Left: Sheetal Rawal, scientist (human genetics) & founder of Apsara Skin Care
By: Sheetal Rawal
Today’s skin care topic is taking care of your skin every day so that your skin can look supple, healthy, and glowing all the time. Along the way, I’m also going to discuss with you a few skin care ingredients that are commonly found in skin care products and that one should be extremely cautious about. These ingredients are very harsh and they can cause your skin to become irritated and very dry and itchy.
So going back to the skin care routine; everyone’s skin care routine regardless of the type of skin they have should have at least three basic steps: cleansing, toning, and moisturizing.
The Cleanser: One chooses should be very, very gentle. Gentle cleansers are generally pH-balanced (they don’t sting your eyes when you’re using them) and are also free of sulfates. Sulfates are detergents that can overdry your skin and cause your skin to become very flaky and irritated. Over a prolonged period of time, your skin can start to show signs of premature aging. So as a recap, the cleanser to use would be very gentle, pH-balanced, and sulfate-free. Ideally, we should cleanse our face and skin at least twice a day; once in the morning and once at night before going to bed.
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The Toner: This is an extremely important and beneficial skin care step that no one should skip. Toners tighten up the open pores of our skin and provide wonderful tone and texture and improve the overall appearance of the skin. But one ingredient in toners that is unfortunately very common and should definitely be avoided is alcohol. Alcohol is very drying and dehydrating to the skin, and alcohol, over a period of time, can cause your skin to become excessively dry and flaky and very irritated. So the toner to use might have rosewater in it instead of alcohol. Rosewater is 100% natural and safe. It is also a very powerful astringent. It closes your pores and again provides an instant facelift to your face as well as an improved tone, texture, and appearance to your skin.
“Before I started using Apsara, my acne was pretty bad, but then over the course of a year’s time, my acne has slowly started reducing, and it’s almost gone now.”
The Moisturizer: Everyone should moisturize their skin regardless of the kind of skin they have. Even if your skin is oily or acne-prone, you should still not skip the moisturizing step. That is because if the skin is left without an external source of moisture, it feels that it is getting dry and it fixes that by producing excess sebum, a natural oil that can worsen your acne situation. So everyone should moisturize their skin. An ideal moisturizer should be a lotion and not a cream. Creams are very thick. They’re harder to apply on the skin. They also leave a sticky film on the outside of the skin which attracts a lot of grime and dirt from the atmosphere, and this can cause your skin to become clogged. Look for a lotion that is lightweight and has some excellent added active ingredients that are especially suitable for your kind of skin.
One ingredient that is very commonly found in lotions and should absolutely be avoided is paraben. There are many kinds of parabens that are present, and these are preservatives that are used to prolong the shelf life of the skin care products. But they are very compromising to the integrity of the skin. They can leave your skin very dry and irritated and are, in general, are quite harmful to use over a prolonged period of time.
So these are the three basic steps that everyone should have in their skin care routine to achieve skin that is healthy and flawless.
If you are unsure about the products that will work best for your skin, don't hesitate to ask for help. Use this form to get specialized advice from Sheetal.
Go natural. It is good karma!
