Who wouldn't want to have great skin - the type that glows, the type of skin you only get to see on TV commercials? If you don't have the perfect skin, then here's some good news for you. Great skin is something almost anyone can cultivate! The way our skin appears depends on a few factors – our genes, the way we exercise, our nutrition, emotional health and of course, how we take care of our skin.

While we can't really change our genes, what we can do is improve our skins by taking care of it. So, here are a few basic tips to get your skin to make it look smooth and shiny:

• If it's great looking skin that you're after then start by wearing a hat and applying some good quality sunscreen every time you're out in the sun.
• If you want your skin to feel and look great, then cleansing is extremely important. This can be done first thing in the morning and the last thing at night to remove all the dirt that is clogged in your pores. If you don't cleanse your skin, you will find yourself developing spots and blemishes. Always rinse your face with warm water once you've cleansed it so that any residual dirt on your skin will also be removed.
• Just because our parents and grandparents thought that soap and water was good enough, it really doesn't apply to us. Soap does not have the ability to remove our makeup because of the staying power that the cosmetics have these days. Ever got that weird 'tight' feeling like your skin is being stretched after you wash you face with soap? Well yes soap does have a drying effect and can wash away all those essential oils in our skin. Soap is alkaline in nature while skin is acidic.
• Toning your skin is very important. Toners are made to remove any last traces of the cleanser, while at the same time they help in tightening and refining the pores to prevent any further build-up of dead skin cells. Once you have toned your skin, you will feel and look rejuvenated and refreshed.
• The next step is to apply moisturizer to restore all the moisture that was lost due to the drying effects of the sun, wind, pollution, central heating and even the cold. A good moisturizer will always contain sunscreen, which is easily absorbed into the skin. But at night, you should use a thick, more nourishing cream so that the skin absorbs more moisture.

In spite of having a plethora of cosmetic products available in the market and the vast variety of additives, the key ingredient to any moisturizer is always water! Moisturizers are extremely important if you want your skin to look young and healthy. From protecting the skin to preventing any further loss of moisture, moisturizers are a must for everyone – man or woman!

Follow these valuable tips and watch and see how you're skin gets rejuvenated and revitalized. With a little bit of patience and a lot of care, your skin can look like something that's just come out of the commercials!