Archive for the ‘General’ Category
SKIN TYPES – DRY SKIN
Posted on: October 19, 2008
As I said there are lots of skin types, but let’s talk about dry skin first…..
Dry skin has a lot of moisture in the upper layers of the skin and less levels in the lower layers. Hence it is dry as it lacks oil as well as water, thereby tending to get dehydrated quickly.
Dry skin is most vulnerable to climatic and weather changes and if uncared for has a tendency to develop wrinkles. Exposure to ultraviolet rays and air conditioning are some of the chief causes for faster drying of the dry skin. However maximum care for dry skin is needed during the winters as it is during this time when the skin becomes more intense. Not just winters, people with dry skin also tend to suffer when they move into the sun from an air conditioned room or vice versa.
Dry skin calls for the use of a good moisturizing cream, a moisturizing cream that has a high SPF (Sun Protection Factor).
Now what is SPF????? SPF indicates the number of times the cream is capable of saving the skin from the sun’s harmful radiation. As for example if the skin suffers skin burns by sunlight in 10 minutes, then applying the cream with a SPF of 15 will prevent the sun burn for 10 x 15 = 150 minutes.
Therefore regular use of moisturizing creams with high SPF protects the dry skin from getting aggravated. Special care is also needed for dry skin at night.
Removal of make up, especially the eye make-up is one of the most important things to be done before retiring for the night. A cream based eye make up remover should be used as it cleanses as well as soothes dryness in the delicate eye area. This should be followed by application of a rich cleanser for a few minutes after which it is to be wiped off. After this the face should be washed with a glycerine soap as this doesn’t strip the skin of its natural oils. Ultimately a good thick night cream should be applied as it seals in the moisture and oils for the upper skin layers.
Also taking supplements of fish oil and Vitamin E capsules are good for dry skins.
SKIN TYPES AND COSMETICS
Posted on: October 13, 2008
Everyone always wants to look beautiful and presentable. Whether it be a girl in her early teens or a lady in her fifties or even older; the mirror has been their common friend. Be it a guy just about to enter college or a guy about to enter a meeting, they both have always wanted to look presentable. This is an inborn trait that the humans have passed to their off springs from one generation to another.
SKIN TYPES
Let us start with skin, the largest organ of the body and which is highly exposed to the vagaries of nature. From the olden days where an ass’s milk and rose water were used today mankind has highly advanced with steady R & D work on cosmetology, chiefly skin.
The first step in skin care starts with knowing about one’s own skin, as it can help choose the right product for the skin or pamper the skin in the right direction.
IDENTIFYING SKIN TYPES
So how does one know about his/her skin type. The test for identifying skin type is a very easy one.The first thing to be done on waking up in the morning is to wipe the face with a clean tissue paper and then observing it.
For those with a “Normal Skin”, no oily patches are observed on the tissue, nor does the face feel tight or flaky.
Oily patches are observed on the tissue for those having “Oily Skin”.
For those whom oil usually comes out from the nose, forehead and cheek parts, the tissue is observed to be oily only in the centre and not uniformly. These type of people are said to have a “Combination Skin”.
People having “Sensitive Skin” tend to react when exposed to new skin-care products with their skin turning red, inflamed or itchy.
This is a broad classification of the various skin types. The skin can also be further sub-divided into various types depending on the geography of the person residing, age of the person etc. We shall have a detailed discussion on this soon.
Cosmetics, a word very commonly used today, has a very superfluous definition. So what are cosmetics?? Cosmetics according to a layman are products used to beautify human body.
“Kosmetikos” a Greek work meaning “to adorn” is the root of the word “cosmetic”. From time immemorial mankind, especially the fairer sex always loved to adorn themselves. Primitive cosmetics such as varied ornaments and hairstyles were the dawn of what is cosmetology today.
The ancient Egyptian Queen Cleopatra used to apply colours and pastes etc to her face while beguiling the Roman generals Caesar and Antony. This is the first recorded use of cosmetics.
As per the records prehistoric people used just 17 colours to paint their bodies as well as their cave walls. Shades of red, white, orange, yellow and black were those most commonly used. Their main purpose however, behind colouring their bodies was protection from evil and not ornamentation. Starting from around 4000 B.C. Egyptians wore Kohl, a black paste around their eyes to protect themselves from eye diseases and blazing sun.
Egyptian queen Nefertiti used henna to paint her nails red. This can be said to be the advent of nail polish even before the Chinese discovered it. Painted nails though become a rage after the introduction of liquid nail polish in 1913 A.D.. However a lipstick from a Babylonian tomb dating around 4000 B.C. is the oldest recorded cosmetic and surprisingly evidences unearthed point that it may have belonged to a man!!!
Today we are living in the world of colours, perfumes and creams commonly classified under the term cosmetics. Starting from the toothpaste, bathing soaps, bath salts, detergents for clothes our life revolves around cosmetics. Considering human needs, which are unlimited, more and more cosmetics will always be invented as long as mankind exists. Cosmetology is therefore an unending subject used by mankind in its quest to design products to clean, beautify or to alter their appearance.
Fashion, Cosmetics, Style 