Sunday, 8 March 2015

My skincare regimen

My skincare regimen

My choice in face care products has always been fixed. I was pretty comfortable using Vaseline until being lavish became a thing - when I turned 13. I am not the type to play about with crèmes and milks when it comes to taking care of my skin, but I do think that it is necessary to change things up every so often to keep your skin from developing tolerance to a range (if there is such a thing). I heard there is!



My skin hasn't ever behaved badly, so becoming a product junkie has more to do with my fascination of the beauty industry (with its large margins and all), and very little to do with lozenge sized zits on my skin. So, if you have troublesome skin and you've come here for advice: I have none. Go see a derma. They know what they're doing!

I have combination skin (dry cheeks and an oily T-zone). My experience with Neutogena's pink grapefruit range sucked. It made my combination contrast seem worse. My skin lapped up the moisturizer, leaving it lacklustre, and the exfoliating cleanser didn't do much for me either. After every wash I felt like my skin had been stripped of all its natural oils for good. I also had a constant subtle heat-rash-like texture befriend my skin. This is not to bash the Neutrogena brand though. I really think it has more to do with what my skin prefers, than what's in Neutrogena's bottles. I think the path leading up to healthy glowing skin is crooked, and this was one of the potholes along the way.

As mentioned above, I am not in the position to tell you what to use on your skin, but I do have valuable pointers that can help you out in dealing with your body's largest organ.

Incorporate some items from your pantry or vegie garden. Mother Nature is often the number one supplier of the finest ingredients to benefit your skin, than any beauty brand manufacturer will ever be.

Here's a link to Kandy Johnson being nature's lover, by working her magic with sugar and lemon juice.
Results in an amazing skin polish to die for. Plus, it doesn't feel like you're stripping layers of your skin away with each motion, like it does when using everyday exfoliants. I do this weekly. It really works! I know because, my mom, who is ultra judgmental of my skin, told me she was noticing a positive change since starting the treatment.

When it comes to my hair, sometimes a combination of products works better than buying the entire range of a single brand. I know from my experience using Mizani. Their relaxer was great, but the rest of their products did nothing for my then dry and damaged hair. I have come to discover that the same is true for skincare too. More reason to become a product junkie. Although,I will caution that some
products are designed to be used together with other products from the same range, as this helps enhance each product's  efficiency. I've made contradictory statements  throughout  this post because it's mostly about my skincare routine. To accommodate you, in terms of what may be able to work for you, I've left my suggestions ambiguous. Go with what works for you, instead of blindly following directions for use on product material. The health of your skin may be at the hearts of these manufacturers, but the bottom line is still sales and they will push as much as they can to get you hooked on their name.

The point is to settle on a step system that rings true to you and how your skin behaves. One that will excite you. One you'll stay on. You need to use things long enough for them to do their job and for you to make a fair assessment on whether they work as promised or not. With this said, I still can't decide whether tissue oils work or no, because I haven't been consistent in applying them. I guess I'll have to take my own advice to find out.

My new 4 step system that works


Step 1 
Sorbet's Salon Skin 3-in-1 Cleansing Oil. R130 Clicks
At first, I almost opted for Lipidol's Face Cleansing Oil, but I didn't trust the fact that they only burst into the scene late last year, or so it seems. Lipidol also looks like the stuff could be toxic. I will try out their stuff real soon, to give them a fair review. I bought Sorbet's oil for it's cute casing. It's packaging makes me think of luxuries by Charlotte Rhys. This cleansing oil doubles up as a pretty good make-up remover. I read that oils and milks were better for my combination skin than one of those
dying gels, as their foaming draws moisture from the skin instead of help in replacing it. Gels are better off used on oily skin. The fact that it is an oil was crucial in finalizing my buying decision.You can work this into a slight milky solution with gentle upward and circular motions. Before learning about this, like a black South African child I would go for the soapiest option, because I believed it cleared the dirt better! :) Ahhh. Brainwash lifestyle. Right? The perils of having an OCD black mother. I was harming my skin!

Here are a few more items from Sorbet. My next beauty haul from Clicks will include; Sorbet's "Pore your heart out" Facial Cleanser (3 set face brush)Night Recovery Cream, and Hydro Skin SPF15 Day Cream. After all that, I promise to leave my wallet alone.

Step 2
Clicks' Tea Tree Oil Control Toner R40 
I went for their tea tree toner because tea tree makes me think of antihistamine properties, and I literally wanted to be as cool as a cucumber.

Step 3
Dove Wool Pads R21 Clicks
They help " cleanse and exfoliate in one easy step" - taken off the pack, but this doesn't make it less true. I've experienced messy fibres with other brands, so this is truly a keeper. An ideal part of my personal and beauty care regime.

Step 4 
Good old Bio-Oil Tissue Oil. R85 200ml - currently on special Clicks
Said to remove scars, stretch marks, even skin tone, heal aging skin and replenish dehydrated skin. Well, only time will tell. There was a noticeable difference in my few months' use of Justine's tissue oils for face and body. So, you could try that instead. Another option to try is Sorbet's 
Facial Tissue Oil.

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