Your face is what you show to the world, and your skin has to look good or you won’t be at your best. It’s important to care for your skin to ensure that it has a healthy glow. Here are some tips about skin care that will keep you looking amazing!

If you smoke, you should try to quit smoking. Smoking damages your skin. Your skin is a very large organ and just like the rest of your body, it needs to breathe. Smoking could make your skin take on a greyish quality. No one wants skin that looks dull and lifeless. Stop smoking and let it get the clean air that it needs to look healthy and alive.

One great way to refresh your skin, especially in the summer, is to use a cotton ball soaked in witch hazel. Witch hazel is a mild herbal-based toner, low in alcohol. It will deal with the oiliness that builds up on your face on a hot summer day, but not in a drying way, and will leave your face feeling cool and refreshed

You must always make sure that you remove your makeup before going to bed. Allowing makeup to remain on the skin overnight, allows dirt and impurities to remain trapped, plus, it can foster the development of acne and can cause your skin to look older than it actually is. Always be certain to use a gentle cleanser each night, in order to remove all traces of makeup, before you fall asleep.

Make sure to drink lots and lots of water. While we all know this is good for health and nutrition, many who have great skin also swear it as their secret to a great complexion. Keeping your skin hydrated is one of the many things that dermatologists will tell you are in the ten commandments of skin care.

Chose recyclable and recycled packaging for your skin care products. With the amount of skin care lotions and potions out there, too many containers end up in landfills. Seek companies with solid recycling processes in place. It is no good to buy natural products in bottles that cannot be easily recycled.

Before going outside during the summer, apply sunscreen on your face with a sponge applicator rather than your fingers. When using the sponge, the sunscreen will have a chance to seep further into the skin and become more effective. Also, it ensures you don’t leave a film behind due to over-application.

Use jasmine oil on your skin. Jasmine oil soothes your skin and contains many antioxidants that prevent your skin from aging too fast. Apply a little bit of oil every morning to condition your skin and make it look bright and healthy. Do not use any kind of oil if your face easily breaks out.

Whenever you go outside, remember to use plenty of sunblock. If you fail to do this, your skin could undergo something called photo aging. The sun damages the cells in your skin and will cause your skin to prematurely age, leading to more wrinkles in your skin as you age.

To prevent wrinkles and age spots due to sun damage, limit your exposure to the sun. If possible, always apply a SPF 15 sunscreen that will protect your skin from UVB and UVA sun rays especially between the hours of 10 AM and 3 PM. Wear hats and long sleeves whenever possible to limit sun exposure.

If the skin around your eyes doesn’t look its best in the mornings, use teabags to help reduce puffiness in your eyelids. Steep two caffeinated teabags in a cup of icy water for a few minutes. Squeeze out the excess water, and rest them on your closed eyes for ten minutes. The tannins in the tea will help reduce inflammation, and the caffeine will keep excess blood-flow at bay.

After washing your face with warm water, a great way to close your pores is by splashing cold water on your face. You can avoid using facial toners, by just using cold water instead. Water is a natural and cheap solution to closing pores, and they don’t contain any of the harsh chemicals that toners do.

Did you know that oily skin holds smells more effectively? This doesn’t mean skipping that shower is a great idea. However, it does mean that adding a quick dab of petroleum jelly to wrists before applying fragrances will help them last all day. Keep a small roller-ball of your favorite scent in your bag for quick touch-ups.

The skin on your whole body needs to be cared for, so many of these tips can and should be used all over. Keep yourself feeling smooth and soft, and looking younger, to help your self-esteem. If you look great, and feel great, then you can do absolutely anything in life!

Cut Through Skin Care Confusion With This Easy-To-Use Advice was originally published on Spring