(photo courtesy of Adesuwa Joseph)
The first step in taking care of your skin is understanding why it’s reacting the way it is.
Are you drinking enough water? What are you putting into yourself?
These things matter. Your doctor and loved ones aren’t lying when they say you need to drink more water. That’s the first step in trying to see any change in your skin.
BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING:
Take a deep breath. It’s okay. Your skin will come together, you won’t be ashamed to look in the mirror and you most definitely won’t be using makeup to conceal blemishes anymore.
Eating also plays a MAJOR role in the condition of your skin. You can’t think eating French fries and candy will result in clear skin; it won’t. Of course we have those times where it may be that time of the month and we succumb to hormonal cravings. That’s okay. We just need to ensure that the right nutrients are being consumed as well.
Find a vegetable and fruit that you can tolerate and add them to as many meals as you can. Some great options are spinach, kale, blueberries, strawberries, carrots, onions, peppers, bananas and apples.
Put nice things into your body and it’ll display an even nicer image back.
Ade’s Ingredients for Popping Skin:
Before I list why I use the mentioned products, I should first mention that I am in no way a skin care specialist. If you have an allergy to any of these products, don’t continue to use them – alternatives exist. This goes to say that what works for me, may not work for you and that’s okay.
- Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Castile Soap. This can be found at Target, Walgreens and any major health store like GNC, The Vitamin Shoppe or Whole Foods (Body). This brand is amazing, cruelty-free and just overall great for your skin. All you need is a drop and you’ll see a difference. They offer their castile soap in other scents, but the peppermint is what grabbed my attention.
- Tea Tree Oil. This oil is super strong and amazing for fighting acne and redness. The smell can be overwhelming and if it gets on your lips, you may just feel a tingling sensation. For the people with more sensitive skin, I suggest pairing tea tree oil with a dab of coconut oil.
- Jojoba Oil. I recently picked this up and I love it! As a girl with oily skin, it’s a light moisturizer and serves its purpose well without me turning into my true form of a grease-mobile.
- Tamanu Oil. Tamanu is another oil bandwagon that I’ve jumped on. It’s supposed to be great for scarring and wounds. Why not use it to combat acne scars?
- St. Ives Green Tea Blackhead Scrub: This scrub surprised me. I usually don’t purchase anything from St. Ives but being a lover of the color green and a fan of green tea, something pushed me to purchase this scrub. I’m so glad that I did. I can’t put into words how amazing it is. It smells great and will do wonders on your skin.
- Mario Badescu’s Rosewater Spray: Rosewater is amazing! It’s light but will make your face feel rejuvenated. For my makeup lovers, this makes for a great setting spray. This can be found at Ulta or on the MB website.
- THAYER’S WITCH HAZEL: Capitalizing it because it is the BOMB DIGGITY. Their witch hazel is phenomenal for two reasons: It’s alcohol free and contains aloe vera, which is very, very good for your skin. Also, it’s properties help to fight acne and impurities, so just imagine what it does with witch hazel. I use this product as a toner and I love it! It comes in different scents, my favorites being rose petal and lemon.
- Raw Apple Cider Vinegar. ACV is phenomenal. You can add it to your water. You can take a bath with it mixed in. You can dab it on a pesky zit and wake up the next day with it gone. ACV is something I used paired with the Aztec Clay mask; together they make magic. When buying this, make sure that you’re getting RAW ACV. Processed won’t do you any good. If it has what they call “the mother” at the bottom, you’re good. Braggs is my favorite brand; you’ll see it everywhere!
- Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay. As I said above, this clay paired with ACV and water makes for a great mask. You’ll feel the impurities being lifted and you’ll get a great Snapchat picture in the process because the mask is green. It’s important to add masks to your routine because they can do things that your regular face wash may not. I typically do this mask once a week when I’m being super on top of my skin care. If not, once every two weeks.
- A facial brush or exfoliating sponge. Your hands can only do so much. I found that my skin shows better results when I use a facial brush (without bristles because they can trap and contain dirt) and sponge. These tools help exfoliate your skin, bringing the impurities out of their hiding spots. I’m all for affordable products so I purchased this brush online at Amazon.
The Process to Popping:
This is a very important section to read as it will detail HOW I use the products listed above to my advantage.
- Double cleansing is your friend.
What the hell is double cleansing you’re wondering, huh? Double cleansing is a cleaning technique that uses an oil based product (tea tree oil) and a foaming cleanser (peppermint castle soap) to deep clean skin.
If you’re any oily girl like me, you’re probably staring at this screen like “sis must not know my skin, why am I putting oil onto it?!” Trust me, I’ve been there! When I first learned of it, I thought the woman was crazy, but I took a chance and tried it out.
The Basic Routine:
Step One: Take a cotton round, cotton ball, or the clean tips of your hands and apply a layer of tea tree oil across your entire face. Be mindful of your eyes and lips (if it gets in, it WILL sting). Again, if you have more sensitive skin I would suggest adding coconut oil with the tea tree, just to have the moisturizing properties.
Step Two: Right over the layer of oil (don’t wash it off! ) apply a dime amount of the peppermint castile soap. Seriously, you don’t need a lot. A little goes a long way. Here is where the exfoliating sponges and facial brushes come in. You can use these two on your skin to make sure that the products are permeating.
Step Three: Rinse your face off. I suggest cool water as your face is going to feel super, super cool, clean and fresh.
Step Four: After patting your face dry or letting it air dry, take a cotton-round or ball and apply a layer of the witch hazel. This will help to even your skin tone and prevent acne from trying to resurface.
Step Five: Moisturize. Again, yes oily girls, this applies to us as well. Keeping your skin moisturized will help in the long run. You can use jojoba or coconut oil as a moisturizer, but make sure to be conscious about how much you’re putting on your face. Coconut oil has the tendency to clog pores, so be very delicate with usage of it.
Step Six: Bask in your feel good skin magic!
The Extras:
Typically, when I feel like my skin needs a pick me up after eating poorly, exercising, or simply being outdoors too long I add some additional steps to my skin routine.
- After double cleansing (steps 1,2,3), I use the Green Tea Scrub. This just does an extra job of removing dirt from my face.
- Sometimes I use Aloe Vera Gel in place of the witch hazel as a toner. I’m honestly still getting use to its texture, so I don’t use it as much as I should.
- Once a week I do some type of mask whether it be the Aztec clay mask or one from the Freeman’s brand.
- Adding Rosewater to the basic routine by spraying it after using the witch hazel.
Some Warnings:
When looking for skin care products always be sure to read the ingredients. Alcohol should NOT be going into your skin. It dries it and it’s not good for you…. at all.
When buying oils or the ACV, make sure you’re getting the REAL thing. A lot of companies are selling “tea tree oil” with everything BUT tea tree in it. Don’t get duped – read the ingredients. Make sure that your oils have ONE ingredient, that being it’s respective plant. The only ingredient your tea tree should have is Melaleuca alternifolia Leaf Oil.
I hope that this post could help! Again, my skin is definitely not perfect. It has its flaws and days where I just look like connect-the-dots
Happy Healthy Skin Care y’all!