most people unconsciously treat their skin as a high-tech fabric—silky yet waterproof, glowing yet

warm, silky and sexy yet resilient. The fabric benefits from regular laundering in the shower,
occasional dry cleaning in a salon, and some ironing before special occasions. Many people believe
that the luxurious fabric we are born in should always be spotless and fresh, no matter what it takes.
We would rather bake in a tanning booth and add a glazing of shimmery lotion to hide imperfections
than scrub our assets with sea salt and self-massage with virgin olive oil. We use “mattifying” lotions
when our skin gets oily, hydrating creams when our skin feels dry, and battle blemishes when they
become red, swollen, and very visible. When it comes to skin care, we tend to be reactive rather than
proactive. Whenever possible, we opt for quick results and convenience. We are so busy fighting the
consequences of the skin’s imbalance that no one remembers how it feels to have normal skin.

Anything but Normal

Normal skin does not exist anymore. Cosmetic companies invented “combination oily,”
“combination dry,” and “dehydrated oily” skin types that require complex regimens and dozens of
bottles to make skin look healthy and normal. However, a slight dryness and shiny T-zone are
perfectly normal, no matter how hard the industry tries to convince us that we need to address these
issues.

We are so obsessed with all the new lotions and potions that promise to make our skin appear
healthy that we don’t try to make it truly healthy. We are so eager to make these magic concoctions
work that we do not ask ourselves whether this chemical cocktail is actually making our skin younger
or any healthier. “Healthy skin isn’t a quick fix,” says Susan West Kurz, a holistic skin care expert
and the president of Dr. Hauschka Skin Care. “If you apply a cortisone cream, the blemish will go
away, but the problem still exists within the system.” To support the normal functioning of your skin
and naturally maintain its youthful looks, you need to first know how skin works.

Our skin is an incredibly large and complex organ. The average square inch of skin holds 650
sweat glands, 20 blood vessels, 60,000 melanocytes (pigment skin cells), and more than a thousand
nerve endings. Being only 2 millimeters thick, skin does a great job protecting us from the outside
world, keeping a constant body temperature, absorbing the sun’s energy and converting it into
vitamins while shielding us from UV radiation, storing fats and water, getting rid of waste, and
sending sensations.

Skin is made up of three main layers: an epidermis, with the important top layer, stratum corneum
(“horny layer”), and a dermis. Every layer of the skin works in harmony with the others. The skin is
constantly renewing itself, and anything that throws its functions off balance affects all skin layers at
the same time.

Keeping Skin Moist

For most people, proper skin care starts with adequate hydration. But as shocking as it sounds,
healthy skin doesn’t really need any additional moisture. Our skin is perfectly able to keep itself
hydrated. Its surface is kept soft and moist by sebum and a natural moisturizing factor (NMF).