Beauty Tips For Body Care
I say 99% because I used a relative's toothpaste over the holidays and broke out beside my mouth a bit. Here is what I did and reviews for the products I'm currently using. Suggestions welcome!My acne used to be so bad that people who met me automatically assumed I must be on hard drugs. It affected not only how people treated me, but my employment. When I was hired into a PR position due to some connections, I knew I had to fix this problem and found this subreddit. I learned here that I had extremely sensitive skin, and not only that, my Standard American Diet was wrecking my body even though I was a healthy weight (the only physical thing I could take any pride in). The bottled Frappacino I drank everyday was straight up poison and EVERYTHING I was doing to try and fix my acne was WRONG.I also picked my skin. I never even thought about it, it was something I did subconsciously-growing up I can remember my father picking his face all the time the same way I did. And I NEVER washed my hands before I touched my face!!! UGH. This was a very hard habit to break. Wearing a light foundation every day helped me break it, a tip I learned here.I switched to espresso and green tea, quit eating candy, spicy chips (muh cheetos . . . ), and fried foods. By some miracle I already hated bread so at least I didn't have to sacrifice that. For a sweet treat when the cravings became unbearable I drank Coke Icees which are bad but not nearly as bad as an actual Soda. I started drinking A LOT more water. Turns out my chronically chapped lips were easily healed just by adding a cup and a half of water to my daily intake. A CUP AND A HALF. Bonus is that although I was a healthy weight and not looking to really lose weight, I lost about fifteen pounds and ended up getting tone af.I threw away all my products with anything remotefully harmful to sensitive skin, including my toothpaste and hair care products. I used to get acne all over my scalp. That was the first acne to go away when I got rid of the shampoos and conditioners full of sulphates and parabens and started taking a shower every single day.I became religious about washing my face in the morning and night. I'd bathed every day before in the bathtub because I have looooong curly hair that doesn't need to be shampooed everyday. Hair caps were an option but I decided to start using hair masks instead to replenish the natural oils lost by daily washing. Not washing didn't seem to be doing shit for my split ends anyway. My hair texture has actually improved.I also sleep on a clean towel every night to protect my face further from bacteria that could be on my pillow. Changing my pillow case every night doesn't work for me, but a clean towel does for some reason. I plan to switch this month to a back-sleeping pillow because I turned 30 this year and suddenly care about preventing wrinkles.I'm not sure how much I spend on skincare anymore, but it's probably in the ballpark of about $200 every four-five months. A lot of my skin problems are genetic. My father had really bad skin and his face is pitted with scars. My mom also has hormonal acne. Growing up the only acne remedy I was ever taught was "put some toothpaste on it."Here is what is working for me. I'm also currently spot testing some things:Jersey Shore Sun Mongogo Anti-Aging Lip Conditioner: Before I do anything, I put some kind of barrier to protect my lips from chemicals. My lips do not like harsh chemicals.Sensodyne Pronamel Toothpaste: My regular Sensodyne was a secret acne trigger that caused tiny blackheads around my lips. I switched to the more sensitive-skin friendly Pronamel and this is rarely an issue anymore.Cera Ve Foaming Facial Cleanser: I know this does not work for everyone, but this is the best thing I've found to repair and maintain my acid mantle layer. I use it in the morning and evening, but I want to find another cleanser for morning. I plan on trying Cosrx Low PH Morning Gel cleanser.Nerium Age-Defying Eye Serum: Pricey, but my boss sells Nerium so she shills all their products to me. I didn't like their night cream, their day cream was ok, but I actually really like the Eye Serum. I really do get instant results. I put this on first to avoid my hands having any other chemicals on them when I touch my eyes.Hyaluronic Acid while my face is still damp from washing.Mario Badesco Special Healing Powder: Occasionally if there are any problem areas. In the early stages of a breakout I use this. If it doesn't work usually just showering nightly will draw out the infection. I still pick at my face sometimes, but I try to be more surgical about it at least. I never touch acne that hasn't already broken the surface of my skin, but if something does come to a head and start to drain, I'll use a warm compress to gently push it out. If it doesn't come out easily I put some drying lotion on it and leave it alone and pray. Maybe put some tea tree oil on it. Once it is fully expressed I clean I put a drop of pure jojoba oil with some of the healing powder and later some drying lotion that night.Cetaphil Oil Control Moisturizer: I know the jury is still out on this one too, but it's the best moisturizer I've found and I've tried a lot. It has a nice smoothing effect and is SPF 30It Cosmetics CC+ SPF 50: My bro-foundation. Sometimes just the moisturizer is enough, but if I have inflammation this evens out my skin tone and isn't obvious that you're wearing make up.Ok now put a little argan oil in my hair and some wax on my brows and I have my shit together enough to go to work! I've used the Paula's Choice BHA in the past, but it caused a lot of sun sensitivity even with my sunscreen so I quit. That was before I started using the SPF 50+, so I plan to try again this year and see what happens.My biggest challenge during the day is keeping my hands off my face. Before I walk into work I usually spray my face with some Mario Badesco Facial Spray but other than that I don't dare touch my face until the evening after I shower. I always make sure to reapply some lip balm before the shower, again to protect my lips from my shampoo and conditioner (which is Mark Anthony Deep Repair Aloe Vera Jasmine). Almost all soaps and body cleansers cause me to get body acne so I use some soap the Amish make. It is probably skin stripping through so I douse my whole body in aloe vera gel afterwards.After showering I use a mask. I switch up between masks -Aztec Healing Clay: LOVE IT. I like to mix a little tumeric powder in. I can't go to an event without doing this mask either the night before or the day of.TonyMoly Intense Care Snail Hydro Gel Mask: This is probably my favorite mask, but it's kind of pricey so I only use it 1-2 a month. I use several other TonyMoly masks but this one is my favorite!I wash my mask off and then usually let my skin rest for an hour or so before I wash it with the foaming cleanser again. Then:Paula's Choice 8% AHA: Really great for elevens.Mario Badescu Drying Lotion: This is my favorite product of all time. I know there are a million products like this (basically calamine lotion in alcohol) but I'm just stuck on this one.I don't have a night moisturizer YET, but I plan to start using one after I switch to back sleeping. Right now I'm spot testing pure aloe vera gel on my face because I want to make my own moisturizer out of bees wax, aloe vera and tea tree oil. I think it will be pretty dope. I'm also spot testing Maracuja oil and I actually really like it. I saw results the next morning, but I want to give it more time to make sure it doesn't cause a reaction.I don't think I have a before picture because I NEVER allowed myself to be photographed! If anyone has recommendations on how to improve this regiment let me know! Also you sensitive skin people feel free to recommend stuff!
Girls Blog 2015
Submitted by goboinouterspace
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