Face Lotion & Skin Tips

Face lotion is one of the next steps in facial care. Even if you have an oily face, or just oily spots, face lotion is a must. Dry skin can cause acne too. When your face is dry your natural protective oil layer is gone. This will cause breakouts because that natural protective layer prevents dirt and bacteria from getting into your pores. It also protects against sun and wind damage. You want to keep that layer on your face.

Here is an example to help explain the “bad” dry skin. I did a run of tanning back in the day. I know, shame on me. Anyways, the tanning made my skin dry. I thought this is what I wanted. I wanted to blast those zits off my face! It did dry my skin out, but my face broke out more! Without that protective layer there to help me, my face was exposed more. The bacteria and dirt planted themselves right into my pores and went to town. Hopefully that helps explain it better.

So, you want to find a good face lotion that is customized to your face. They make products for oily skin, dry skin, and combination skin. Figure out which skin type you have, and go from there. Most people have combination skin. I do. My T-zone is oily (most common spot for oil on the face), which the area around my mouth, chin, and eyes is usually dry. The dry skin is obviously worse in the winter, and of course, the oily spots are worse in the summer. You may have to adjust or tweak your routine depending on the weather. Dry skin around the eyes is usually one of the worst areas. The reason is wearing eye makeup daily and washing it off. The area around your eyes is so delicate. Usually if it isn’t too bad, I will just add a second l

ayer of face lotion to my dry areas in the morning. That will do the trick most of the time. In the winter, it is not enough. I have to pay special attention to these dry areas. I will use a more concentrated, thicker night time lotion. If I start this right away before the air gets too dry, I will not have a problem. I can manage it. Keep in mind, if your face gets really dry, you might have to re-apply lotion during the day. I have had to do this before. I keep a little face lotion in my purse. I hate the dry flaky skin look. Also, another way you can tweak your routine, if you face is dry, is skip the astringent at night. I will only use it every other night, instead of every night. Astringent can be drying to your face, and this will help keep the balance. I will use regular face lotion once a day, in the morning, after I have taken a shower and washed my face. As I said before, if it is dry, I will also apply a night time lotion to my face, after I have washed my face and used my astringent. The last thing I put on before going to sleep is the lotion. Oil of Oly makes a great night lotion. I have used it for years.

For your day lotion you need to look for some key things. SPF is the first. It is so important. SPF will keep you looking young because it protects you from sun damage. Also, a kep benefit is that it protects you from skin cancer. The one part of your body that is almost always exposed to the sun is your face. This is even important in the winter. People do not think about it,

because it is cold. The sun is still shining though. Not only that, but the harsh winter wind is blowing. You have to always protect it. SPF will do that for you. Most face lotions have an SPF 15 in them. That is the minimal amount you want to have. If I can find higher than SPF 15 I buy it. This is for your regular daily life. Going to work or running errands at lunch time. Not for when you are exposed to the sun for long periods for time. Say, a day at the beach, or skiing in Colorado for the day. You need more protection on those days. Add sunscreen on top of the daily lotion. SPF 15 is not enough. Bump to up to SPF 30. After SPF 30, I have been told, you are wasting your money. You are paying for the higher number and it will not work better than the 30. I actually had my dermatologist tell me this. Watch out when buying sunscreen for your face. You do not want it to be greasy. I usually will buy sunscreen for my face and a separate sunscreen for my body. Look for products that specifically say for your face. They will not clog your pores as some of the others will.