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African-American skin has far different needs than Caucasian skin–you need to know that it can be ultra-sensitive and can easily develop discoloration from using the wrong skin care products. This discoloration can be long lasting, for weeks’, or even months’ time before it disappears. So African-American skin must be treated delicately.

It’s a myth that all African-American skin is oily in nature. Often, this skin type tends to be dry, and needs no more than a good daily washing with a gentle, non-soap cleanser. Those with oily skin may need to wash two or three times daily. Never use harsh abrasive cleansers on your skin, or scrub it with irritating cleansing puffs.

You do not have to spend a fortune on skin care products to find ones that will work well for this skin type. Extra mild products designed for sensitive skin are ideal for African-American skin. Don’t be tempted to use acne products containing harsh ingredients like salicylic acid, or you may severely irritate your skin.

Always test new skin care products before using by applying sparingly to a small area of skin to see if there is any reaction. You may save yourself from having an angry, inflamed face by taking this precaution.

Dark skin has more natural protection from the sun than pale Caucasian skin does, but that does not mean that it alone will protect you from harmful UV rays. Skin cancer is not unknown in African-American skin, despite the myths.

You should always apply a sunscreen or moisturizer containing sunscreen of at least 15 SPF daily. Remember to reapply every two hours if you are going to be out in the sun all day.

Don’t forget that taking certain medications can make you more sun-sensitive as well. Acne medications, contraceptive pills and some antibiotics can all make your skin more susceptible to sun damage, so take extra precautions if you are taking any of these medications.

If you experience skin problems such as acne, it is often much easier to see a physician at the early stages of the problem than wait to address them when they have become severe. Visiting the doctor early may well save you money by keeping you from buying vast quantities of useless products that will not really help your condition.

When it comes to makeup, seek out brands that are made especially for women of color. These will enable you to match your skin tone perfectly. Most makeup lines are designed for Caucasian women, and the colors, especially the foundation, are all wrong for African-American women. Most women of color, unless they have very dark skin tones, tend towards warm tones, which calls for yellow-based foundations.

Those with beautiful dark skin tones often have a cool tone to their skin and will want to look for a foundation with pink undertones.

One easy way to determine if your skin tone is warm or cool is to check out the veins running on the inside of your wrists. Greenish tones mean that you are a cool, while bluish tones indicate that you have a warm skin tone.

To get the right foundation shade for you, it’s often worth it to go to a department store and pay a little extra to find a foundation shade that will match your skin tone exactly. Often, you will find entire lines devoted to women of color that you just won’t find in most drug stores, and you can try before you buy.

Blush is also tricky for women of color. Often, a simple sweep of bronzer over your cheek bones in a tone slightly darker than your skin tone. This looks far better on African-American skin than a garish swipe of pink blush ever could. Blush is designed to bring some color into pale Caucasian skin, and just does not look quite right on darker skin tones.

The eyes are where women of color can really have some fun. Their dark eyes allow them to use darker colors and look great in more dramatic looks. One thing to avoid is using dark brown shadows and eyeliners, as they really do nothing for you. Contrasting colors such as pink, blue or plum eyeliners enhance the eye, as do shadows in gorgeous metalics such as bronze and gold. Neutral colors such as mochas look wonderful as well.

Lipstick is one cosmetic that can really ramp up the drama for women of color. Their darker skin tones and sexy full lips beg for a swipe of color, and they can wear a much wider variety of colors than Caucasian women can. From bright pinks to deep reds and everything in-between, the sky is the limit for women of color. Just stay away from neutral colors as they can be too close to your natural skin tone and make your beautiful lips nearly disappear.

Face masks are a popular beauty regimen among many women and a few men. They are known to be effective in cleaning the skin. Plus, you can solve some skin problems like oiliness, dryness, pimple or acne, blackheads and whiteheads, large pores and sunburn depending on the kind of face mask that you will use. Instead of using a commercial face mask, one may opt to use homemade facial masks. One advantage is that you can save some money. Another is that you can rest assured that you are about to put only safe or natural substances on your face. Here are some ways to make homemade facial masks.

The first step when making a face mask is to prepare the ingredients. Of course, you need to know the ingredients you will need for homemade facial masks that will address your skin problem. The most common ingredients are essential or natural oil, egg and honey. Nevertheless, you can make use of other ingredients that you can find in your kitchen.

The second step is to prepare the mixing bowls and mixers or a spoon. After you have the materials and ingredients, it is time to mix the ingredients and come up with homemade facial masks. However, you need to ensure that the face mask that you will create will match your skin type and will solve your skin problem. Below are the ingredients and the ideal amount of each ingredient for homemade facial masks for different types of skin and various skin problems.

1) For Dry Skin: Separate an egg yolk from the egg white and set aside the latter. Take half teaspoon of honey and mix it with the egg yolk. Have two teaspoons of powdered milk. Mix the three ingredients altogether to create a paste. This will be your homemade facial mask. Apply it to your face and let it stay for 20 minutes before rinsing with water.

2) For Oily Skin: You will need a teaspoon of lemon juice and a half teaspoon of honey. You also need to separate the egg yolk and egg white. This time, you will use the egg white. Instead of powdered milk, use yeast powder. Apply the paste that you will get from the mixture to your face and let it stay for 20 minutes. Rinse with water.

3) For Enlarged Pores: Homemade face masks that are made from milk, lemon juice and oatmeal are effective. However, it is not advisable to use this mixture if you have broken skin.

4) For Acne: Lemon juice, honey and essential oil are the main ingredients. You can also opt to add nutmeg and cinnamon. You can also opt to use a paste mixture of lemon juice and yeast powder as a homemade facial mask for acne.

If you choose to use homemade facial masks, the most important thing to do is to choose the ingredients carefully based on your skin’s needs. The procedure for any kind of homemade facial mask is similar – mixing the ingredients until a paste mixture is achieved.