The skin is the body's protective barrier against the environment. We often take our skin for granted. Most people fail to realize that the skin needs daily care just like brushing one's teeth. If the skin is not taken care of properly it can become dry, flaky, cracked and inflamed. This can predispose the skin to infection from wart viruses and bacteria. A daily skin care regimen should start as early as infancy and continue throughout one's life.

Cleanse your face two or three times daily with gel or foaming cleanser. You may select one containing glycerin, alphahydroxy acids, or betahydroxy acids. Pat skin dry.

Apply a light, water-based moisturizer free of alcohol, lanolin, PABA sunscreen, or fragrance.

Active-Beauty is a natural skin care product line created by NYC personal trainer, Terri Walsh. Having always been approached about her beauty regime, Terri decided to share the things she created, found and mixed up herself over the years with everyone.

Mash leaves of spearmint with little water. Apply on the face both morning and evening. Face starts glowing within a week.

Drink 8-10 glasses of water daily. It is also very effective natural cure for dull complexion and other skin ailments.

Eat fibre rich diet. Also take green leafy vegetables to retain youth and freshness.

Exfoliate Exfoliation is the step most people skip in their weekly skincare routine. But trust me, if you start properly exfoliating your skin, you will notice an almost immediate difference. According to Berg, one of the reasons men's skin looks more youthful than women's is because men tend to exfoliate daily when they shave. There are several ways to exfoliate skin: Microdermabrasion, chemical peels and retinoids.

Most of the skin care products that you buy in the store contain harsh chemicals that actually rob the skin of essential oils. These chemicals remove the dead skin cells, exposing new skin, which feels soft and smooth. So, you think the product is moisturizing your skin, when, in fact, it is stripping it of the very oils that absorb moisture and hydrate. It is a temporary feeling, and has actually left you more vulnerable to skin damage than if you didn't use anything at all.

Moisturize While I know of at least one famous beauty editor who swore skin doesn't need moisturizer, basically everyone else I've read disagrees and is an adamant believer in it. A basic law of beauty is that everyone, no matter her skin type, should moisturize. Even if your skin is oily, it will benefit from moisturizers.

Avoid rich fried foods and load up on green vegetables instead. Take two tablespoons of lecithin granules (a by-product of soyabeans) daily.

Mash a ripe apricot (Khumani) and apply pulp or juice on the face and neck or simply take an apricot slice and rub it all over the face and neck. Leave it for 20 minutes before washing off. Apricot has nourishing and firming qualities. It therefore nourishes, rejuvenates and tightens your skin. It also helps in lightening stretch marks and smoothening wrinkles. It is a popular ingredient in many beauty/ cosmetic preparation such as face scrubs, masks etc. It is good for all type of skins.

Mix together 1 tablespoons of orange juice with ½ tablespoon of honey and apply on the face. Let it dry for 15-20 minutes and then wash off. A good moisturizing and toning mask for dry skins. Alternatively you can add some multani mitti to the face mask pack. Increase the amount of honey and orange juice to get a smooth paste.

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