GUYS guys omg!! so i started a new skin regimen not even a week ago and my skin is GLOWING like it’s soft, it’s moisturized but not oily, it’s bright, AND my acne scars are fading. i wanted to share what i’m doing with yall bc it changed my life so maybe it’ll change yours.
(DISCLAIMER: my skin isn’t naturally oily or dry, but it is prone to getting scars even though i don’t pick at pimples. that said, i don’t know if those of you with different skin types will benefit from this, but for those with acne scars it may really help. (for those with dry skin types, i would be careful, bc a lot of the stuff i use is abrasive and might really strip your skin if it’s already dry.))
FIRST OFF, get yourself a facial cleansing brush. it doesn’t have to be expensive – i literally got mine from walmart for seven bucks – but just get your paws on one. it offers a lot deeper cleaning that’ll make sure nothing’s in your pores.
before you do anything with your face, brush your teeth. (as a side note, i now rinse with hydrogen peroxide after brushing and my teeth are whiter after about a week and a half. just rinse with hydrogen peroxide, and then rinse with a little bit of water. (if you have sensitive teeth your teeth may get more sensitive, so be careful.))
lightly wet the brush head of your cleansing brush and lightly wet your face.
put some facial cleanser on your face (whatever cleanser you use – personally i use two different cleansers for the morning and the night, and the one i use in the morning is clean & clear morning burst skin-brightening cleanser, which you can find at walmart). spread it evenly over your skin.
turn your brush on (for the mornings i usually put it on the low setting) and move it around in circular motions (moving up and outwards) until the cleanser looks like it’s blended into your skin a little bit.
rinse your brush head off and set it on the side of the sink to drain a little bit while you rinse your face off. (USE LUKEWARM WATER. hot water is too abrasive and strips your face of ALL its oils, which is bad.)
pat your face dry. also pat your brush head dry. (be gentle with your brush head or all the bristles will go haywire and it won’t be good anymore.)
now tone. for a toner i use burt’s bees natural acne solutions clarifying toner (which i found at target), but it’s a little abrasive and drying (it has salicylic acid and witch hazel in it), so those of you with dry or more sensitive skin may want something more soothing with ingredients like rose water or aloe vera. just grab your toner, grab a cotton ball, put some toner on it and swab it all over your face and neck, always swiping upwards.
moisturize. (personally i use two different moisturizers for morning and night, and for morning i use spa naturals coconut oil moisturizing cream, which can be found out dollar tree for, you guessed it, a dollar.) just rub it into your face – keep in mind, a little dab’ll do ya. if you go hog wild, it’ll be too much and your skin will be gross.
i finish off with a facial mist – i use garnier skinactive soothing facial mist with rose water. it gives a nice soothing finish to my face, and although i don’t wear makeup, i’ve heard it makes a nice setting spray.
for my lips during the daytime, i use burt’s bees beeswax lip balm. i constantly chew my lips (thanks, anxiety) and this lip balm still manages to keep them soft and smooth.
brush your teeth, then wash your face just like you did in the morning. i mentioned that i use two different cleansers, and i do – at night i use st. ives fresh skin apricot scrub.
moisturize. as a night moisturizer, i use cosmetic lad from lush.
finish off with your facial mist.
i also put vaseline on my eyelashes – it takes a while for results, but they do get thicker and a LOT longer.
before i go to sleep, i put on carmex lip balm. it keeps your lips moisturized while you sleep and you wake up with them soft. careful, though – carmex lip balm is really thick, so don’t apply a lot of pressure when you put it on.
i do masks twice a week: wednesday nights and sunday nights.
on wednesday, i wash my face with let the good times roll face and body cleanser from lush, then use the mask of magnaminty from lush. let it sit for ten minutes, then wash it off, tone, moisturize and mist.
on sunday nights, i apply birth of venus jelly mask from lush, let it sit for ten minutes, then apply let the good times roll on top of it and wash my face off. then i tone, moisturize and mist.
on the nights i do face masks, i also use bubblegum lip scrub from lush on my lips to get all the dead skin off, and then apply carmex lip balm. sometimes, if i’ve been biting my lips a lot recently, i’ll do it more often than twice a week, but i never do it two days in a row, bc that’s a good way to get your lips really dry and cracked.
on nights i use masks, i also use apple cider vinegar with the mother (find it at just about any grocery store) – i put it on a cotton ball and use it almost like a toner, but after i’ve toned, moisturized and misted. it evens out the ph of your skin and helps clear up acne scars – it smells horrible, but it’s worth it. (don’t use too much, bc vinegar is acidic and if you use too much it’ll throw off your ph instead of evening it out. if you have dry skin, you may want to skip this step entirely.)
here’s a pic of all the products i use (except the lip scrub, bc 1. you can go to lush and find like thirty different flavors, so it doesn’t really matter what it looks like anyways – just look for the lip scrub section at lush and pick your flavor, and 2. i forgot to put it in the pic and i’m too lazy to retake it. i also neglected to include the apple cider vinegar bc it comes in a big ass glass bottle and i’m always nervous that i’m gonna drop it and break it):
my facial cleansing brush
clean & clear morning burst skin brightening facial cleanser (my morning face wash)
st. ives fresh skin apricot scrub (my night face wash)
burt’s bees natural acne solutions clarifying toner
spa naturals coconut oil moisturizing cream (my morning moisturizer)
cosmetic lad facial moisturizer (my night moisturizer)
garnier skinactive soothing facial mist with rose water
burt’s bees beeswax lip balm
vaseline (for my eyelashes at night)
birth of venus jelly mask
mask of magnaminty face mask
let the good times roll facial cleanser
apple cider vinegar with the mother
above all, drink water (some people say it doesn’t help your skin BUT even if it doesn’t at least you stay hydrated and healthy!), and drink a cup of green tea nightly or bi-nightly.
i hope this changes some of yall’s lives bc it sure as heck changed mine!!
