Ethnic Skin Care - 5 Ways To Less Radiant Ethnic Skin

© Michelle Howard - All Rights Reserved

Let's face it. If you have ethnic skin, your skin requires more attention than on average. Your ethnic skin care regimen more than likely consists of dry, oily or acne prone skin treatments and if it doesn’t, it probably should. Since ethnic skin already tends to be more sensitive, making whatever lifestyle changes necessary to make your ethnic skin more radiant is not only recommended but mandatory.

As a woman of color, I can empathize with the challenges faced with achieving healthier more radiant skin. What I'm about to share are probably things you are doing that are keeping your skin from being radiant. If changes are made, you can not only achieve more radiant ethnic skin but with measurable results. The best part is all of these lifestyle changes don't have to be hard-hitting. You'll be amazed at how making subtle changes can yield dramatic results.

Ethnic Skin Care No-No's:
Lack of Sleep - Not getting the recommended 8 hours of sleep nightly causes your stress levels to rise. Stress influences oil production in the skin which in turn encourages acne breakouts. Getting enough sleep is not optional if you are going to properly care for your ethnic skin.

Not Properly Moisturizing - If I had a nickel (pennies are for low shooters), for every time I encountered a woman who doesn't moisturize at all, I would be sitting on a beach in Cancun...daily. Ethnic skin tends to have a T-zone area and/or dry patches. Using the proper moisturizer is required to keep the skin properly hydrated and to deliver necessary vitamins and nutrients. Taking it a step further, if you really want to have peace of mind and know that you are moisturizing enough, moisturize twice daily - morning and night. When you moisturize more often for your skin type, you are keeping that gorgeous ethnic skin soft and subtle.

Neglecting Vegetables - You may not enjoy eating veggies. I know I don't. However, they are what you could refer to as a "necessary evil" - particularly the green ones. Green vegetables balance your pH levels and this ultimately prevents premature skin aging.

Neglecting the Mid Day Mist - Ok, this is not so much of a no-no as it is a recommendation. Misting your skin with distilled water in the middle of the day helps it to stay even more hydrated (and we all need hydration right?). My aesthetician schooled me on the benefits of this one small act some time ago. By misting my face even a few times per week has helped my skin to be more radiant. It’s especially beneficial during the dry winter months.

Continuing to Smoke - I realize that to stop smoking is no easy feat but consider this. Smoking not only has a number of bad effects on your health overall, increasing your risk of diseases such as cancer but it also causes your skin to prematurely age before it's time. By smoking, you are actually zapping the life-giving moisture out of your skin as well. I listed this no-no last because I know that the preceding changes are easier to implement. However, it's highly recommended that you work towards quitting smoking a #1 lifestyle change for improved health and more radiant skin.

Ethnic skin care does not have to be a chore. While you do need to have a consistent daily ethnic skin care regimen, making the lifestyle changes mentioned will help tremendously.