Hey guys!
So lately I’ve been having some major problems with my skin. I’ve always struggled with having clear skin. Not the struggle where my skin is just acne prone, but the struggle where I just can’t keep it clear. Instead I have to deal with the annoying break outs in random areas of my face during random times of the month. The thing that really sucks about this is usually when I get it clear I can only keep it clear for about a month before I start breaking out again. Bummer I know, but it’s a natural part of life.
And there are various reasons as to why I break out. Sometimes it’s due to a poor diet, not keeping up with my usual water intake, and even when that time of the month comes.
Fun fact, for most women a pimple on your chin is a sign that Mother Nature in on her way to visit you. It’s kind of silly to think about, right? I remember reading it somewhere and at first I thought, yeah right. But I was so intrigued by the idea that I actually started paying attention to my face during my period, and sure enough about two days before Mother Nature would come knocking on my door I would get a big fat pimple somewhere along my chin.
Regardless of the reason why we break out, break outs are real! And they have a major impact on our self-esteem. Therefore, skin care is so important.
I must admit I don’t have the best skin care routine and it’s mainly due to my lack of consistency. I adopt a skin care routine, stick to it for a while, and eventually I fall off of it because it becomes too repetitive for me. Which is kind of weird when I think about it because I like when things are consistent, when it’s in a set routine that I can easily follow. But I guess when it comes to my skin care routine routines are just not my thing. Or maybe it’s the product? Maybe I become bored with the products I use so that’s why I fall off my routine.
Which could be a reasonable explanation. Before I had to force myself to not buy anymore face wash until I used up all the ones I had, I was probably buying a new face wash at least every month. Either way consistency in a skin care routine is a problem for me. My solution? Switch it up every once in a while.
Something you should know about me is that I don’t like to experiment with a lot of things. Those main things being food, my hair, and my face! I have super sensitive skin so I’m extremely cautious of how I treat it. My skin likes moisture, it likes to stay hydrated, and it does not like product build up. So, I’m very careful about the products that I use for my skin care routine, as well as how often I use them.
And since I’m in need of a new routine, for both day and night, I thought I’d share with you some tips and routines that I’m going to try out to better take care of my skin. I’ll also add some that I have tried and love, and should honestly get back to doing because when I was doing it my face was praising the hell out of me!
Tip #1 Know your skin type.
I can’t tell you how important this is. You can’t treat your skin to the best routine for it if you don’t know what it needs. Is your skin sensitive, dry, oily, or maybe a combination of both? Or maybe it’s nothing that I have listed. Either way figure out what your skin type is so that you can create a routine that will work best for your skin.
Tip #2 Know how your skin reacts to the changing weather
Our skin type remains consistent for the most part but sometimes we can experience a change in it when the weather changes. For example, I have sensitive skin. During the winter time its super dry. In the summer its dewier, and this may greatly be due to an increase in sweat that I seem to experience on a daily basis. In the fall, it’s in a more neutral state, not too dry and not too dewy, but it still needs to be moisturized.
So, during the winter I usually wash my face and follow up with a moisturizer, both day and night. In the summer, I usually only wash my face in the morning followed by moisturizer. At night, I’ll take a cleansing wipe and use that to wipe away any dirt I may have gathered throughout the day followed by moisturizer. In the fall, I’ll switch between washing my face in the morning or using a cleansing wipe followed by moisturizer. At night, I’ll treat my face to some face masks, either homemade or store brought.
Tip #3 Moisturize daily
It’s important to keep our skin hydrated and one of the ways to do that is by moisturizing it. If you haven’t caught on yet I’m a firm believer in moisturizer! I just don’t like my face to be dry, and ensuring that I am doing this everyday helps keep my face soft, just the way I like it.
However, we must be careful of this step. We don’t want to over-do it, but like I said we want to keep our skin moisturized. Even with the combination of drinking water daily (which is important people), my skin still always manages to feel dry. So, for me personally I have to moisturize every day. The good thing about this is that I can usually get away with moisturizing it once a day, and whenever I do this because I’m too lazy to do it twice a day, it’ll be in the morning. But out of habit of my daily washing routine, I usually end of moisturizing twice a day, when I wake up and when I go to bed. And I do like when I do this because my face is soft.
Tip #4 Sunscreen
I don’t practice this as often as I probably should but sunscreen is an important part of our skin care routine. If it’s already in your routine, ten brownie points for you! If it’s not, guys make this a part of your routine now! Sun exposure can lead to premature aging. Whereas there is absolutely nothing wrong with aging, and looking your age for that matter, if we can slow down the process naturally by just taking an extra two minutes a day to be kind to our skin, why not do it!?! We can combat this by applying sunscreen. It’s a must in my book.
Tip #5 Cleanse your face
This just means wash it. Our face is exposed to so much bacteria throughout the day. From our make-up, make-up brushes, our hands, phones, and even our pillows we are exposing our faces to a lot of bacteria. So, it’s important to wash our face daily to ensure that we are washing away all that dirt. And if you’re anything like me, washing your face day and night will ensure that you are keeping your face clean. But please remember, the best skin care routine is all dependent upon your skin type and how you skin reacts to things. So maybe twice a day may not be the best routine for you.
Tip #6 Treat yourself to a facial at least once a week
I understand not everyone has the money to be able do to it professionally and honestly, no shame in your game. I’ve never had a professional facial before so I don’t know the different benefits of it compared to one you do at home. But I have done one at home before, actually multiple times. This has been both homemade facials and store brought facials aka face masks. I don’t necessarily have preference for either one, I just like to do them because I love the way my face feels afterwards.
Tip #7 Eat clean
This plays a huge role in clear skin. I also need to practice this more often. Clean eating activates our insides in ways I cannot explain, which shows on our outside in ways I can explain, like our face for example! We eat clean, we look clean (I thought it was funny).
Tip #8 Drink plenty of water
Water is the answer to everything…. well almost everything. Such a silly thing to have to admit but I swear it is. Water is our body’s best friend and when we make it a regular part of our diet and daily routine, the benefits and effects of it really show.
Tip #9 Tone it up
Tighten your pores and retain a healthy glow. How do you do this? By toning obviously. I don’t do this mainly because when I buy skin care products I don’t buy a toner. For the most part I feel like I have tight skin, but it’s always later in life when the things we should have taken the time to put a little TLC in, begin to show. So, I feel this is an either-or situation. If you feel it’s essential to your routine, by all means do it. If not, that’s cool too. I’ll eventually get there.
Tip #10 Primer
Smooths imperfections. I just recently started doing this and honestly guys, I don’t know why I didn’t start sooner. It’s so simple, so light weight, and honestly you don’t even know it’s there. The really great thing about this is that you can wear it with a full face of make-up or by itself! It’s like additional moisturizer for face, without an overload of product application.
Homemade Facial Masks
Doing facial masks is something semi-new for me. It’s not something I do all the time but I do it every once in a while. And usually when I do, do it I just buy a facial mask product rather than making my own. I brought single masks in small little packages (one time use). And they’re not even expensive! Which is a bonus in my book because then I can stack up on a bunch of them and use them as I please.
But you can also make your own right at home! The following is one that I have actually made at home and tried in the past, and I think they just wok wonders for your skin. It’s the only homemade facial mask that I have made, but that’s okay. It was perfect for my skin type, and guys I’m not kidding when I say my face was baby skin smooth for a couple of days.
- Honey and Egg facial mask
What you’ll need:
- Honey
- 1 egg
- 1 regular sized cup
- Olive oil (I use extra virgin)
- Your favorite moisturizer
Directions:
- In a cup, combine one tablespoon of honey and the yolk of an egg.
- Add in a few drops of olive oil
- Mix it all together, and apply to your face!
- Leave the mask on for about 10-15 minutes, or whatever your preference is.
- Then wash off with lukewarm water.
- Don’t forget to supply moisturize.
And that’s pretty much it guys. I definitely plan to take some if not all of the tips that I have listed and start applying it to my skin care routine faithfully. I’m so over break outs and I would love to have clear skin for longer than a month!
Let me know if you plan on giving any of these tips a try. Or if you already do some of these tips. And hey, if you have some tips that I haven’t listed, don’t be shy, share them with me in the comments below. And let me know if you try out the homemade facial, what you thought of it, and what it did to your skin.
Until next love bugs!
-Xo
Kimora