Feed Your Face
by Kayla Fioravanti

I know you are hoping that the advice that follows the title "feed your face" will include the words, "with all the chocolate you desire", but I am talking about feeding the skin. Your skin is the largest organ of your body and for most of us it is malnourished. Every day your skin begs to be feed, nourished and pampered. But forget about all of the skin care confusion, all it takes is six easy steps – three for basic care and three for extra pampering. Believe me, I know that mothers don't have two seconds to rub together, but proper care and feeding of your skin will take years off of your appearance later in life.

Basic Care

Step One: Cleanse your face and neck every morning and night. Always cleanse in circular motions in an upward direction. Be gentle with your skin, you do not need heavy pressure to cleanse. And you don’t need to use anything but your hands, washcloths are optional.

Step Two: Tone your skin every time you wash your face and neck. It is one of the most important steps in your skin care regime, but often forgotten. When you tone, you are adjusting the pH of your skin back to normal which is critical to keep your face balanced and healthy. Toning will also remove any stubborn dirt left on your face and prepare your skin for moisturizing. For best results, gently use a cotton ball in upward motions.

Step Three: Moisturize your face and neck every morning and night after you cleanse and tone. Always moisturize your face and neck in upward motions. Step three is important for all skin types, and take note that this is the step that feeds your face.
I know I sound like a broken record, but just in case you are nursing with one arm, stopping a toddler from dusting the kitchen with flour with the other, cooking dinner, reading this article and making an important business deal all at once I will repeat myself: always use circular, upward motions with a gentle touch on your face. Don't help gravity by tugging down on your skin and remember that the skin on your face, especially around the eyes, is very delicate.

Extra Pampering

Now if you want to go all out and give yourself a home spa treatment every once in a while then let's get daring and try just a few of these steps.

Step One: Exfoliate your skin no more than every three to five days. Exfoliate your face and neck in circular upward gentle motions with very gentle products. Remember that you are simply exfoliating off dead skin which takes very little pressure and a scouring pad, abrasive loofahs or shell powder based exfoliants are just not necessary. You would never take scouring pad to your fine china so please don’t do it to your far more precious face.

Step Two: Eye Crèmes are designed to super moisturize the finest skin on your face. When you apply eye crèmes always use your ring finger or pinky to apply products around the delicate area of your eyes. Your pinky and ring finger are weak by nature and force you to apply gentle pressure.

Step Three: Mask on a weekly or bi-weekly basis to detoxify, renew, and tighten your pores. Before you mask, it is important to cleanse and tone. Be sure to leave the mask on your face and neck for five to twenty minutes depending on the mask type. Gently and thoroughly remove the mask with warm water. And after you mask always tone and moisturize your face and neck.

Personally, I am in the business of skin care and am expected to have flawless skin. I know what to do and how to manage my skin and still there are days where simply following the basic three steps is a struggle, let alone adding an extra step here and there. The thought of some day being the youngest looking grandmother gives me the extra motivation to maintain a healthy skin care regime. Everyday our skin is attacked by the sun, smoke, pollution, toxic air and the march of
time. Proper care and feeding of your skin will give your appearance a fighting chance. The skin care products that you use should be designed to feed your skin vitamins, mineral and nutrients. If you can't decided between a natural or chemical filled product, then imagine the difference between eating fresh fruit and eating a Twinkie. Your skin hungers for the fresh fruit options in natural skin care as life will always be filled with Twinkies. Pamper yourself today.

Kayla Fioravanti, R.A., von Natur
Kayla is a Cosmetic Formulator, a Certified & Registered Aromatherapist and owner of von Natur, the ultimate in natural and organic skin and body care.