Beautiful skin starts with a clean slate, literally.

Before putting on makeup or going to bed at night, make sure you wash your face with a cleanser suited for your skin type. Some soaps are too harsh and may strip your skin of its natural moisture. Unless directed by your dermatologist, it is better to use facial cleansers.

Incorporating a routine for deep cleansing once a week using a facial mask or scrub can also bring your face a youthful glow.

The latest in cleansing is the use of fine, soft bristle brushes to remove deep seated grime and dirt. Facial cleansing brushes can be used with cleansing lotions. Wet skin with water and use the cleansing brush with small circular movements working upwards from your neck. Facial brushes such as the one shown here can be bought at The Body Shop.

Here are some of the uses of olive oil for skin care:

- antioxidant:  delays aging of skin

- moisturizer:  maintains skin elasticity, smoothness and hydration (Try making a mask by mixing olive oil, egg yolk and honey. Apply on your face and leave for 15 minutes. Rinse with warm water.)

- tonic for the hair:  keeps hair moisturized and shiny (Try making a hair mask by mixing olive oil with two eggs. Keep it over the hair for 30 minutes before washing.)

- for the hands:  add two spoons of sugar to olive oil, and rub the mixture on your hands before rinsing with warm water.

- for the nails:  soaking your nails in olive oil and lemon juice for 5 minutes, or leave it overnight, but use gloves; this strenghtens the nails.

-  mascara:  add  one or two drops of olive oil on mascara that has dried up.

- body massage

- add on to any of the usual skin care product.

- homemade recipe:  to moisturize and rejuvenate skin (Mix a few drops of olive oil one egg yolk and one spoon of honey. Apply over the face and neck, and leave it on for about 20 minutes. Rinse off with warm water. Splash a little bit of cold water in your face and apply a moisturizer.)

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States? More than 1 million skin cancers are diagnosed annually.

More than 90 percent of all skin cancers are caused by sun exposure?

A person’s risk for skin cancer doubles if he or she has had five or more sunburns?

Aside from preventing premature aging, skin protection and sun safety are effective measures of preventing skin cancer. The Skin Cancer Foundation has these tips:

• Seek the shade, especially between 10 A.M. and 4 P.M.
• Do not burn.
• Avoid tanning and UV tanning booths.
• Use a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher every day.
• Apply 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) of sunscreen to your entire body 30 minutes before going outside. Reapply every two hours.
• Cover up with clothing, including a broad-brimmed hat and UV-blocking sunglasses.
• Keep newborns out of the sun. Sunscreens should be used on babies over the age of six months.
• Examine your skin head-to-toe every month.
• See your physician every year for a professional skin exam.

Sugar for your coffee? What about sugar for your skin?

Sugar scrubs are becoming a famous spa treatment product. Home made recipes are also available online.

Sugar scrubs are found to be natural exfoliators but do not dry the skin. It eliminates blemishes and it does not clog your pores. It contains alpha-hydroxy compounds which soften skin and because it moisturizes, you may opt not to put on lotion after bathing with sugar scrub. This is in contrast with salt scrubs which strips the skin of its natural oils, leaving the skin dry.

Sugar scrub should be applied to wet skin with your hands and massage in circular motion. There is no sticky feel after rinsing.

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What do you often do before going to bed at night? You wash your face with a cleanser, wipe it clean with a toner, moisturize it with creams. During the day, you put on sunscreen. But what about your lips? Lips are skin too.

There are products for cleaning and moisturizing the lips. A lipstick remover should be used to wipe out residual lipstick without drying out the lips. Several organic, plant-based lipsticks contain moisturizers and sunscreen with SPF 15 to protect the lips from moisture loss and from the harmful rays of the sun. Add protection to your usual lip color!

People who have pale skin prefer to get a tan, and they would take every chance to stay under the sun. Those who don’t want to be seen with their pale skin use indoor tanning lotions and complete the tanning process with a tanning bed. Tanning lotions enhance the production of melanin in the skin, producing a darker tone.

There are several ingredients that give the tanning effect. Ingredients that “tingle”, or irritates the skin to cause reddening may be uncomfortable to some individuals. Bronzers is another ingredient that is sometimes combined with “tingling” agents. Common bronzer is dihydroxyacetone (DHA).

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Remember how vain our girlfriends are? They spend hours and hours in using cleansers, toners, lotions and other potions to keep themselves looking beautiful in our eyes.

But can you imagine us men doing the same? Probably not, because we care too much of our macho image. Since when did guys like us stock their cabinets and shelves with lotions and vanity products? But we still be conscious about hygiene don’t we?

Luckily for us there’s NIVEA for Men.

Oh yes. You have read it right. NIVEA For us Men.

The Nivea one of world’s largest leading brands in the field of hair, skin and body-care has launched new products especially formulated for men.

Now we can be hygienic and maintain that handsome look without losing our masculinity.

To be Continued…

After shaves has been stapled to the shaving ritual because it soothes your skin after shaving. It also relieves painful razor burns and cuts inflicted by shaving, and disinfecting it to prevent infection.

To aid this need NIVEA for Men formulated a shaving balm that would give you the benefits presented above while keeping your skin smooth, moisturized and comfortable.

The NIVEA Cooling Aftershave Balm is Alcohol free. It does not sting or dry your skin unlike the alcohol based ones. It has a cooling action that will immediately relieve razor burns immediately upon application.

It is dermatologically tested and proven safe for everyday use.