The first important step to any skincare regimen is cleaning the face and using a toner is second on the list. By not including a toner in a routine, you’re really are skipping on the ultimate benefits behind first-rate skincare.

A toner is always used before hydrating the skin with a moisturizer. Generally, you use it both morning and night.

The job of a toner is to restore skin back to a natural pH balance after cleansing your face. A pH is either at 4.5 or pretty close to that. Not many know that some cleansing products spike a pH balance up to 14. This leaves your skin tight and dehydrated. A toner locks in moisture and nourishes the skin at the same time.

A toner also does a host of other fantastic things, such as:

• Reduces fine lines and wrinkles
• Controls inflammation
• Removes oil and dirt
• Gets rid of residual make-up

A toner really is the ultimate solution to make your cleansing regimen complete. And remember to keep this product away from your eye area.
Because a toner soaks up oil, it’s a terrific acne fighting tool. As we all know, oil spurs breakouts.

When shopping for a toner, it’s hard not to notice how many name categories it falls under like astringent, balancer, clarifying lotion, cleansing water, and toning lotion.
As skincare continues to be a progressive area in science, toners are changing, too. There are some wonderful products out there that penetrate into the dermis and positively affect cellular change.

You’ll also notice some toners that are coupled with a cleansing system. For the most part, skin care professionals agree that keeping the two separate is the best course of action, because each one, has its own special function.

For example, the Obagi skin care line offers a set called: Obagi Foaming Gel and Toner Set .

Users love the foaming gel because of its natural herbs and aloe vera properties. It wipes away the environmental pollution without distressing the skin’s moisture levels. And the gel is great for all skin types which makes it a perfect buy.

The Obagi Nu-Derm Toner can be purchased with the set or solo. In any event, it’s described by professionals as the best combination of natural ingredients. The rich formula in this bottle brings skin back to a normal pH balance and improves firmness. After each use, additional treatment products penetrate into the skin with no trouble at all.

This clinical toner system promotes cellular turnover; and, its deep penetration into the dermis layer spurs cellular movement and function.

Its other therapeutic benefits include:

• Raises new cells to the surface which allows smoother and wrinkle-free skin
• Reduces age spots and freckles
• Increases better skin structure and tone through cell development
• Promotes collagen production and elastin fibers
• Feeds the skin with nutrients and hydration

There’s another “must have” toner also by Obagi. Obagi C-Balancing Toner is actually part of the Obagi-C Rx System for normal to oily skin. Again, it balances the pH and prepares the skin for better product penetration. In this case, the toner welcomes the anti-aging serum and other products which help with pigmentation issues.
For these toners, and many others for that matter, it’s applied to a clean face with a cotton ball. After dousing the cotton ball with the toner, you glide it over the face. Don’t rinse off a toner.

Skin care professionals are a great sounding board to help determine what skin type you have. That’s not only important in choosing a toner, but for all skin care products. Many professionals agree to stay clear from toners which contain formulas that have the potential to irritate the skin. A handful of these ingredients include choosing a toner free of alcohol, ethanol, acetone, mint, menthol, and witch hazel. Again, all these ingredients, among others, may promote skin irritation.

And while on the topic of irritation, if there is ever an uncomfortable burning sensation after toner usage, stop using the product. Go back to a skin care professional for assistance and choose another product with the right guidance.

From dry, normal to oily skin, everyone can really benefit from this skin care product. Using a toner will help return your facial canvas to a healthy and luminous glow.

It’s hard to believe that we’re already nearing the halfway summertime mark. And for a lot of us, that means it’s time to purchase another bottle of sunscreen to protect ourselves from the threat of premature aging, and even more so, skin cancer.

With so many sunscreen products to choose from even the greatest of maximum sun protectors won’t work well if we don’t apply it right. If you thought that sunscreen is just something you lather on once a while when you’re outside, you may want to think again.

Skin safety is a progressive area in science. It changes with new discoveries to protect us from harmful UVA and UVB rays. UVA radiation penetrates into deeper levels of the skin while UVB affects the first layer of skin which is responsible for sunburns. This means that even if you’re not susceptible to sunburns, you still receive sun damage via UVA rays.

Repeated studies have shown that 90 percent of premature wrinkles and skin cancer diagnosis is a direct result of the sun. Sunscreen is the answer to these problems.
The first step in picking the right sunscreen includes broad spectrum formulas. Choose wisely with an SPF of at least 15. Above all, keep your eye out for key ingredients like such as:

• Avobenzone
• Ecamsule
• Oxybenzone
• Sulisobenzone
• Titanium dioxide
• Zinc oxide

Sunscreens aren’t like they used to be — those heavy and thick creams are a thing of the past.

One sunscreen growing in popularity is the SPF 55 Skin Care Heaven Sheer Shake Sunscreen. It’s an ultra lightweight and sheer sunscreen which offers UVA and UVB sun protection. On top of that critical protection, this featherweight sunscreen offers anti-aging properties with antioxidant ingredients such as vitamin E, green tea and Co-Q10. It’s like having two products in one bottle.

Another advanced technology sunscreen is La Roche Posay Anthelios SPF 60 Ultra Light Sunscreen Fluid. This La Roche Posay skin care product is oil free, sheer, absorbs quickly, and is water resistant. As a long-lasting sun protector, it’s enriched with a senna alata leaf extract, which protects the skin with powerful antioxidants.

Whatever product you choose, studies repeatedly show that people don’t apply the recommended amount of sunscreen. Instead, they only put on half of what is directed. With these kinds of odds, the product can’t sufficiently do its job.

The rule of thumb is about 40 ml of sunscreen which is equivalent to a handful, or a little more than a shot glass. Please don’t be frugal with it.
To get the highest amount of solar defense, apply your sunscreen about 30 minutes before going outdoors. Also, be sure your skin is dry so it can properly absorb.
While putting on your screen, have a mental checklist of areas on the body that are sometimes forgotten and susceptible to sunburn:
• Ears
• Back of legs
• Neck
• Tops of hands and feet
• Scalp (if there is a receding hairline, buzz haircut, or a part is exposed)

When it comes to reapplying sunscreen throughout the day, a lot of people have their own definition on what that means. Skin care professionals agree that the second application round should be about 30 minutes after you’re out in the sun.
Why so quick?

Because people tend not to use much the first time, the second sunscreen session adds another level of effectiveness and sometimes matches what you needed in the first place. After that, reapplication can be every couple of hours.

That two hour time frame changes, though, if you’ve just come back from a swim or perspire. After you dry yourself off, reapply your sunscreen right away.
Even though you may be following strict sunscreen guidelines, it’s still a good idea to give yourself a break from the sun throughout the day. The sun is most powerful between the hours of 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. So go ahead and find some shade and retreat indoors for a little while.

If the skies are overcast you still need protection. Don’t let those cloudy summertime days fool you because 80 percent of ultraviolet rays still penetrate through.
One area of protection we don’t want to forget is a SPF lip balm. Like other parts of the body, lips are at risk for burns and skin cancer.

Try and make sunscreen a part of your daily lifestyle and not just during the summertime. It’s the easiest solution you can find when it comes to looking young and staying healthy.

Hi,

Buying over the counter skin care products is so easy. But have you ever turned that bottle around and glanced through the ingredients list?

Well… If you haven\’t, then probably you would have no clue what is going inside your skin. Although skin care products are applied topically onto the skin, their ingredients will be absorbed in the bloodstream and can potentially impact your system. They might not cause any immediate health problems but in the long run, can be responsible for intense aging and deterioration of your skin quality. Therefore, you should pay utmost attention to the ingredients of your skin care products and avoid using anything that may cause harm to your skin.

Here are some ingredients you need to look out for:

Mineral Oil – Many skin care products use mineral oil as filler. However, it is comedogenic and can clog the skin pores thus leading yo acne inflammations and breakouts.

Fragrances – You may like a pleasant smelling skin care product but the additional synthetic fragrances may just serve to irritate your skin and lead to acne. Also, be care full of products that claim to be “fragrance-less” because they might contain additional chemicals to inhibit the smell.

Parabens – Parabens are preservatives that are added to skin care products to prolong their shelf life. Though trace amounts of parabens cause no harm, be careful of larger quantities. Check the ingredients list of the product and see where the parabens are listed. They are potentially carcinogenic (they can cause cancer) and are very toxic for the skin.

Sodium Laurel Sulfate – This is an irritating detergent used in skin care products to produce foam. However, they can cause your skin to become excessively dry and lead to premature aging.

So, the next time you buy skin care products, make sure you are not buying any of these harmful ingredients.

Hi,

One of the most popular anti-aging skin care products are Eye Creams. The skin around the eyes is delicate and fragile, therefore it’s the first place to exhibit the early signs of aging like fine lines and wrinkles.

No wonder then that women a spend a good deal of effort and money to get a good eye cream that works for themselves. And with an extensive range of eye creams available in the market, making a choice can become a daunting task.

Eye creams have come to include high-tech and rare ingredients like Retinol, Vitamin C, alpha hydroxy acids etc. These ensure sufficient nutrients and prevent concerns like wrinkles and fine lines, dark circles or eye puffiness. But what works best for you is something you should know best. Therefore, spend time reading through the ingredients list on products before you decide what to buy.

Eye creams have two prime aims:

• Tighten the sagging skin under the eyes and thereby preventing wrinkles and fine lines
• Provide moisture and prevent the skin from sagging

Here are some powerful ingredients that you should look out for in eye creams to reduce eye puffiness, lighten the under eye dark circles and make your skin more radiant.

Firming ingredients:

• Caffeine and Alcohol – To temporarily dehydrate the skin and make it tighter.

• Retinol, AHAs, Copper and Vitamin C – To stimulate the production of collagen and elastin fibers within the skin surface thereby making the skin smoother and firmer.

Darkness Inhibiting Ingredients:

• Vitamin K – To inhibit bruising and reduce the darkness under the eyes

• Kojic acid and Hydroquinone – To lighten the skin and make it more radiant

Some product suggestions:

• Lumiere Bio-restorative Eye Cream – Contains a unique blend of growth factors, antioxidants and caffeine that reducesfine lines, dark circles and puffiness of eyes in as little as 6 weeks.

• Obagi ELASTIderm Day Eye Gel: Contains a bi-mineral complex that cross links elastin fibers and boosts collagen production within the skin fibers.

• iS Clinical C Eye Advance: Contains potent antioxidants that diminish fine lines and wrinkles and eye puffiness