With all media attention you’ve probably become aware that there is something huge going on in world, but are you part of this bigger picture?

Day-to-day you’ll be busy contributing to your household: cleaning tidying, earning money and taking care of your partner’s and your children’s needs as best you can. On a home front you’ve probably got it sorted. The thing is, when you flick TV on and catch news occasionally, images of this bigger picture flash up.

And you’ll probably not notice bigger picture. This is because ordinary, everyday life can become ‘trance like’. When I say this I mean we do same things at same time of day almost everyday of week without even thinking – like Groundhog Day. It starts when we’re young and it’s what I call ‘conditioned logic’.

‘Conditioned logic’ can be stifling. It’s doing what you’ve been taught to do by parents, teachers, religious and political leaders, friends, peers and employers. And in this ‘conditioned-logic, trance’ we don’t really notice bigger picture or even know what it is.

Assessing your skin type No one skin care product is right for everyone. All quality products vary in ingredients that effect oil, moisture and exfoliation of cells within pores. Different skin types and conditions benefit from specific blends; therefore you must choose a product that targets your specific skin type.

To determine what skin type you have answer a few simple questions:

	Oily	Dry/Normal	Sensitive
What is your pore size?	Large	Small
Do you experience midday shine on nose?	Yes	No
Are fine lines present on your face?	No	Yes
Do you have clogged pores and blemishes?	Yes	No
Do you feel tight and dry soon after cleansing your skin?	No	Yes
Do products often make your skin red and cause a burning sensation?	No	Yes	Yes

Designing your personalized regimen Now that you've determine what type of skin you have, next step is to establish how you can best care for it. All regimens should include a twice daily cleanser, toner and moisturizer with an appropriate sunblock used daily.

Cleansers The most important thing a cleanser should do, as is evident by its name, is to make your skin feel clean. A cleanser should also be pH balanced and appropriate for your skin type. The alpha hydroxyl acids and enzymes that it should contain are useful in removing build-up of dead skin. Medicine like benzoyl peroxide reduces excess oil and bacteria and helps reduce acne. Many people often ask whether a cleanser should be creamy or if it should lather like soap. For most part, this is really a personal preference, although a sensitive or dry skin type may prefer a creamy cleanser.

Normal skin Pumpkin Cleanser from Rhonda Allison is a great cleanser for all skin types, because it contains powerful antioxidants derived from pumpkin and salicylic acid, which both help renew surface of skin and keeps pores from clogging.

Oily Skin Phaze #31 from Physicians choice of Arizona contains benzoyl peroxide and many anti-inflammatory ingredients to sooth inflamed blemish-prone skin. It also reduces oil and bacteria, while leaving skin feeling soft.

Sensitive Skin Skin that is reactive to products, sun and heat benefits form gentle ingredients like aloe vera, citric and lactic acid. Physician's Choice of Arizona‘s Phaze #1 has formula that soothes while it cleans and is recommended for conditions like rosacea.

Dry Skin Sun damaged skin is often dry and it is restored with antioxidant-enriched cleansers. Green tea polyphenols, vitamins A, C, and E build up cells' defenses against free radicals. Procyte Herbal Wash is a creamy, soap free cleanser that will heal dry, sun damaged skin.

Toners Toners are one of most overlooked components of skin care regimens, and yet, they are absolutely essential to skin care treatment. Toners are important, because they restore acid pH of skin and also remove traces of oil and dead cells that cleansing alone cannot eliminate. These traces of make-up and oil that build up over time often lead to blackheads.