Whether you realize it or not, personal skin care should be very important to you. It is something that we all should take pride in achieving. People look at skin care in different ways. Some may take the time to go to beauty parlors or a skin care specialist, others may think that splashing on some lotion or cream will satisfy the need. There are also those that think skin care is a monthly or yearly thing. Then you have the ones that go through a daily routine to make sure their skin is as healthy as possible. Considering the benefits of personal skin care, it is not that expensive. You just have to make sure that you choose the right products for your skin, and get yourself into a routine that you can work with. Basically that is the definition of skin care, consistently taking care of your skin to keep it healthy.

Skin Type should be determined before attempting to start your routine. There are different types of skin that require different products. Some may have oily skin, others may have dry skin. There are also many that have very sensitive skin. Determining your skin type is very important. Testing a product to make sure that it doesn?t irritate your skin is important also. After you have determined your skin type and tested different products to find what is right for you, it will be time to start your routine. Here is a basic routine that will suit most skin care needs for normal skin.

The first process in the personal skin care routine is ?Cleansing?. The three main ingredients of a cleanser are oil, water and surfactants (wetting agents). Oil and surfactants extract dirt and oil from your skin and water flushes it out, thus making your skin look and feel clean. You might have to try a couple of cleansers before you find the one that suits you the best. However, you should always use soap-free cleansers. Also, you should use tepid water for cleansing (hot and cold water both, can cause damage to your skin). Be sure that you don?t over cleanse your skin thus disrupting the natural ph balance of it. Once in the morning and once in the evening is plenty on most days.

The next process in the routine is exfoliation, or removing the dead skin cells. The skin is continuously removing dead skin cells and replacing them with new ones. The only problem is the old ones stay on your skin. So they need to be removed. Although they are dead and have been replaced, they will still absorb the skin care products leaving the new skin cells unprotected. So getting rid of them is very important. For normal to oily skin, four or five times a week is sufficient. For dry skin, one to two times a week would be plenty. In hot or humid weather you can add a couple more days to your exfoliation schedule.

The third process in the personal skin care routine is moisturizing. This is one of the most important steps. Even people with oily skin need moisturizer. Moisturizers not only seal the moisture into your skin cells, but also help attract moisture from the air whenever needed. However, using too much moisturizer can clog your skin pores and end up harming your skin. The amount of moisturizer needed by your skin will become apparent to you within one week of using the moisturizer. Hint: Applying the moisturizer is best when your skin is still damp.

Last but not least is sunscreen. Many moisturizers come with sunscreen already in them. So check them out and see what is right for you. Always use sunscreen whether the sun is out or not.

Once again, always test your products before using large amounts of them on your skin. Find out which products suit you best. What works for one may not always be the case for others. If you have severe sensitivity of the skin, check with your dermatologist first. Get their opinion before you start using any product. It is your skin, so make sure you take care of it.