It is often your diet and general daily routine that is contributing to the problem. Firstly you need to ditch the diet. Starvation diets do not produce good skin – in fact they only make everyone miserable so why bother. It is much better to lose weight or maintain a healthy figure by eating nutritious food and taking part in gentle exercise.

You need to increase your consumption of vitamin C as it is responsible for building up collagen in your skin. Don’t just pop a supplement. Instead, try to eat a variety of vitamin C containing food such as broccoli, peppers, potatoes and tomatoes.

Increase your consumption of zinc and selenium as well. You will find these minerals in nuts and seeds. Try sprouting at home as this is an excellent source of all the vitamins and minerals your dry skin needs.

Add cloves, cinnamon and oregano to your meals instead of salt. Too much salt is bad for you and these spices will add flavor as well as nutrients to your meals. You need to drink milk. It is an excellent source of calcium which is needed for both your bones and your skin.

You would need to be living under a rock if you haven’t heard all the benefits a healthy diet provides. Some people try taking a load of supplements instead. I certainly was one of these. But we can easily overdose on these innocent looking pills and they can react badly with some medications. So do yourself and your wallet a favor. Try and get what you need from natural sources first and only use supplements on the advice of your doctor or health care adviser.

If you have other symptoms in addition to flaky skin, see your doctor as you may be suffering from an underactive thyroid or other medical condition. It is always best to have a full physical examination if you are not feeling 100%.

Dry facial skin should respond well to a gentle moisturizer. An emollient will soften your skin as it is made with petrolatum or lanolin. Personally I am very allergic to lanolin but it works very well for my friends. Avoid overheating your skin with hot showers and baths and try to improve the humidity of your home if you live in an area of low humidity.

My gran always told me to put my moisturizer on when my skin was damp as it locks in an extra layer of moisture. She suffered from dry skin too – it tends to run in families. Organic olive oil is a wonderful natural lubricant. Apply it to your skin and also add it to your salad and hopefully your dry facial skin will be a thing of the past.

After a stressful day, take some time to relax. Put on some scented candles, put your feet up and tune up Norah Jones on your stereo. Take deep breaths as if they’re the last ones you have. Stress is already the second strongest killer in the medical field. Stress can lead to a lot of complications later on. So while it’s early, learn to combat stress by feeling good and keeping beautiful.

If you know how to cook, you might consider the kitchen “the heart of your home”. However, if you’re the kind of person who is always outside, it’s safe to say your heart is not really in your home. Maybe you’re out partying, socializing and (darn!) working. That’s not so hard to imagine if your home is usually connected with clutter and some work. Change that image! Start prettifying in your home and make it your own Beauty Mecca.

Here are some at-home skin-spoiling masks and creams to help you maintain that youthful glow.

EGG MASKS

The egg is composed of two parts: the egg white and the egg yolk. You’re lucky both can be used as facial masks raw!

First, let’s tackle the egg white. Separate carefully the egg white from the yolk after you’ve broken the egg shell. Next, beat the egg white until it’s foamy. Spread it all over your face in a circular motion. Avoid touching your eyes during the process. Wait until the egg white hardens on your face. You will feel a tightening of your skin after 15-20 minutes. After that, wash the egg white off your face and pat your skin dry.

Also, if you have oily skin, it is advised that you add a few drops of lemon juice into the egg white mixture. It will help minimize the oil on your face. However, if your skin is oily, do not add lemon juice. It will only irritate your skin.

Next, let’s tackle the egg yolk. The egg yolk is actually very high in Vitamin A. It helps in the “healing” of your blemishes. Just apply the yolk to your face in the same manner that you applied the egg white. Wait for 30 minutes for it to dry. Wash with warm water and pat your skin dry.

Though it may smell a bit, many experts actually swear by this technique. Eggs are better off as skin spoilers than food. At least you don’t get fat when you spread it on your face!

OATMEAL MASK

Experts advise using oatmeal for trouble-prone or acne-prone skin. This breakfast wonder is actually famous for its gentle exfoliating features. First, clean your face with water and facial wash. Never use soap as they are not designed for the skin on the face. Next, wash your face with warm water and follow it up with hot compresses (using a washcloth). Moisten pinches of oatmeal until it looks like paste and use it to scrub your face. Again, avoid the area around your eyes. Wash off with cool water to close pores.

You may also use the oatmeal as a facial mask. Just repeat the process mentioned in the preceding paragraph but instead of washing the oatmeal paste away, let it stay on your face until it dries.

You are highly encouraged to use natural ingredients in taking care of your skin. Remember that our skin is like a sponge. It absorbs everything that we put in it. In this case, if you are confident about the things that you put on your skin, then everything will go just right.

There have been countless positive feedbacks about these home-made masks. Try them! Breakfast will mean a lot more than a morning meal to you now!

Clean face properly

Remove all traces of cosmetics on your face by using cotton balls and moisturizing cream. Using lukewarm water (that also opens pores for deeper cleansing) and a soap-free, non-comedogenic, and mild cleanser, gently rotate your middle and pinky fingers upwards avoiding hard rubbing that could damage your skin. Make sure hands are clean to prevent spreading bacteria and dirt which can worsen acne and other skin problems.

Massage face wash on skin for about 60 seconds to wipe away dirt, bacteria, pollutants, and product residue. Rinse at least three times to remove residues that will clog our pores. After patting skin dry, use an alcohol-free toner that preferably contains glycolic acid or alpha hydroxy acid. These acids can educe the size of you pores and can give you instant results.

Use soap on select areas

To maintain the softness of skin, soap should be applied only on select areas–your face, underarms, feet, groin, and buttocks. These are the areas that need the cleansing effects of soap so other areas won’t be unnecessarily stripped off of its natural skin oils. Some experts say that rinsing other areas with water alone is enough to make them clean.

Moisturize while you wash

Moisturizing after cleansing is absolutely necessary. Washing the face can aggressively remove the natural oil of the skin. Moisturizing after cleansing will replenish the necessary oil that was lost. Use products which contain the leas amount of harsh additives. Pure Vitamin E and aloe vera oil can be applied too for intensive moisture treatment. Just open a capsule and apply directly on skin for that intense moisture you need.

Let moisturizer be absorbed well

Set moisturizer for at least three minutes before applying makeup. This will let your moisturizer to be completely absorbed and will help our makeup to last all day.

Clean a damp face, not a dry one

Use cleansers on damp skin. According to Dr. Mary Lupo, a professor of dermatology at Tulane University, cleansers are more likely to be irritating if applied on dry skin. This will also lock in moisture.

Splash face with cold water before a makeup

This helps shrink pores and is a trick used by makeup artists to help makeup glide on seamlessly. Moreover, smaller pores give little space for pollutants and cosmetics to reside, hence, a more radiant skin.

Apply products properly

The effectiveness of products depends chiefly upon its penetration unto the skin. For better absorption of ingredients, follow this sequence: toner, serum or treatment products (like retinoids), moisturizer, and sunscreen. This sequence will keep heavy formulas from preventing lighter ones to be absorbed well.

Move your sun shade

Change the placement of your sunshade in your car. Move this to your left to block UV rays while you are driving. If not, the left side of your face would tend to look older than the other side because of the sun damage. Nevertheless, place a shade wherever you are seated in your car. It does not only protect your skin, but also that of your fellows.

Experts have done their share, so now it’s time to do yours.