my "lecture" on skincare

*oily and acne prone skin*

before i even start, lemme say that this is my own rules i follow in skincare that ive learned from others and from trial and error, just bc it works for me, doesnt mean it will work for everyone, but the products i mention r fairly cheap and can be bought at ur local drugstore, or even walmart, so it doesnt hurt 2 try it... but everyones skin is different and reacts 2 a variety of things, u just have 2 try and find what works for you :)

OK here we go! .. well as u know i have oily skin, so 2 keep it looking as if i dont.. i thought id use cleansers for oily skin or ones that say theyre for oil control, BIG MISTAKE! see just bc u have oily skin, doesnt mean u should go nuts and try 2 dry ur face up... i was using cleansers that stripped my face, not clean, strip it... and thats what most ppl do.. what you should do tho is find a gentle yet efficient cleanser... and this goes for ppl with acne 2... you dont need a "acne" cleanser. see when u use a cleanser for oily or acne skin, its meant 2 dry it up. what happens is, it dries ur skin up so much that ur skin almost freaks out and goes into defense mode and tries 2 compensate the oils for ur skin that u just stripped... skin shouldnt b greasy or anything like that, but it should have a "glow" and it should b moisturized... which is why u should use a cleanser for normal skin.. bc those cleansers are meant for people who have a good natural balance, they arent meant 2 dry, and dont have harsh things like AHAs and BHAs...

i suggest cetaphil, or avons meet mark comforting milk cleanser.. these are so gentle and basic that just cleanse ur skin, they dont strip, and once ur done ur skin feels clean, and soft but not dry.. BUT for ppl who wear makeup, dont expect these cleansers 2 remove ur makeup, bc they wont... which brings me 2 the order in which u use these gentle cleansers... in the am, u should wash with either of these... but at night, u should use a gentle gel cleanser... and ive tried everything, but ive only found 2 gel/deep cleansing cleansers, and thats neutrogenas fresh foaming cleanser, and avons meet mark purifying gel cleanser... while these are in the gel catagory, they dont foam up alot like soap, and they dont strip or dry ur skin, but they do remove ur makeup, (neutrogenas seems 2 remove makeup better tho).. soooo i already told u about the am, so for the pm, since u have build up of dirt and some oil, plus ur makeup and bacteria thats been transferred from ur hands etc.. u should wash ur face with the gel cleanser first and focus on getting ur makeup off, once u do that THEN, wash with the gentle cleanser u use in the am :)

ok so now the ppl with acne are pry thinking " well how am i suppose 2 keep my acne at bay if i dont use acne cleanser?!"... well, after u cleanse u should use a toner, now this is the step where u should use something for acne... i get breakouts around that time of the month and only one astringent has made my blemishes go away, and thats clean and clear atringent for sensitive skin...

so 2 recap the "routine"so far..

am. 1. cleanse with gentle cleanser

2. use a sensitive astringent for acne ( ppl with oily skin can use this 2)

pm. 1. use gentle gel cleanser, and then gentle cleanser

2. use sensitive astringent

ok... now b4 i forget 2 tell u, besides the acne astringent, the only other ance product u should use is a spot treatment, and as far as this goes, its pretty much personal preference, u might prefer AHAs a.k.a salicylic acid u can also use benzoyl peroxide, or tea tree oil ( only at night tho) .. i myself use a clay mask as a spot treatment at night, i use it after my moisturizer, and during the day i use clearasil gel on the spot treatment.

alright, onto , SCRUBS!!! heres where tons and tons of ppl make mistakes.. a scrub is meant 2 exfoliate the dead skin, and with time can help 2 improve the texture of ur skin, the clarity and help fade dark spots.. and who doesnt want that? BUT if u mis-use a scrub, u can actually cause more damage... theres 2 types of scrubs, theres the daily scrub and the abrasive scrub, like the st ives scrub..... the daily scrub, usually has little microspheres that kinda buff away the dead skin.. now the abrasive scrub, (ima use the st ives as the example) it uses walnut shells, and it literlly almost roughly scrapes and slices off the dead skin.. now where ppl mess up is 1. they use the harash scrub as a daily, and 2. they apply alot of pressure as they scrub thinking it will make it more effective..

ok, #1 big no-no,, if these were meant 2 b used daily, they wouldnt have invented the daily scrub.. by using it daily, u not only get rid of the dead skin.. but u begin 2 aggrevate the healthy skin, which will cause inflammation, and more breakouts, or start a breakout if u dont already have one..

and #2, oof an even bigger no-no!!, bc the at ives scrub already has the walnut shells in it, it kinda cuts and slices off the dead skin, u just should gently massage ur face, by pressure, ur starting 2 "cut" into ur healthy skin, resulting in the same damage as #1, so imagine what that would do 2 ur skin if ur doing both ! *GASP* lol

so, with that said, u should use the harsh scrub, every 3 days, and u can use the daily scrub the rest of the time, if u choose 2, but u should watch ur skin for a week and see if maybe using a daily scrub causes more oil, bc if ur skin is sensitive that might b 2 much.. i use a scrub every other day.

whew.. ok so where does that leave me ? >_> <_<......>

once again ppl with acne and oily skin almost always make the mistake of thinking its not beneficial 2 ur skin 2 use moisturizer, no, def the opposite, u need a good moisturizer just as much as someone with dry skin does, but u dont neccesarily need one as thick as some ppl with dry skin like 2 use.... i love skincare so ive tried alot of things, and things that r very pricey, and with all of them i wake up with soft skin, but very greasy skin and bc its greasy i would get a blemish, ewww. until...i stumbled upon st ives collagen moisturizer for all skin types.. its a simple moisturizer.. and not only was my skin soft, but it wasnt greasy, and my current breakout at the time actually was clearing up even tho i was using a moisturizer.. u get a large jar for $5!!! ok so, it moisturizes ur skin, doesnt affect ur current breakout, it helps if anything, and ur skin is soft, and its $5??? umm can we scream OH MY GOSH!!!

now for spf, i myself have had trouble with this, anything with spf breaks me out! -_- except, avons hydro-radiance moisturizer, its just basic and works for me, finding one for u is a fact of trial and error, BUT there is no question that u NEED 2 wear spf during the day, sunny, overcast, rainy, or winter, wear spf! tho many mineral foundations have spf in them.

alright, this is the last part and dont worry its fairly short.... masks..

masks are awesome, they help dry up blemishes, moisturize, its almost like using a deep treatment on ur hair.. just depends on what ur wanting one for.. some ppl like homemade masks.. but for oily and acne skin, i find that queen helenes mint julip mask works wonders... u should use it once a week 2 start and go to 2 times a week if ur skin handles it well... but at night if u look in the mirror and u happen 2 see a evil little friend >_> aka blemish, just put a spot of the mask on it and sleep overngiht with it on and by morning its wayyyyyyy down!... now another one ppl love, is the asprin masks, u take 3-5 tablets of asprin uncoated, the cheap ones u can buy at dollar store even, anyways, so take the 3 -5 tablets and a few drops of water and add water until u get a paste and leave it on 10min.. now this is a bit more harsh and should only b done once a week... either is very good, its all personal preference on this one, i like the mint julip masks so much i havent been using the asprin lately...

OK, w00t were done!... so for those who wanted 2 know my routine, here it is in full

AM:

1. meet mark comforting milk cleanser

2. clean and clear sensitive skin astringent

3. avons hydro-radiance moisturizer

PM:

1. neutrogena fresh foaming cleanser

2.meet mark comforting milk cleanser

3. clean and clear daily scrub

4. clean and clear sensitive skin astringent

5. st. ives collagen moisturizer

6. spot treat with mint julip mask

2 times a week, full mint julip mask

1-2 times a week st ives medicated scrub ( more harsh then daily scrub)

and there u go, thats my daily

and random tips:

*try ur best 2 avoid things with alcohol in them, since they run the risk of drying ur skin, tho with astringent they usually have it in them, thats why i use the sensitive kind

*the more a cleanser foams, usually the more drying it is

*during the day, u can apply a oil control powder, but u should only do that one time mid day, bc after the first time, sometimes ur makeup can look cakey, instead, either buy oil blotting sheets, or some tissues, u can keep a little purse pack in ur bag

*try 2 avoid liquid and cream foundations during the summer, instead try mineral foundation

*use a primer b4 u put on ur makeup, it helps control oil as well, and helps 2 create a barrier over ur skin b4 u put no ur makeup

* this goes for ppl with bangs, or those who keep their hair down.. make sure 2 pull ur hair back away from ur face and clip ur bangs off of ur face at night, bc the oil and dirt in ur hair can clog ur pores ( and yes, theres dirt in ur hair bc u shouldnt wash ur hair every single day or else ur hair gets dry and brittle, bc when u wash ur hair u strip the natural oils, which u need )

and thats the end of my "lecture" lol, haha, i hoped i helped some of yall, if theres anything more ud like 2 ask, just message me or IM me at iluvpink5289@aim.com bye bye!