FACE AND BODY: Beauty on a Budget

Basic beauty can be achieved without breaking your piggy banks. Maintenance products are widely available in the market today, you won’t even miss it. There are toners, astringents, creams, wash, and moisturizers tailor-fit for every skin type, but not all may be perfect for you. Lemme share some pointers before purchasing that loot.

For those with the luxury of a weekly facial treatment and skin enhancements, having healthy and radiant skin is a breeze. But for those who believe that maintaining a beautiful skin needs no humongous financial investment. Creams, moisturizers, and all those facial enhancers, that last up to a month or so, come in handy tubes and pretty pots which are cheaper compared to that coveted one-time facial treatment.

But take heed, not all products that you deem okay-to-perfect for your skin type are that friendly. Some may cause breakouts and excessive drying effect despite the labels that say otherwise.

It’s in the skin

Oil is good even on the face as it keeps it moist and supple, but having too much of it is not a pretty sight. Some people think that the way to oil-free skin requires scrubbing and one-too-many washes a day, this is wrong.

“Oil production is nature's response to irritation – so the harsher the cleansing, the more likely the body is to respond by producing more oil, "said Joel Schlessinger, MD president-elect of the American Society of Cosmetic Dermatology and Aesthetic Surgery, in an article by Collete Bouchez, published in WebMD.com.

The way to go is a gentle but constant, thorough cleansing. Dr. Gwendolyn Wong recommends purchasing products that have salicylic acid and those that are sudsy as these kinds cleanse the skin better than soap-free, non-sudsy facial wash. “The sudsier the better,” said Dr. Wong.

ZEN Health Magazine beauty columnist and beauty blogger, Lee Shen Gee, said that “anything that says oil control would most likely work for you. Living in the Philippines, most skin care products have oil control variants since most Filipinas do have oily skin. Pore minimizing products may also work since those who have large pores tends to have oily skin.” She suggests using Garnier Light Complete and Clean and Clear products.

The offshoot of oiliness is acne or pimples as oil, when mixed with dirt and grime, tends to block the pores which causes annoying and stinging zits. Again, Dr. Wong suggests that you use facial cleansers with salicylic acid, belonging to the class of keratolytic agents, as this reduces the pimple’s redness and swelling, and dries it up faster.

While Gee suggests products with Tea Tree Oil in it as it has disinfecting factors that is just perfect for acne, blackheads,

whiteheads, and even fungi infections and recommends products from Neutrogena, Garnier Pure A and those from Flawless and Let’sFace It as most of the items are mere PhP250 below.

If you have dry and sensitive skin, shun the fragrance. If you have hypersensitive skin you don’t want something with

color with artificial fragrances as these might contribute to further irritation of the skin. For the cleansers, the less sudsy the better so opt for milky and soap-free products, said Dr. Wong.

(photos courtesy of Google Images and shensaddiction.com)