Skin Care tips and advice from almost 30 years old woman

29 Years 364 Days and Holding Tight I sit here writing this article as the minute hand is getting closer and closer to the big twelve. I have exactly thirty-two minutes left in my "Twenties" and I am spending it with you.

I stood in front of the mirror for a long time today...maybe a little too long and took a good honest look at myself. I am trying to be positive and look at the parts of me that are holding up to the test of time and the other areas that make me want to make an emergency visit to my closest plastic surgeon. Well I guess I can say that I am pretty happy with my skin.

My mom taught me when I was really young to go to sleep with Vaseline on my hands and feet covered with socks. I loved waking up in the morning and taking off the socks to see how soft my skin had become. I probably don't do it as often as I should but in between I religiously use lotion on dry skin. My mom also taught me about moisturizer and I started using it on a daily basis when I was 16. If I could go back I would have used eye cream too which is something I just started using in the past couple of years. I have always had really thin skin under my eyes so no matter how much sleep I have had I still have dark under-eyes. Because of this I have worn concealer for probably 15 years and I worry about the long term effects from all of that tugging to the delicate eye area.

I am proud to say that I do wear sunscreen every day even though most days I am inside for 95% of the day. I stay out of the sun and haven't been in a tanning bed for about 5 years.

I regularly visit a dermatologist as well as my other doctors for regular physicals and well-woman exams. There are so many things that we can't prevent but we can treat if we catch it early enough. I wish that I could also tell you about my healthy eating habits but unfortunately that is one thing that I have never really done well with.

I am lucky in the way that I am still rather slender but I think that gives me a false sense of being healthy. I do however try to work out regularly but would like to do more weight training and maybe even train for a marathon!

Speaking of running I really need to run to see my hair stylist. I wish I could get my hair trimmed every six weeks but it usually ends up being every few months. I enjoy getting deep conditioning treatments and cellophane wraps but when my budget doesn't allow it I use another trick my mom taught me when I was young. I have curly hair and anyone with curly hair knows that it can be dry and very unruly. I have spent many a morning begging my hair to lay a certain way when that one curl wants to stick straight up in the air. When too many of these days happen I pull out my economy size jar of mayonnaise. And no I am not joking, I turn my head into a giant mayo salad. It seems strange but it is a great conditioner and leaves your hair very shiny.

If you think about it mayonnaise is made from vinegar and eggs; The eggs condition the hair while the vinegar removes the residue that makes our hair look dull. It is a fabulous treat for a very small amount of money.

Another treatment that I have found over the years is called "Cholesterol". You can find it in the ethnic hair care area but I put it on my hair after I have rinsed out my shampoo and I leave it on for about 5 minutes before rinsing it out. You can get an even better conditioning if you cover the Cholesterol with a warm towel. And of course last but not least every girl must get her beauty sleep!