The Environmental Working Group calculated that a woman, on an average, uses 12 beauty products per day and these 12 products have a combined 168 ingredients. Can you imagine how much your skin absorbs every day, given the fact that your skin absorbs almost 60% of what you put on it? That’s a lot of ingredients and not every ingredient is meant to be right for you. Even 100% natural is not always right for you and this is why you should be careful in choosing your skin care products.

Choosing your Skin Care Product

Buy skin care products for your skin type

There are different skin care products depending upon the type of your skin. You can have either normal skin (which is the best that you can have) or oily skin or dry or very dry skin. There are specific skin care products meant for every skin type and you should make your choice accordingly. The only issue with normal skin is that you are never 100% sure as to which product is suitable for you. Some trial and error should help here, but beware of those rashes if you use the wrong kind of product. As you grow old, your skin becomes more mature and for this type of skin, there are specific products for you to consider.

Some cosmetic ingredients to stay away from

The most famous cosmetic companies in the world spend billions every year on advertisements. They know that they have a large market base and their sole objective is to penetrate the market as much as possible. The cosmetic companies don’t always use natural ingredients, but whatever ingredient they use is well researched. But does that mean that you can safely use any skin care product manufactured by a top cosmetic company? Sadly no… There are some ingredients that you need to stay away from – thimeresol, DMDM Hydantoin, Diazolidinyl Urea and Imidazolidinyl Urea, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate and parabens for example.

The most common skin care products

Now which of the skin care products should you keep with you always? Here is a list of four items without which you simply cannot do.

Cleanser

The cleanser removes all dirt and grime from your skin and the oil that gets deposited in your skin pores. The cleanser is also excellent for removing any makeup.

Toner

Once you have used a cleaner, you should use a toner to remove any remaining makeup and to make your skin feel fresh and oil-free.

Exfoliator

The exfoliator removes dead skin cells and smoothens your skin. The exfoliator keeps your skin feeling youthful and often has anti-ageing properties.

Moisturizer

The moisturizer keeps your skin moist and youthful. Even if you have oily skin, you should use an appropriate moisturizer. There are moisturizers with medicinal properties too and these products can remove skin-related ailments.

Of course, this is not a comprehensive list of skin care products that you can and should use. Among the other popular products in use are eye cream, night cream, serum and mask among others.

Go for the gentle formula before choosing a heavier formula

Since you often need to go the trial-and-error way in order to choose the perfect skin care product, it is always recommended that you start off with the gentlest formula. So, if you have been thinking of a particular brand of moisturizer, opt for the lighter version before graduating to the heavier version. This way you will not have side effects on your skin and you will also come to know whether a particular product is suitable for you or not.

Consult an expert before choosing skin care products

You should never give in to marketing gimmicks when choosing skin care products. You may be extremely impressed with an ad but you should always consult a skin care expert before you start using it. There are people who have suffered because of bas skin care products and it doesn’t make sense to join the list.

Which skin care products for which use?

Body lotions are extremely gentle and they make your skin look moist and supple. Some of the top body lotions available in Canada include La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Souffle Body Cream, Chantilly Hand and body lotion for women by Dana, RED DOOR for WOMEN by Elizabeth Arden BODY LOTION, Yves Rocher Organic Vanilla Body Lotion and Amouage Honour Body Lotion.

There are thousands of moisturizers that are available in the market and you should only consider the top products, which include Ecological Compound (With Pump) – Sisley, Hydrance Optimale Light Hydrating Cream (For Normal To Combination Sensitive Skin), Shiseido Eudermine Revitalizing Essence and Super Moisturizing Concentrate – Orlane.

To perfectly cleanse your body, use a body scrub. Some of the top products in the market are Aesop Geranium Leaf Body Scrub, Decleor Aroma Cleanse Phytopeel Natural Exfoliating Cream, Giovanni - Sugar Scrub Hot Chocolate and Abra Therapeutics - Body Scrub Cellular Detox Grapefruit and Juniper.

The best hand care products are CHANTILLY for WOMEN by Dana HAND AND BODY LOTION, Aesop Resurrection Aromatique Hand Balm, Reverence Aromatique Hand Wash and Burt's Bees Shea Butter Hand Crème.