Websites offer lifestyle tips for a healthy complexion

Skin care can be a complicated process, even if you have the best African American skin care products on the market. With colder weather coming, it's important to know the best ways to keep yourself protected against the fall and winter winds. Along with using the right cosmetics, there are simple lifestyle choices that can help keep skin looking great year-round. 

First, excessive smoking and drinking can damage the skin, according to WebMD.

"Smoking chronically deprives the skin of oxygen and nutrients. So some smokers appear pale, while others develop uneven coloring. These changes can begin at a young age," according to the medical news site.

Next, just as your skin needs to be hydrated using moisturizers, keeping your body hydrated can also benefit your complexion. According to Healthy-Skincare.com, water flushes out toxins from the body, which can help get rid of the free radicals that make you look older.

However, the news source stressed that the best cure for dry skin is creams or lotions and that drinking a lot of water will not result in a significant, immediate change

 

Autumn calls for new foundation

While there is a lot of information out there about how to transition your makeup looks from summer to winter, what about autumn? This is the season where skin starts to change from summer tans to lighter tones and it's important to know how to use your African American skin care product to keep an even complexion. 

Beauty-Tips.net offers some suggestions for how to make sure that your foundation matches the season. The site recommends getting new makeup for autumn to keep up with your skin tone has it changes. You should always test foundation before buying it, and it's best to do it in the right light. Natural light is best, if you can find it.

"Test the foundation on your skin and let it set for a couple of minutes. Often, the color of foundation will change when it comes in contact with the natural acids in our skin, so the color in the bottle may not be exactly the same for everyone," according to the beauty news source.

FeelGoodStyle.com also made some suggestions for skin care during autumn. The site suggests using a mask consisting of cooked pumpkin and honey, both of which contain vitamins and antioxidants, which can help protect the skin for the coming colder months.  

A little makeup goes a long way in hiding a woman's age

Many women try to conceal their age by layering on heavy amount of makeup. While it may be tempting to try to look younger by hiding behind your African American skin care product, heavy makeup can actually make you look older. Recently, the Sydney Morning Herald ran an article detailing the right ways to use cosmetics to reduce the effects of aging. 

The news provider spoke to makeup experts who suggested that you should start with well-moisturized skin before adding foundation.

"Foundation should never be applied to dry skin because the color pigment in the foundation will stick to dead skin cells," said makeup artist Heike Falkenstein, quoted by the news source.

Allure magazine reports that wearing a little concealer can really help you look younger. Putting a small amount of concealer around the inner corners of the eyes can reduce the appearance of dark circles and sun spots.

The magazine also suggested using a light foundation or a tinted moisturizer on lined skin rather than a pressed powder, which may intensify the appearance of wrinkles.  

Hair stylists may be subbing in for dermatologists

While many people know that they should be checking themselves regularly for signs of skin cancer, most forget that this is an important part of catching the disease in its early stages. Luckily, recent research suggests that some trained haircare professionals may be picking up the slack for people who forget to look for skin lesions. 

Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard School of Public Health found that the majority of hair stylists surveyed are "somewhat" or "very likely" to give customers a skin care pamphlet during their appointment and to check for any skin lesions on the scalp.

"This study provides evidence that hair professionals are currently acting as lay health advisors for skin cancer detection and prevention and are willing to become more involved in skin cancer education in the salon," said study authors.

Dark skinned women need to remember that they are still at risk of developing skin cancer. Fortunately, there are many skin care products for black skin with added SPF so you can fight damaging UV rays and still look great doing it.