I’m not an
expert on skincare, but here are my no bullshit allowed-thoughts…
Stop
reading ingredients
I spent
endless hours reading and studying on ingredients. Then spent endless hours
worrying about the dangers of parabens, artificial colours, synthetic
fragrances, Polyethylene Glycol, Phthalates, Diethanolamine, Triethanolamine,
mineral oil, Silicone derived emollients, alcohol, sulfates, Propylene Glycol and so on and so on.
Then after
all my hard work studying and finding products that contained none of the
evils, I found my skin freaking out on me anyways because the natural, organic
cold pressed extra virgin oils and ingredients added to it were quite harsh and
irritating anyways.
Save
yourself the worry and hard work that might be for nothing and only read
ingredients to scan for things you know you’re allergic to.
Count the
ingredients instead
You don’t
need a bunch of fancy ingredients to get a working product. After all, you can
make perfectly functioning skincare products just using some know-how and a
handful of ingredients from your kitchen.
Even if
your extra ingredients are “natural”, “organic” or what have you, any extra
ingredients increase your risk of reacting to the product.
Read the
label right
Avoid
everything to do with anti aging. Period. Avoid everything to do with oily or
acne prone skin. Period. Anti aging products will “plump up” the skin to
conceal wrinkles which is done with more or less nasty ingredients and isn’t a
nice process at all. You can almost tell it’s a bad thing from the “plumping
up” description. Products for oily or acne prone skin will usually just be
extremely drying for a quick fix.
The simpler
your products “promise”, the better. The less fancy adjectives added to the
product, the more you should consider it.
The right
number of products
- You need a
simple cleanser in the form that appeals to you: Cream, foam, gel or what have
you.
- A toner to
remove the last traces of the cleanser and restore your skins pH.
- A
moisturiser for the face.
- An eye
cream since the facial moisturiser is almost always too heavy for the sensitive
eye area and will irritate it.
- One or two
moisturisers for your body. If you have drier areas on your body, it’s a good
idea to have one lighter and one heavier moisturiser.
- A hand
cream to keep in your purse.
Go kitchen
witch
So what
about facial masks and exfoliations and stuff?
This is
where you go kitchen witch. There are a bunch of simple and good recipes found
out there on the web using common ingredients you find in your kitchen
cupboard. I’m partial to a simple raw honey mask myself. Kitchen witch
treatments are perfectly functional and if you can eat it without any ill effects,
chances are it will work for your skin too.
OCM can be
wonderful too. Although it mostly works for whiteheads and blackheads, it can
still be nice for skin without those problems. I like using half argan and half
hemp oil with a few drops of tea tree essential oil.
Test your
products.
A
moisturiser should be absorbed within a few minutes. If it takes longer, it’s
too greasy and if your skin feels dry during the day, it’s too light. The
feeling of skin being too greasy or dry is irritating and encourages
unconscious picking or touching.
I once read
a pretty weird tip and although I’ve never tried it myself, I will pass it on:
Test your products on the sensitive skin on your… Errh... Butt… area. Yea, it
does sound weird but it makes sense. That area is very sensitive and if you
have any weird reaction to a product, you will know faster than if you use it
on your face.
General
tips
- If you have
a bad habit of picking (Like me) keep your nails short and manicured so it’s harder
for you to get a “grip” and you have less dirt under your nails.
- Exfoliate
once a week, or less if your skin is sensitive. Yes, you do get a beautiful
glow from exfoliating, but it's part of your skins natural and healthy defence
to be protected by the dead skin.
- Disinfect
or clean the surfaces you touch a lot such as phones and keyboards.
- I subscribe
to the idea that night creams are bad. They’re heavy and built on the theory
that skin can super-absorb during the night. What actually happens during your
sleep is that your whole body rebuilds and cleanses itself. This is where you
actually want your skin to breathe and not have your pores clogged up. Wash
your skin before bed and swipe toner over, or simply swipe toner over to remove
moisturiser traces and dirt from the day and sleep with a "naked" face.
Makeup
Of course I
don’t mean that you need to smear a thick layer of makeup on, but used the
right way, it can help you feel a lot better. Don’t go for “colour” such as
lipstick and eye shadow; go for products that perfect your skin: Foundation,
concealer, highlighter and blusher. You want to look natural, like you’re not
wearing any makeup, but have your imperfections covered.
Don’t
forget to tone out towards your ears and down your neck to spread the “good”
skin area.
The stuff
you’ve all heard a million times
Prioritise
your sleep, get fresh air and exercise, drink water, change your pillow case
often, avoid excessive sunlight, have a hobby or something that makes you happy
and relaxed, eat healthy etc etc. I don’t think I need to go in details here.
My personal
recommendations
- I like the
classic blue Nivea in the tin for the dry and damaged skin on my shins. My skin
won’t tolerate it anywhere else, but it’s wonderful for the dry area.
- I like
Decubals original clinic cream for the rest of my body. I tried the facial line
but can’t tolerate it. I doubt you can find it outside Scandinavia,
but if you’re located here, take a look at your local pharmacy.
- Some times
I keep a kitchen witch spray in my fridge: Half green or white tea, half toner,
a bit of lemon juice and a drop of honey. It has a refreshing yet calming
effect on my skin.
