When you mention organic skin care to most women, it conjures up the image of a medicine cabinet full of creams, masks and herbs. But organic skin care starts long before you apply those magical elixirs. It really begins with the way you treat your skin every day, what you expose it to and how you go about fixing problems. Here are a few common sense and low cost tips on how you can keep your skin looking beautiful day in and day out.

Once you reached adulthood, you probably thought that the way you ate and drank stopped having an effect on how your skin looked. You have probably stopped getting acne, and that blasted oiliness that never seemed to go away finally did. But guess what? Your diet still impacts the way your skin looks and feels, even as an adult. And it should not come as any surprise that the better you eat, the better your skin will look and feel.

If you are living on fast food or a three martini lunch, you can expect your skin to show it. Load up on the veggies and fruit, as well as lean meats and whole grains. It sounds like a broken record, but a proper diet can do more for your skin over the long run than every cream and mask out there combined.

The second tip for your skin is to exercise on a regular basis. Not only does regular exercise help your body on the inside, it can affect the way you look on the outside, too. One of the big reasons for this is blood circulation. Nothing improves your circulation than an hour of exercise a day, and that same circulation does wonders for your skin. It can be tough to find time for exercise in our busy schedules, but if you can make time for it, your skin will thank you.

One of the most underrated skin care treatments is the easiest possible one to do (and the cheapest). Getting enough sleep, at least eight hours per night, is essential to your skin having the right tone, texture and feel. There is also a lot to be said for the old adage that if you do not feel good, you will not look good, or, at the very least, you will not think that you look good.

If you do not get enough sleep at night, your skin can take on a dull, lifeless and even a puffiness (especially around the eyes) that is not attractive. Those mattress commercials are right. You really do need enough sleep to feel good and look good.

This next tip should be common sense to anyone reading this. The laundry list of reasons to not smoke is already longer than anyone cares to mention, but there may be no single practice short of doing crystal meth that causes the skin to look older, faster than smoking cigarettes.

If you are one of those people who have thought about quitting and you need one more reason to put you over the edge, let this be the one. If you smoke, you are fighting a losing battle against healthy looking skin.

Finally, regardless of where you live, the sun is your enemy when it comes to healthy looking skin. Yes, having a tan gives the skin a radiance that is eye catching and very attractive, but it can also lead to a whole host of skin problems down the road. Being pale may not be the most valued trait, but it can lead to a long and healthy life.

Taking care of your skin is not an easy chore. There are many creams and solutions that can do wonders for your completion, but sound, organic skin care starts with the way you live your life. Treat your skin right and you will be rewarded with beautiful, glowing and even skin for the rest of your life.