Natural formulas for only cents :)

1. No soap; facial cleansers. I use a milky lactic-acid cleanser in the morning and a clarifying one at night (because I have combination skin). Both are free of the waxes and junk you’ll find in Cetaphil, which I plan to lambast so on. The goal is not a dry tight feeling when you wash; it’s the opposite. Sometimes I do like a Parisian woman and just splash my face with cold water in the morning. At night I’ll often use a 2-in-one cleanser with exfoliating enzymes in it for the exponential benefits of clearing my pores and sloughing off dead skin gently.

2. Use high-quality facial oils. I’ve waxed poetic on this before, so I won’t again. But if you’re afraid of applying oils on your face, don’t be. Your skin will drink them up like water in a desert. I’ve seen plumper, firmer, heartier skin and a dewier complexion that’s legitimately healthy.

3. Exfoliate! Slough off your dead skin cells, and do it often. By boosting the rate at which your cells turnover naturally (about a 28 day process, which slows with age), you reveal new smooth cells beneath, even out your skin tone, help pores stay clear, and stimulate collagen. Newly revealed cells reflect light better and can better absorb your pricey skin-care products. Follow?

4. Peels or scrubs? I use both chemical exfoliants (gentle AHAs, lactic acid, and fruit enzymes that break the glue that bonds cells together) and physical exfoliants (the scrubs) just on my T-zone. There’s nothing else that can shrink my pore size and get rid of blackheads (well, the visible part) in 10 minutes. Exfoliants are great prevent-and-treat products for acne (particularly chemical exfoliants) and anti-aging. Who’s skin doesn’t fall into one of these camps?

5. Illuminate now. I love tinted moisturizer with light reflecting particles. The early 20th-century film stars put Vaseline on the camera lens. Mica, a mineral added to moisturizers, particularly the tinted ones with sunscreen, create the same luminizing glow. About 99 percent of the time I get a complement on my skin, I’ve either very recently had a facial or I’m wearing a tinted moisturizer with light reflecting particles.

6. Sunscreen isn’t just for the sun. Women come up with every excuse under the sun NOT to wear the one beauty product that can prevent nearly all skin-care woes—dark spots, fine lines, lack of firmness, you name it. I wear sunscreen about 360 days a year. It’s the number one anti-aging product and it prevents skin cancer, so why wouldn’t I? I typically wear sunscreens and moisturizers with zinc and Mexoryl because they catch the broadest range of UV rays.

7. Two cents on eye cream. I’m still looking for an awesome eye cream that can do something for my dark under-eye circles (aka the visible hemoglobin that shows through the really thin skin around the eyes). Vitamin K, arnica, and circulation stimulators like caffeine are supposed to do the trick, but so far I’ve found that lymphatic drainage during a facial is the only thing that works better than concealer. I just wish it lasted longer than a few days.

Originally Posted by ginegeorge83 /img/forum/go_quote.gif

6. Sunscreen isn’t just for the sun. Women come up with every excuse under the sun NOT to wear the one beauty product that can prevent nearly all skin-care woes—dark spots, fine lines, lack of firmness, you name it. I wear sunscreen about 360 days a year. It’s the number one anti-aging product and it prevents skin cancer, so why wouldn’t I? I typically wear sunscreens and moisturizers with zinc and Mexoryl because they catch the broadest range of UV rays.

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Doesn't sunscreen have side or long term effects over our organism if used in excess?

Yes it does. You have to outweigh the benefits of both, UV rays cause cancer, yet the SPF prevents that, but they also cause other types of cancers. It's the same when using DEET, sure it prevents West Nile, and other avian virus's, but it also disrupts reproductive development in humans. The best defence for UV rays and mosquitos, and ticks, is to wear physical barriers like long sleeved clothing, pants, socks etc. Personally, I use chemical barriers, it's all a slow death anyway.

Honestly I can't see one wearing long sleeves and pants in the summer, when the sun is burning, so we all end up using chemicals to protect ourselves from UV rays.
 

Originally Posted by KateMoore /img/forum/go_quote.gif

Honestly I can't see one wearing long sleeves and pants in the summer, when the sun is burning, so we all end up using chemicals to protect ourselves from UV rays.

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Actually,there are hikers who prefer wearing pants in the summer during hiking. When you are in direct sunlight, wearing clothing shields your skin from the sun and keeps you cooler. So pants aren't going to be any warmer than shorts. You will see most desert hikers wearing long sleeves and pants. If you are hiking under shade all day, shorts and short sleeves will be cooler. Also wet shorts are also a lot more tolerable than wet pants. 

And to have a stronger protection against the damaging heat of the sun, you will be needing sunblock creams or lotions that have high SPF. Put into mind that excessive heat of the sun can lead to skin cancer, and we absolutely don't want that to happen.

Now I see your point. I remembered Bear Grylls from Discovery Channel. He always wears long sleeves in the desert. Thanks for the info!