) work wonders at smoothing out the texture of skin and reducing the visibility of fine lines. These products work by sloughing off dead skin cells to unblock and cleanse pores, to improve oily skin or acne, and to improve skin condition in general. The extent of exfoliation that a facial skin care product is capable of depends on the type and concentration of the AHA, its pH (acidity), and other ingredients in the product.

Exfoliators: These facial skin care products utilize a variety of ingredients such as nuts, alpha hydroxy acids, and microcrystals to gently remove dead skin cells and reveal the healthy, radiant skin underneath. They are best used occasionally to restore luster to dull or dry skin.

Sunless Tanners: As their name implies, sunless tanners are used to tan the skin without exposure to the sun. These products vary greatly in quality, time requirements, and ease of application. They should be used with caution. A poor quality or poorly applied sunless tanner will produce unnatural results. These sunless tanners also contain harmful chemicals which can be absorbed by your skin.

For more information on natural cosmetics and skin care visit:
http://www.skin-care-support.org or http://www.make-up-cosmetics.com