I have very dry skin; however, what I didn’t realize was my lack of water consumption was contributing to my dry skin. Your organs utilize water as well and depending on how much you sweat you have to make sure you drink water to replace the fluids lost. What most people, including myself forget is our skin is our largest organ.
Don't Neglect Your Skin!
We have to take care of it. Our skin has what’s called an acid mantle to help protect against toxins, bacteria and other fungi that we come across. Most of the time our skin is battling things that we don’t know exist.
This is why it’s important to wash our face at least twice a day, but we should also moisturize our skin after washing as well. Applying a facial scrub to remove the dead skin is also important (once a week usually, but check in with a dermatologist if you have a specific skin condition to make sure you don't aggravate your skin). I try to incorporate a facial scrub once a week.
Oil Based Cleansers & Routines?
I use oil based cleansers because my skin is dry, but also because oil attracts oil, meaning the oil in the cleanser will attach to the oil in our skin to remove dirt. Whenever I use an oil based cleanser, I wash it off (more like gently pat off) with a hot towel to open my pores and allow the oils to do their job. I always follow up with a toner (and honestly hydrosols are fantastic) and moisturizer. If it is the day that I use my face scrub, this is the process:
- Wash face
- Use face scrub
- Toner
- Face moisturizer
Getting Used to New Products
Some may argue that this may take too much time; however, it can take as few as five minutes or 15 when you're developing your skincare routine.
My recommendation is to take pictures when you begin to use a new product. I take pictures every week to monitor my progress. Allow your skin to get used to the products.
Breakouts may occur early on but it may be due to your skin is getting used to the product. If your skin burns, you experience redness, itching or irritation, discontinue right away. This is also why a patch test is so important and it is why i encourage you to do this when you use all of my products.
- Use a small amount (dime or quarter size) on the inside of your forearm. Let the product sit for at least five minutes
- If no irritation occurs, try the product on a larger area (under jaw line or back of neck)
- If that works, proceed to use on other body parts and monitor your progress
3 Reminders About Essential Oils
- Never apply an essential oil to your eyes, nose, or genitals. Essential oils are very concentrated and can burn your skin.
- Use carrier oils whenever you are thinking about incorporating an essential oil.
- Be very careful with essential oils like tea tree or peppermint. These oils can cause skin irritation, especially when applied directly to the skin. This brings me to the takeaway: I know that a lot of people swear by tea tree oil for hair and scalp conditions, but please visit a dermatologist if you are experiencing issues with difficult conditions. You may end up causing more harm than good. You can always visit the following resources if you would like to search for a dermatologist/search for common skin conditions with skin of color as well: