PH is a medical term that describes the balance of your system and it refers to the condition of metabolic changes. Most skin problems are a derivative of diet and the lack of proteins. Now, for a stepping-stone to a beautiful you, let us look at our regime involved in prepping our skin. Once again, skin problems stem from unbalanced PH. Our skin has a happy PH balance and when your diet is unstable, as with the typical American junk food diet, our skin changes as a result.



An increase in sugar or a lack of vegetables changes the PH balance of your skin; if you over cleanse your face (by cleansing in the morning and again at nighttime) you will age your skin by reducing the natural moisture in the T-zone area. Sometimes, just a white, warm washcloth soaked with distilled water, followed by a cleanser, and is better than toner. The base ingredient of most toners is alcohol, which dries out your skin. At nighttime, before you go to bed, is the best time for toners, because they remove makeup, and environmental impurities, and dead skin cells.

Over-cleansing your face will age you. The best oil is that which your body produces. As a rule, those who have oily skin look younger, because oily skin is not prone to wrinkles like dry skin owing to abundance in natural oils. Each of you has a specific skin type and each of you needs a balanced moisture cream that suits your individual needs. Let us consider some things that cause changes to your skin that you perhaps overlook. Many women fast, thus draining the body of the needed vitamins that one gets from food. If you dehydrate your body, you change your sodium and potassium level, which changes your PH.

Many women think that it is a good idea to put oil on their skin; this is fine for your arms and legs, but never put oil on your face. This method is a myth. Why? Well, if you apply oil on your face, your sebaceous glands (oil producing glands) will stop producing the skin's own precious natural oils. Here's what happens: The brain sends a message to the glands that oil is present, thus cutting off your natural moistening and the result is an increase in aging because of dryness.

Your PH Level greatly affects your skin. PH imbalances (too much or too little acid) are your skin's worst enemies. PH imbalances are the result of stress and poor dietary and lifestyle habits. (Junk food; extreme diets; not enough fruit and vegetables; excess salt and sugar; alcohol; drugs (legal or otherwise); overuse of antacids or laxatives; smoking; lack of exercise; not drinking enough water; too much sun and wind; etc.)

Some women try to correct the effects of PH imbalances with an inexpensive moisturizer while others spend megabucks for a product that will do the same job. Remember, if your skin is dry, you need to moisturize and you do not need an expensive product to do this. Skin demands different products, so listen to your skin–if it is breaking out, or drying out, it is telling you it needs a change of product (you may also want to review your lifestyle habits to see if there is something you are eating or doing that may be affecting your skin). Should you use the same products year after year? Let us see–shampoo, after 90 days, builds a residue on the hair shaft. Deodorant, after 90 days, does not work as effectively.

As your body builds tolerance to your products, you must change products. Also, do not use the same product in the summer as in the winter months because your skin will have different needs when exposed to cold or hot weather. If, for whatever reason, your PH level changes, so will your need for products. Does this make sense? Common sense is your rule to follow. In addition, as you age, your skin will require different products, so let you skin tell you when to change.

The Artemus Objective Method of Makeup©