Skip directly to How To Care for Your skin
Intro
When it comes to skincare, we are never in the know enough. It seems like so much to take in at once. I have been a victim of too much information, especially on how to care for my skin
It’s been a wonderful journey. From buying more than one product that performs a particular function to buying products that actually fried my skin. Weird and new skin problems, I’ve been through it all.
Looking back, I might have done all these due to social media influence and obviously my personal insecurities concerning my skin.
I had the worst type of acne when I was a teenager, I literally had sores on my face. Right now I wish I had pictures of my teenage days. Maybe I would have shown you how bad my sores were.
Sometimes I’d go to class with a bleeding face. Quite literally (but not like from deep wounds or cuts, my breakouts were so inflamed they’d burst open with pus and blood. I didn’t help. I was scared and frustrated and generally helpless towards the whole situation.
You can imagine how frantic my Google searches were. I tried as many of the skin care recommendations I got online as my pockets would allow.
Subsequently, my skin was painted with layers of similar functioning skincare products. I was desperate for a magic potion that could make all my skin problems disappear. I wanted to be beautiful and I strongly believed I was ugly because of my skin concerns.
Knowledge is power. I’m a big advocate of getting an education. Through specialization, or a surface knowledge of your concerns and interests.
My lack of knowledge, guidance, mentorship, and help, was pitiful throughout the whole thing. I was a lone ranger, doing it all on my own. To be very honest, I didn’t really have anyone to look up to for care and guidance.
Therefore, I used several types of skin care medications and creams. All suggested by my wonderful intermediate society including social media, I bleached my skin several times to no avail, I was sincerely tired of being an ugly duckling.
The bleaching cream even gave me a ray of hope by fading my extremely dark spots, but I was losing my skin and my mind to self-consciousness because of how mismatched my skin was looking.
I tried to hide behind longer dresses but you can’t really cover your toes so much. All this harm was being done to my skin because of the access to the kind of knowledge I had.
The information you have about yourself and your problems, as well as your immediate community, affects the way you make decisions, feelings, and attitudes.
Social media influenced and still influences my shopping habits today, especially for skincare, I won’t lie. There was a point where organic skin care was all the rave, it was all about getting that plant oil, natural oil goodness, and benefits.
Don’t get me wrong; I love some good skin oil.
The marketing was just structured to make you believe that lemon oil on its own can give you brighter skin. And I did try that, but it didn’t work for me, it actually made me smell like a lemon a lot, made my skin feel dry and oil, I felt like orange zest.
I can’t explain that better. Plus I had new problems, my acne became more dramatic, and I had little patches filled with micro acne on my face in different parts or sometimes concentrated locations.
My last bad memory of my skincare journey was in my 2nd year in university where I was being influenced once again to use a bleaching cream. I was actually getting compliments from my peers and my mum‘s friends. I must confess it made me feel good, especially because these people were some of the roots cause of my insecurities.
Then I watched as clinical skincare became the rave. And I participated in this too. And this isn’t an endorsement but it work the first time a skincare product actually did a good thing for me. By this time I was more or less out of my teenage phase. I was making conscious efforts to improve my self-esteem. Trying and failing to be confident, and seek help.
I remember seeing a post on my social media on the benefits of clinically produced skin care products. Obviously, I was skeptical about it because chemicals tend to have flamboyant and threatening names.
They never sound mild. I mean it couldn’t be expected for me to feel comfortable at the sound of “benzoyl peroxide”, “AHAs, BHAs,” Etc. I guess what pushed me to get into the new trend was my desperation, which had tamed down a bit but not completely.
Firstly, I did my research, which was the turning point of the skincare journey. I’d like to share what I learned over the years of skin care trial and error;
How to care for your skin
1. Knowledge of skin care is good skincare.
Certainly, the knowledge you have about yourself is very crucial to the thoughts, emotions, and actions you experience. It’s best to seek skin care advice from a skincare expert.
An actual and certified dermatologist. I realize now that a dermatologist would have been cheaper and safer than all my trial-and-error experiences.
Further talk to people who genuinely care for you, about your concerns. E.g a parent, an elder sibling, a teacher, a family friend, a close friend, or a partner.
2. Pay attention to your skin
Your skin tells a lot about your physical and mental health and lifestyle.
One of my biggest wishes/regrets is not knowing what I know now. I could have seen so many health-related red flags reflected through my skin.
I realized over the years that I had a hormonal imbalance that was causing those frequent breakouts. And I could have solved my problems by regulating my living patterns. However, I had absolutely no idea so I kept living however and consuming whatever.
Your skin condition can tell of underlying health conditions. Most times, you can save yourself from impending trouble in your insides. Pay attention to yourself and what your skin says. Always seek professional help when things are beyond you. Adapt healthy lives styles like cleaning your home, etc.
3. Eat healthier meals
Without a doubt, we are what we eat. Healthy meals are packed filled with vitamins and minerals and other nutrients. They effectively enhance your skin and improve your situation from the inside out. I can testify that cutting out junk food by more than 90% helped relieve my skin problems.
I only eat junk food once in a really long while. This favors me it this way because my acne gets worse when my eating habits deteriorate.
Healthy food contains better versions of the vitamins your applying from outside.
Junk food triggers my estrogen levels to go crazy. It was significantly evident and it showed on my face. If you’re indeed serious about healing your skin, start with the food you eat. Research and seek counseling from professionals.
4. Clinical Skincare Can Help
Sometimes, clinical skincare is what could solve the problem you’re having with your skin. I use coconut oil on my body because I don’t have many skin concerns on my body.
My face is a different story entirely. It’s very dramatic and oily, I followed the clinical skincare trend and found out that not all chemicals are as threatening as they sound.
My dark spots were treated to some extent by niacinamide. I know what to use for my occasional acne flaring. There is better information to deal better with basic skin needs.
5. Practice Personal Hygeiene
Always use clean items on your face. Your towels for your face should be different from your body towel or hair towel.
Never use unclean items on your face. Most importantly, keep your hands off your face. Scabbing your acne will only make it spread out and accumulate more bacteria on your face.
6. Moderation with product usage
Less is definitely more in skin care. Avoid layering products on your skin. Layering means applying one product on top of the other on your face. I try to apply a maximum of two products on my face at night and during the day, including my sunscreen.
This is my opinion, I think the concept of using multiple skincare products at a time is being sold to us by big skincare industry machines. Realistically, one or two products should be enough. There aren’t enough skin care products to avoid aging or hydrate your skin especially when you’re practicing an unhealthy lifestyle.
It is also important to note that some products don’t match certain kinds of products. Hence, please be meticulous with your research.
Some skin care products contain ingredients with literal cancer-causing ingredients. And a simple google search would show you that. Except you’re willing to trade your overall health for glass-smooth and hydrated skin.
Visit a dermatologist to give you a better understanding of the necessary details.
7. Always let your skin breathe fresh air
I wish I had learned this before this time. Some days, give your skin a break from products and just let it breathe in the fresh air. (Clearly not in the hot burning sun). Allow your skin to heal.
Fresh air is very beneficial to the body. You will be doing well receiving it from the outside. By taking a walk in a garden, and deeply breathing in flowers. It even helps with managing anxiety.
Your skin is an organ like your liver or heart.
8. Protect your skin from the sun
This should be the top skin care rule. Sunscreen is emphatically a must-have.
The increasing depletion of the planet’s ozone layer has made us more exposed to the harshness of the sun’s UV rays. Exposure to these UV rays can cause skin conditions to worsen and even cause cancer.
Apply sunscreen on all parts of your body exposed to the sun, even when you’re inside your house, apply sunscreen because sun rays might be beautiful but they’re not very friendly to your skin.
There is an obsession with that aesthetic of glowing in the sun. Personally, I wouldn’t recommend it, you’re just simply frying your skin by being oily in the sun.
I prefer to use lip balms on sunny days because I have darker lips. Hence, using gloss or oils can be damaging to my lips.
9. Always hydrate.
Internally and externally: drink water frequently. Water contains hydrogen and oxygen.
The hydrogen part really helps to moisturize your cells and make your skin healthy.
Skincare is self-love practically. Because by giving your skin hydrating products, and eating hydrating foods, you’re being kind to yourself by doing what’s right.
10. Be patient with your skin.
Patience is a virtue of love. Taking care of the skin requires patience, that’s the only magic needed to get great skin.
Self–love is when you realize nothing rushed can stand the test of time. You’re basically looking for long-term results, not instant magic. Be patient and kind to yourself and let your skin heal from all the trauma it endures for you daily.
11. Get to know your ingredients
Furthermore, educate yourself on the ingredients of skincare. Take your allergies into consideration. Research on dangers, pros, and cons of ingredients, brand ethics, sources, etc. Find what’s most suitable for you under a professional’s supervision.
The right knowledge of what ingredients do helps create a better skin care process.
What I do is to find out what ingredients are active in the skincare industry so I can consume the food source of it. Example: niacinamide is a form of vitamin B3. This vitamin can also be gotten from foods like bananas, brown rice, legumes, poultry, etc.
Also, be aware of dangerous ingredients in skincare which can cause health issues for you.
Conclusion
Learning to manage your skin is self-love. Use clean products, use fewer products, and embrace your natural beauty. Don’t follow every new trend because your skin is much more than a canvas. Be patient and treat your body right.
Additionally, knowing to manage my skin is something I’m grateful for. This knowledge will help me manage my children’s skin concerns better and avoid a skin care nightmare. It’s very satisfying to have a semblance of control or knowledge over a situation. Helplessness is never a good look. If you enjoyed how to care for your skin, then read more related;
Related
