Bone Cover - Simple, Affordable Skincare tips

If your hair is your crowning glory, your skin is your bone cover, and it deserves even more attention than your hair because when people meet you the first thing they see is your face and we all know that first impressions are lasting and it's everyone's right to have perfect skin, these tips apply to everyone regardless of gender or race and they are all products that I have tried and tested over the years, so pay attention.

The experts say that to have beautiful skin you have to aim to drink a lot of water, well that's okay if you can but I know for a fact that unless you live in a warm climate the likelihood is that drinking up to a litre of water a day is no mean feat!, trust me I have tried and you become a loo junkie (someone who always has to go to the loo!)

Anyways water and a healthy diet will definitely improve your skin but if you're lazy and you want something you can apply to your skin, use products that contain Cocoa butter. I favour Palmer's and they currently have a wide variety of skin products, for those that say they can't stand the smell of the original that looks and feels like butter (which actually happens to be the best!) is rich and creamy and is good for clearing scars, evening skin tone, moisturising and works on all skin types Palmer's have variations on the original i.e. coconut, olive oil, Shea butter etc in lotions for those who prefer this.

You don't have to use Palmer's products if they don't suit your tastes, you can try any products that contain cocoa butter and there are loads out there, one that I find particularly great is American Dream Cocoa Butter with Vitamin E, Vitamin E is also very good for the skin and you can't go wrong using products that contain Vitamin E.

Once you have found the product that works best for you stick to it!, radiant skin is not about spending money on expensive products! women in rural villages in Africa still use palm oil effectively on the skin and achieve the same results as Hollywood Divas using Creme de la Mer which is over £100 a pot.

Johnson's products are also a winner for achieving skin that is silky soft, apart for the baby products that they have been selling for years there are products for adults as well use the baby products for baby soft skin, trust me it works! Johnson's Dreamy Skin Relaxing body cream is one of my favourites!, it does what it says and it's cheap too, my only problem would be that there's not much in the pot!

For long term use try Bio Oil it is VERY GOOD especially if you have scaring or blemishes on your skin, this has to be used long term to see results but it is definitely a winner and you can add it to other products!, a little goes a long way!

Aloe Vera is GREAT for the skin, it has healing properties and if you have problematic skin buy Aloe Vera in it's purest form!, this is available from any beauty shop just ask for Pure Aloe Vera, it's a clear transparent gel! use it on it's own or mix it with your favoured cream.

Okay, so you've got the cream you like, that works for you, now you need a soap that works for you!, it's like a primer, so that your cream will be even more effective!

All of the creams mentioned above apart from Bio Oil have soaps as well, so you can choose from the selection if you don't have something that is working for you or you could use "Black Soap" (Dudu Osun) apart from Dudu Osun black soap there are other variations of the product that are milder than the original. I prefer the original because it works for me when my skin starts playing up, if you have sensitive skin and are not used to it use it sparingly and gingerly in order to ascertain whether your skin can stand it's potency. This works on all skin ailments and is available from African food stores or black hair and beauty vendors.

If you don't like black soap use Dettol soap it is equally effective albeit not organic, the premise is that organic products are the best in your skin care regime, use this as your rule of thumb and don't use products that contain harsh chemicals on your skin but go for products that are found in nature i.e, cocoa, olive, aloe Vera, rose hip (good for scarring) etc! Lush is a vendor of 100% organic skincare products, once you've tried any of their products you'll notice the difference. The attendants are very receptive and helpful and provide excellent service if you're not sure of what you need.

In addition to having a rich moisturising lotion and a medicated cleansing soap it is important to exfoliate your skin!, so you should have a good sponge and a soap based body scrub which will get rid of the dead skin cells which will make way for the radiant healthy glow. I like the body scrubs from The Sanctuary because the smell lovely and are easy to use, there is also something for everyone! If you don't live in the West and can't get Sanctuary products find a soap based scrub that you like, soap scrubs can also be used daily in place of soap for quicker results!

Some people's skincare regime may need some internal assistance if this is the case you can take medication to assist your regime, try Clear complexion tablets from Holland and Barrett these are good, safe and effective and Holland and Barrett products are strictly organic and herbal. You could also try Perfectil Hair, Skin and Nails which is a popular alternative. I prefer Clear Complexion because as I said before herbal and organic products work best and are not harmful to the skin.

I have provided a number of products for research and use, if you try all these products and still have bad skin put a paper bag over your head and go about your business!.