5 Easy ways to have a glowing skin like Mahira Khan!

Having a simple, consistent skin care routine is essential to glow like Mahira Khan. Your skin needs care and protection to perform at its best. Glowing, smooth and healthy skin is a sign of internal health and well being. Remember your skin is an organ which has the important function of protecting your body from the outside world.

Investing in your skin is not a luxury. It is a necessity.  It should be practiced as soon as a child hits teenage years. That is the time your skin takes a heavy beating. Acne, unlimited sun exposure, bodily changes and hormones upset the balance.

The best way to take care of your skin is to follow these 5 steps.

1. CLEANSE. It is an important part of any skin care regime. Cleansing should be done twice a day, morning and evening.  Your choice of cleanser will depend on your skin type. Choose one which is gentle yet gets the job done.

If you have oily skin you might want to use one which has pore cleansing ingredients. Activated charcoal is a good option. 

For acne prone skin use a cleanser with bha's. They clean the pores deeply and remove skin cells and excess sebum.

Normal to dry skin types should use a gentle cleanser which does not strip the skin of its essential moisture.  These type of cleansers are generally cream based.

2. SERUM.  Serums are targeted treatment for your skin. Your skin concern might be acne, pigmentation,  wrinkles, dry skin or all of these. Serums are highly concentrated products with a high percentage of actives that treat various skin conditions. You need very little amount of the product to get your desired effect. Serums can be water based, oil based, gels or creams.

The easiest way to find a serum for you is to identify the condition you want to address. See if the actives in the serum target that condition and are present in the right concentration. Follow the instructions and get the most out of your serum.

ACE SERUM is a great all rounder. It addresses most skin conditions, while being gentle and effective. Click here for details.

3. MOISTURIZE. Moisturizing your skin is another essential part of skin care. Moisturizing repairs your skin and helps it function at its best. Furthermore, it also seals in the serum so that it gets into deeper layers of skin.

No matter your skin type moisturizing is essential. You can choose an oil free moisturizer for oily skin. These are usually gel based and have an added advantage of keeping your skin matte. Check out Mattifying Gel. Combination and normal skin types can also use this.

For normal to dry skin type a gel cream or cream is suitable. Check out Protecting Anti-Pollution Face Cream.

If you have extremely dry skin follow the moisturizer with a few drops of a facial oil.

4. SUNSCREEN. All the good work that you've done with your skin after following these steps will all go to waste if you expose your skin to sun. 

Sun exposure is the #1 cause of all skin damage. It is essential to apply sunscreen when you are heading out. Choose an oil free sun screen which does not leave a white cast. It does not have to be expensive. Choose a mid-range one and slather it on 30 minutes before going out. Reapply after 3-4 hours.

5. EXFOLIATE.  As your skin ages cell turn over decreases. Accumulated dead skin cells can block the pores and cause acne. Also layer of rough dead skin prevents actives to penerate deeper. 

It is essential to exfoliate twice a week to make skin care products more effective. In colder months it can be reduced to once a week.

Exfoliation can be physical or chemical. Physical Exfoliation is a traditional face scrub. You don't need to buy a product for that. A very effective way to exfoliate is to add half a teaspoon of rice powder into your favorite cleanser.  Mix it with water and rub on your face gently. You will be left with soft glowing skin. Follow up with serum and moisturizer. 

Chemical exfoliation is done with products containing fruit enzymes and acids. Most commonly used are papaya, pineapple, salicylic acid, alpha and beta hydroxy acids, lactic acid, glycolic acid etc. Always do a patch test if you have sensitive skin before using them.

Follow these steps to get a glowing skin like Mahira Khan.