Tips for perfect skin

LONDON: Radiant and flawless skin is what every woman wants. And here are some new skincare tips to get a beautiful complexion.

It's known that drinking eight glasses of water a day, using SPF, and having a solid cleansing routine are essential, but the Association of Professional Hair and Makeup Artists reveals their top five tips for radiant skin, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

Here are five tips that you may not have known about:

1) Flip your pillow case: When you sleep, you drool, perspire and sometimes sweat. This goes directly onto your pillow case and sheets, so it's a must to keep your pillow clean.

To keep it clean, every two weeks you should vacuum it with a turbo brush. Then wash it on hot (or follow care instructions), shake the pillow out and let dry naturally in sunlight. This regular cleaning will help reduce the bacteria, and nasties in the pillow.

During the week, between washing the sheets, turn your pillowcase inside out and upside down, so that you are getting the side that your face hasn't been touching. You will be able to notice that this makes a difference in getting clearer skin.

2) Steam up your shower: Going to the spa for a facial is one of the best things you can do for your skin. No matter what type of skin you have, steam is one of the spa’s secret tricks while giving you a facial. It opens your pores, and the gentle heat brings blood to the surface of your skin, which helps it naturally repair itself.

When you’re going to take a shower, turn the temperature hotter than normal, and shut the door for a few minutes. This allows the steam to build up. Once it has a good amount of steam, you have created your own steam room. Take your shower as normal, and over time, your skin will start glowing like never before.

3) Wash your face for longer: You know you should brush your teeth for two minutes, so give the same kind of attention to your skin. When you wash your face, do it for at least two minutes. This allows the cleanser to really do its job, and get into your pores.

4) Don't touch your face: You touch your face more than you know. The National Health Institute of Bethesda found that people touched common objects an average of 3.3 times per hour and their faces 3.6 times per hour. If you get bacteria on your hands and then touch your face... the bacteria is now on your face. And bacteria causes imperfections.

Touching your face is a harder thing to stop doing than you think, as it happens naturally. How often do you move your hair out of your face? How often do your rub your eyes, or hold your hand up to your face when you sneeze? But the pro tip here is to make a concerted effort to not touch your face and use anti-bacterial gel or wipes to kill all the nasties.

5) Keep your hair clean, and out of your face: Your hair, especially if you have fringe, can lead to spots. The natural oils in your hair can build up and then transfer onto your face. If you use products on your hair, this can also lead to imperfections.

You're not going to change your hairstyle or stop using products. So the solution is two-fold. First, when you're at home, push your hair behind your ears, get your fringe off your forehead, and ponytails are your new best friend.

The second is to use products on your hair that will be better for your skin, especially like organic, natural products, as these tend to be gentler on your skin.