The soft chime of the Christmas bells the distant cathedral towers are already bringing in a touch of festivity to the short sunny afternoons that tend to melt away into cold evenings. The fun of celebration and the pain in bidding goodbye to the century is here. And each of us would like to good in the millennium. But as the dry northerly winds brings in an ill omen for your skin, you must be ready with your army of moisturizers, cold creams and cleansing milk to fight away the elements that try to turn your glowing skin into a dry and parched piece of dirt. And if you are not, you better be prepared. For an youthful and healthy skin not only reflects your beauty, it also enhances your personality, turning you into an element of eternal attraction. Hope you wouldn’t be able to resist yourself from being called the star of the evening!

In the days of our mothers and grandmothers, skin care started since childhood. Massaging a body oil and keeping it lying in the open, under the sun, was a regular practice. It not only helped in pigments to synthesize the vital Vitamin D needed for the baby’s bones. With maturity, the teenage girl would be asked to pamper her skin with pastes of turmeric, besan and fresh cream. In those days these simple products were just brought in from the kitchen and never sold in attractive containers with costly herbal labels on them.

But with the changing scenario of the hectic city life seems to sqeeze out all the energy and youth left in you. The pollution and the dirt is the worst enemy of your skin. Morever, busy working women no longer have time to pamper themselves with home-made products. What they can find time for is just a visit to the parlor, a quick facial and then probably an application of a popular night cream at night during the dry winter months.

Though synthetic products are flooding the markets, beauticians and skin care specialists are going back to the days of our mothers. They are advising to hold on the age-old home made products to keep your closer to nature. It is nature’s winds that turn your skin dry, yet it is nature that guards the secret to your beautiful skin.

Our skin is made up of different layers. The outer epithelial layer our epidermis is the most likely target of our environment as the harsh elements can hardly reach the dermal layer that lies below. The epidermis constantly peels off and rejuvenates. But during this course of molting the skin looks dry and you tend to lose the natural glow that you were so proud of. The peeling off is more likely to occur during the winter months as the winds are dry and squeeze out the natural oily texture of the skin. Again there are many who are allergic to the cold environment. They suffer from painful allergic manifestations that have a detrimental effect on the skin and can even lead to infections. They fail to acclimatize with the sudden change in the climate and the greatest effect is felt on the skin. Skin happens to be the reflection of how you are affected by changes in your environment.

Another important enemy in modern city life is the wide range of pollutants that precipitate in what we call the winter smog. These pollutants not only darken your skin, the dirt particles clog the skin pores and do not allow the skin to breathe. In the process your skin shrinks and you look older.

But you can turn your tomorrow into the day after with regular hair and skin care programme. Remember, your scalp is also a part of your skin and requires regular attention, otherwise your hair too will fall off easily and little can be done once this downfall starts. good skin is not one that has been taken for granted and abused with a variety of products, but one where you know what products your skin needs. The texture of all skin types are not same and nor do they have the same requirements. The first step of our skin care treatment is to have knowledge of the skin type – whether it is dry, oily or neutral. The attention you give to your skin today will definitely be reflected years later.

However, application of various products only on the outer surface does not lead to an ultimate healthy skin. What one needs is a healthy diet and a peaceful mind. The meals should have ample amount of juicy fruits and vegetables along with at least ten glasses of water a day. Intake of liquids help your skin to retain the essential oils automatically and acts as a natural protection against dryness. The diet should be deficient in vitamins, specially vitamin C and vitamin E.

Both these vitamins are essential to keep the skin soft and supple. Though most of the modern skin care products contain vitamin E, it is advised to drink milk and eat the white of an egg to assure regular intake of vitamin E.

And as far as vitamin C is concerned a lot of green vegetables and fruits will serve the purpose.

Again, there are certain parts of the body that require special care during the winter months. These are you feet and hands. Specially the feet tend to crack and they are the most neglected areas, constantly exposed to dirt and dryness. Your scalp too needs special mention as many of us suffer from the dandruff that can have long term effect on the like hair fall. And what about your lovely nose? It must look horrible with the blackheads crowding on the soft exposed part.

Three elements of skin care are needed for any skin during winter. These are a deep cleansing milk to remove the dirt or excess oil adhering to the skin. This is followed by astringent applications that cools, tightens and tones the skin enabling it to maintain a natural balance. And last but not the least an oil based nutrient rich in vitamin E to nourish the skin and keep it supple.

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