Glow

Ever notice how your skin changes when a new season rolls around? Just when you thought you finally had your skin under control, it starts up a whole new fuss--whether it's breaking out or flaking out, you don't have to be freaking out.

* If you're suffering from break-outs, don't immediately reach for a heavy-duty cleanser as it can further irritate your skin and cause more break-outs. Instead, try using a sea-salt skincare toner or sea-salt towel mask. Dissolve a tablespoon of sea-salt in a cup of water and use it as a regular toner. The salt will act as a disinfectant for your skin and relieve inflammation. You can also use a warm and damp towel and toss sea-salt all over one side of it and press that side of the towel onto your face and leave it for 5-10 minutes. The heat and dampness of the towel will dissolve the salt and let it seep into your skin.

* If you're suffering from dry, flaking skin, try exfoliate your skin once a week with a gentle facial brush and always put on an emollient moisturizer right after you wash your face, when your skin is still a little damp to lock in moisture. I think moisturizers that contain honey are great for dry skin because honey is a natural moisturizer that our ancestors have been using for centuries. The only honey moisturizer that I've ever used is from Burt's Bees but I'm sure other brands work just as well. Just make sure honey is near the top of the ingredients list or else the product probably won't give you the benefit of honey. 

 I also recommend a honey and yogurt mask: just add a teaspoon of warm honey to 2 teaspoons of yogurt. Apply to face (avoiding the eye area of course) and wait for 10 minutes and wash it off with warm water. 

* If you're suffering from rosacea or skin allergies, the first thing you should do is simplify your beauty routine. The less products you use on your face, the less chance of you causing irritation. Use only a gentle, fragrance-free face wash and moisturizer and resist the urge of piling make-up on your face to hide the redness. I used to have bad rosacea and my skin just looked red all the time. I remember getting all sorts of green powders and green concealers to counteract the redness and believe me, it was stupid! I ended up looking like the incredible hulk and needless to say, I stopped using them. 

I found that the easiest and fastest way to relieve these symptoms is to wash your face with cool water. After I switched to a gentle cleanser and started washing my face with cool water, my rosacea gradually went away. If your skin allergy persists and you have little red bumps on your skin, avoid using perfume and scented hairspray, avoid inflammatory foods such as coffee, chocolate, sugar, dairy, peanuts, red meat and processed/fast foods. Look for natural skincare products that contain aloe, feverfew, or colloidal oatmeal as these all help with healing the skin and calming irritation.