For someone who is involved in this beauty industry, I can be quite lazy hence I look for the easiest way to get things done and still come out pretty. But I will also tell you the truth that you can’t always get away with ‘back door’ techniques.
I like having clear healthy looking skin but for weeks and months I would not stick to my cleansing routine or diet so once I had an upcoming event, I would go into overdrive a few days before then; drinking water, scrubbing my face with sponge and in extreme cases use a fast action clearing cream recommended to me (I am very ashamed as I confess this, upon all I preach) But I know I am not alone in this bad behaviour so do not judge, thank you!
Over the years, I have learnt my lessons the hard way but I will be nice enough to share them with you:
- DRINK WATER!! Drink water, just be drinking water! This is not a joke, and I know you are tired of reading or hearing it but I promise you, water does magic for the skin because it cleanses the body from within. I know it can be boring but try your best until it becomes a habit. You can throw in lemon slices, this makes it easy.
- Leave your face alone! *sigh* I await the day I will permanently obey this instruction myself as I am a work in progress. Pinching your pimples will give you scars and often produces other skin problems as our hands are often really dirty, we can’t even imagine how much rubbish we transfer when we touch our face.
- Keep your space and possessions clean – your hair and hair net, combs, your pillowcase, bed sheets, night shirt, makeup applicators, phone screen and earphones, shaving appliances, face towel and sponge. Keep them clean and dry; for items like phone that you can’t wash, use a cleansing wipe.
- Take care of your skin – I recently learnt from a skin specialist that ethnic (African, Asian and South American) skin should be exfoliated more often (daily actually) than Caucasian skin because of the melanin that gives our skin colour. So Cleanse, Exfoliate, Moisturize and stop strolling about in the sun (I will discuss this in a separate post) and this is for the men as well.
- Use the right products – People often think expensive or popular means quality but not always true. Find out what works for you; speak to someone if you are afraid to try by yourself. Technology has made it possible for us to watch online reviews by others who have tried things. Do the research and know your skin type and personal preferences. I sometimes use plain white sugar to exfoliate and Shea butter does NO wonders for my skin even if I know people who swear by it. I also know that even with all the sincere advice to moisture, I have to look for other ways to incorporate it in my routine because I cannot dare to slap lotion directly on my face.
- Do not do anything in a hurry – Invest time and commit yourself to getting the best results. For instance Ladies, you may think it is easy to hurriedly shave off unwanted facial hair rather than get it tweezed or professionally waxed but you will regret it, oh my darling you will regret it!
You may take a while to get results but be patient; and stop jumping from one fad to another. Skin types (textures and undertones) differ so using Bobrisky’s super lightening cream after one Chinese peeling scrub may violently burn you when all you really need to is stop drinking coke, exfoliate with sea salt with an occasional natural honey mask.
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