Cleansing Skin Care Advice - What Helps Your Skin and What You Need to Avoid

All of us need a good cleansing skin care plan. Here's my plan for skin cleansing, along with the reasons that I recommend it. But first, let me say a word about one of the common ingredients to avoid.

Triclosan

This is a common additive in daily anti-bacterial cleansing skin care products. It's often recommended for treating acne, but is also found in soaps like Lever 2000.

Like the overuse of antibiotics in the 1970s and 1980s, the overuse of antibacterial hand soaps and other skin cleansing agents may contribute to the formation of more antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains.

We already have MRSA (a type of staph infection resistant to traditional antibiotics). We really don't need more of these bacteria floating around in our environment. Researchers have shown that washing with plain soap and warm water is just as effective for removing bacteria.

There are also personal health concerns about the use of triclosan in the shower. It reacts with chlorine to form chloroform gas, a known carcinogen.

One out of every three women and half of the men in the United States are expected to have cancer in their lifetime. If we start avoiding more of the known carcinogens, even those with a "minor" risk attached, we may improve our chances.

Daily Skin Cleansing Advice

Daily cleansers should be mild and non-irritating. Regular exfoliation or the use of products containing "micro-beads" can do long-term damage to your appearance and increase your sensitivity to UV rays from the sun. People with UV sensitivity are considered "at-risk" for skin-cancer.

Tea tree oil is one of the safest, mildest ingredients. This botanical has natural antiseptic and antioxidant activity.

However, manuka honey bars are my personal favorites for cleansing skin care on a daily basis. It has one of the highest antioxidant and antiseptic activities of all other natural solutions. Creams containing the honey are preferred for anti-aging, as they promote stronger collagen and support the skin's natural rejuvenation processes.

Deep Cleaning Masks

No skin cleansing program would be complete without the inclusion of an occasional deep cleaning mask. Make-up, dirt, grime and toxins build up in the pores, causing pimples, blackheads and other blemishes.

Deep cleansing skin care masks containing kaolin, a clay extract, will gently clean out your pores, without causing irritation. The most effective ones contain bentone gel as well. It's made from a different type of clay. The two extracts combined will keep your face looking its best.

As long as the other ingredients in the mask are safe and natural, you can use them at least twice a month. If you have excessive oiliness, you may want to use them every week until you get the oil production under control.

The final step in my skin cleansing plan is a daily cream that contains grape seed oil. It dries to an invisible, but protective, film that makes make-up removal a breeze. My favorite day cream contains other natural ingredients designed to "put-off" the signs of aging.

So, in a nutshell, that's my cleansing skin care plan. I hope it works for you, too.