All about your 8 favorite skin care ingredients: know their uses

Just visiting a store can lead to seeing ton of different skin care products on shelves making it a havoc for consumers to understand them. Different products contain varied ingredients for everyone. One should understand these ingredients and its uses as one product may work on one while other does not. And when it comes to skin care, no risks should be taken. It can be the most important and sensitive area of a body. Thus proper care must be taken.

Understanding your skin type

Before lunging to understand ingredients, it is important to know your skin type and products are used according to it.

1. Normal : As the name suggests, this type is neither too oily not dry, Normal type has the required skin moisture and needs no special care.
2. Oily : This type is characterized by too much oil production by sebum glands leading to acne and bright skin.
3. Dry : Unlike oily type, dry skin can be red and have white spots. Whitish color and itching may appear.
4. Combination: This type is a mixture of oily and dry type. It can cause oil collection around nose and forehead while dry patches on rest of the areas.
5. Sensitive: This type of can be characterized by redness and reactions to stimuli. It is very delicate and needs suitable products to treat.

Types of Ingredients in skin care products

1. Hyaluronic Acid: This is a natural substance occurring in human body since birth. However, due time and dry skin can lead to requirement of hyaluronic acid. Using it on damp face to penetrate moisture is best way to use this ingredient.
2. Niacinamide: A very popular name now a days, people still wonder what’s this ingredient. It is a form of Vitamin B3 and helps to firm the barrier. It should be used with caution and a patch test as it may not suit everyone.
3. Vitamin C: Best for dull face, it can give an instant boost of brightness to your face. Use this at day time for the best results and Vitamin C is best absorbed in sun. in starting it may cause some redness or itching but it is the sign of effective absorption of Vitamin C.
4. Salicylic Acid: If you have oily type or acne, this is the ‘Mantra’. Used to cleanse pores and help to remove acne by gently exfoliating. It can be used to both treat and prevent acne. A registered dermatologist can recommend the suitable dosage and procedure for the same.
5. Retinol: After 20s or 30s it is evident that skin can get loose and show fine lines or wrinkles. Using retinol can minimize that giving you a young and bright look. Retinol should be started around 25 years of age and not before.
6. Glycolic Acid: This ingredient chemically exfoliates and removes dead cells. This can lead to a brighter and softer face and it boosts the natural collagen production. It occurs naturally in nature however, can be chemically sourced as well.
7. Ceramides: It helps to prevent infections and retain the moisture level. You can see several moisturizers using this as their ingredient. If you have dry skin try to use creams that have ceramides.
8. Kojic Acid: It is made from the residue of fungi and decomposed matters, used for basically skin lightning. It can also help to remove fine lines and dark spots for people.

Basic Routine and importance of diet

Just using chemical skin products will not fetch any results. The key to healthy skin is a regime and proper diet. The basic routine that can be followed by everyone is- CTM
C stands for cleansing
T for toning
M for moisturizing

Following this in both day and night care is crucial.
The role of a good diet can never be omitted. Consume lots of healthy fruits and vegetables as these are the key to good skin. They contain natural vitamins and minerals which can be gained by anyone without any side effects.