I’ve seen a lot of you guys interested in the posts about beauty products I buy, try and then blog about, the reads have been INSANE for these posts, really chuffed about it actually. I’ve also seen a lot of you on social media interested in make-up both buying and applying and also about taking care of their face and avoiding breakouts and such.

I try not to wear make up every single day, the skin needs to breathe and at times I just cannot be bothered getting in front of a mirror and actually applying make up to my face. When you wear make up don't forget to remove it, when wearing make up, your skin captures more dust and particles therefore more bacteria and this can clog your pores, even damage your skin, causing drama for you and your skin.

First thing you need to worry about is having a facial routine, this includes facial cleansers, scrubs, creams, exfoliators, moisturisers, sunscreens and whatever else you need to include in your routine.

TIP: Know your skin type, it may be dry, oily, normal, sensitive or a combination of each, you need to know this because it is vital for your facial routine and knowing what products you will need.

FACIAL ROUTINE

My facial routine involves two, easy steps that anyone can do:

TIP: Exfoliating is major part of facial hygiene, it heightens and brightens your skin as it removes the dead skin. Personally, I use a facial scrub that has exfoliating beads in it, and sometimes make a homemade scrub with natural ingredients like oats, yoghurt, honey, salt and lemon juice, just to name a few. I also use a loofa to exfoliate my body and a little buffer for my face.

For any skin type you have, a recommendation is that you drink plenty of water, taking a look at your diet and adjust it if you need to, take vitamins and minerals that your body needs; fish oil is extremely beneficial for your health, get plenty of sleep around 8 hours or more depending on your sleeping patterns and limit your caffeine and alcohol intake as they dehydrate you and avoid smoking. Also, obviously use products that are right for your skin type.

Oily skin

If your skin is oily, I recommend applying lemon juice to your entire face, specifically the t-zones and where it is most oily, but the best time to do this is the evening, let the lemon juice set in for about 10 minutes and wash your face with water.

Dry and sensitive skin

For the dry skin type, what you need to do is rehydrate your skin the generic way, being drinking more water and limiting your caffeine and alcohol consumption. When bathing or showering your skin gets plumped up water, if you adding oil when bathing, it will seal in the absorbed moisture, when showering, be sure to use a soap that is not harsh on your skin and is made with essential oils, this is extremely beneficial for your skin. One of my tips is to buy a cheap bottle that has a nozzle for spraying, put water in the bottle and mix it with essential oils like lavender, rose, chamomile and any other essential oil you can find, spray it in the dry areas of your body and/or face before showering or bathing. Limit your time in a hot, scolding shower. Warm winter nights involve boiling, hot showers, I know because I’m guilty of this, but this can dry out your skin, so try to avoid extremely long showers.

Sensitive skin goes hand in hand with dry skin, if your skin is irritated, chances are your skin will become dry and flaky as well.

If you’re a victim of sensitive skin, what you’ll need to do first is find out why you’re skin is sensitive, so in essence you want to know what is causing this. Usually the fabrics you wear can affect the sensitivity of your skin. Zinc is a great vitamin that I highly recommend for skin of any type but specifically for sensitive skin it’s perfect, a dermatologist told me to increase my zinc intake because not only is it an anti-inflammatory vitamin but it improves your skin by a hell of a lot. I use a zinc oxide based sunscreen and take zinc tablets to avoid skin problems. Like dry skin, limiting hot, scolding showers must be avoided for those with sensitive skin.

If you have a combination of skin types or you just want to take care of your skin, I recommend trying out a few of my tips which can greatly improve your skin even further.

KNOW YOUR SKIN TYPE

If you can't afford a dermatologist or don't have the time to go and find out what skin type you are or ask for advice on your skin, then here's an easy way to know what skin type you have: