Isn't it questionable how we miss out the little significant things that matter? life itself can seem complicated but if you look deeper you will see it is the little things that we ignore that makes so much difference in our daily lives and this includes taking care of our skin. There are simple beauty habits that one could adopt that will help the skin clog free and keep some skin issues at bay, these tips should be constantly practiced hence making it a habit and one has to be patient to
see the effect, even if you cannot see visible signs then atleast adopt it to keep the repercussions at bay.
Wash your face every night: Yes there are times you get back from work,club,party or just hanging and all you just want to do is just throw up your feet and get in some good sleep and just a second into dreamland and reality remember you have make up on which needs washing off.When you go to sleep your body heats up and the pores open up allowing layers of make up to sink into them clogging them and causing pimples,spots etc. Now some good advice my friends! pour water on your bedsheets get on it and roll Voila! clean face and you can go to bed :D.....Nah! get your self off the bed and go wash yo face! heheehe. Taking off your make up can do a lot of good to your skin and help reduce break outs in the long run. Washing your face should be considered as vital as washing your hands, the only difference is that the former is done not more than thrice.Wash your face(and neck)with warm water and a mild shower gel /bath soap in circular motion,massaging it gently to increase blood flow, pat dry with a fluffy or soft face towel, tone(if you do) and moisturise with a good body butter (I recommend vaseline cocoa butter or any good butter from the body shop as they have a way of locking moisture) or your normal moisturiser but let it be oil free. Vaseline petroleum jelly or shea butter and body oils (e.g coconut,jojoba,almond) can be great for the skin in cold weather conditions because they lock in moisture which keeps the skin soft and properly moisturised, even those with oily skin can do this too because moisture is needed. At night when resting the skin has all the time to do some rejuvenation and breathe, wearing make up to bed makes it harder for the skin to breathe and even a heavy wind/cold cannot penetrate through and breeze helps the skin feel refreshed hence reducing appearance of acne, clogged pores. sometimes there is this uncomfortable stress and irritating feeling when you try to go to bed with make up,this is your skin trying to breathe now that you are relaxing, all types of toxins from the air, sweat and dirt from dried sweat can add to the skin inability to breathe freely hence leading to breakout,irritation and clogged up pores.If you travel a lot it is best to take your cleansing soap and shower gels with you,if the shower gel bottles are too big to carry along, you can split them into refillable or disposable bottles making it easier to travel with.Whatever your daily routine, make sure you wake up with clean refreshed skin to begin with in the morning again.
Sun protection formula (SPF): This refers to the ability of a sunscreen to
block ultraviolet B (UVB) rays, which cause sunburns, but not UVA rays,
which are more closely linked to deeper skin damage. Both UVA and UVB
contribute to the risk of skin cancer(culled from google).Spf is everyone's friend.Sunburn is no one's friend not even for a dark skinned lady. I have heard people tell me and say in general that dark skin people do not need sunscreen or spf. o.O ---> that is basically my expression, because my colour is different does not make my skin any tougher to the extent of not needing spf. SPF is for everybody and it is needed to protect the skin from sunburns and sun damage. I love that many creams and cosmetics have spf incorporated in them these days so basically no matter what you use, you are protected but just make sure it states clearly that it contains spf,usually you can just see it on the top or cover or the ingredient content ''SPF 30'' or contains sunblock,sunscreen or UVA protection. It is important to know that the longer one's exposure to sun the higher the amount of sun protection needed e.g spf 4,8 15,30 etc.
Minimise hand contact: This is a thing we all do that is fatal for the face. It is a bit of a pet peeve for me but for some reason when I develop a pimple I find my fingers on my face caressing it :/ and before you know it bam!!! it starts getting dark and I have to leave it to prevent dark permanent scars. If you are a fan of touching your face all the time and caressing bumps or scars, please stop it!. Our hands are major attractions for dirt and bacteria, hence can easily contaminate an irritated pore with bacteria. If you have to apply medication or prescribed remedy on a pimple ,wash your hands and do so.However, minimize hand/finger contact with pimples,fungal infections,skin irritations,white heads.blackheads etc as it can complicate matters.
Also, make sure you know what you are dealing with before you begin popping things on your face/body or else liquid from certain infections can lead to further growth and spread.If you cannot resist popping pimples then wait till you can see the white part of it and if you need to scratch because of a rash/irritation the try some methylated and soothing powder and get lots of fresh air, if its chicken pox then try some oat milk therapy here.
Also, make sure you know what you are dealing with before you begin popping things on your face/body or else liquid from certain infections can lead to further growth and spread.If you cannot resist popping pimples then wait till you can see the white part of it and if you need to scratch because of a rash/irritation the try some methylated and soothing powder and get lots of fresh air, if its chicken pox then try some oat milk therapy here.
For body or for face?: One important thing to do is separate your body sponges,towel and loofah from your face ones. As vain as this may seem it is necessary because the face is a delicate and sensitive area of the body and must be treated as such.Some people can break out from using hard sponges for their face, if you must use a sponge get one that is made specifically for the face and make sure it is not used or any part of the body or shared with anyone else. Try splurging on a little face wash cloth and soft towel (that won't wash out) for the face and keep it specifically for washing and drying of the face.
Do not leave out the z's ; I know we all have our daily activities and routines that make us shake our heads with utmost impossibility at the thought of sleep. Some say sleep is a waste of time and one had rather use the time and achieve more..sorry if you want to hop on my train because baby girl loves her sleep!. Now let me tell you,sleep is important! I cannot shout or say it enough.Sleep is needed for rejuvenation of the body,it is good for your health and it is also great for the skin. Believe or not some people develop skin acne and mild skin problems due to lack of sleep so missing out on those vital hours of sleep can lead to mild breakout and can cause dark circles, tired eyes and to mention been stressed too.
Get some good cleaning products: Washing your face is not enough to take off heavy make up. Wanna put it to test? wash your face as usual after a long day with heavy make up on, take a clean make up wipe and swipe. Did you see streaks of foundation on the wipe? Don't blame your soap.Water and soap are sometimes not enough to take off heavy traces of make up and dirt. Get good toners,cleansers with chemicals that are not harsh(e.g : parabens,fragrance, sulphate,triclosan,dioxane,formaldehyde etc) and if you do not have all those make your own! Try the quaker oats one from here. After face/body wash, clean face and neck with fragrance free make up wipe to take off excess make up and mascara/liners, do not scrub lashes and eyes while washing as this can do more harm than good, instead patiently use the wipe and keep swiping to get rid of traces of mascara and eyeliners. I am sure some are reading this and going thank God I don't wear make up! Nah honey! you need to get in here too.The skin easily attracts dirts while we carry out daily activities, sweat also dries sometimes on the skin and can cause as much harm as leaving make up overnight hence it is important as well to wash ,moisturise, cleanse etc. If you are really lazy to take off make up with water and cleansing gel,then use fragrance free make up wipes to take off make up(not advisable for heavy make up) or massage a good body oil into the skin and use a wet facial cloth.Take care of your stuff: Clean make up brushes and sponges once or twice every two weeks depending on usage, these items are easy ground for bacteria and germs to breed on and using them while unclean can clog pores,lead to irritations and sometimes infections. Wash brushes with mild shower gels or soap in warm water mixed with antiseptic/disinfectants, put some shower gel in water and swirl to take off dirt or place liquid soap on clean palm and swirl brush till dirt comes off,keep rinsing till no strak of make up comes off in the water. In between brush was you can clean brushes on a tissue with isopropyl alcohol or baby oil.
Discard
cleansers,creams and soaps that has expired or smells and applies
weird. Take proper care of face towels and don't use hard detergents to
wash them.Two more quick tips are to keep the washing of your face to three times maximum, we all know washing up is good but too much chemicals can strip the face of its natural oils leaving it dry and irritated.If your work status requires you washing your face more tan twice/thrice or you just have a thing for washing your face all the time,then use face wipe in between wash so wash time is reduced. Always carry a small pack of tissues and oil mattifier sheet to clean sweat and shine so you can dispose of them immediately, using handkerchief or towels can breed bacteria that can easily transfer to the face and eyes with continuous usage.If you must use handkerchief/facetowels then keep them clean and remember to wash your hands frequently and sanitize too.
If you have any other tips, feel free to share.
love fabbydeinma
photocredit: fotolia
Plead my cause, O Lord, with them that strive with me: fight against them that fight against me. Psalm 35:1
