Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Skincare Secrets!!!

They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder but skin beauty affects us all. It may be more than skin deep, but having had a background of bad skin (acne) while growing up, I have learnt that having nice skin sure doesn’t hurt and have been better at taking care of that as the years have gone by. Let’s just say I went through quite a few products that I experimented with and researched before finding a solution to my problem and in the past few years it has actually worked although every now and then I may stray from the norm to give myself a break in between. I know a lot of you might be going through the same thing, so here are six easy tips I’ve picked up that help make a difference with my skin through the various seasons. Personally I prefer winter because my skin seems to thrive, come summer extra skin loving is necessary and for us in Africa, that time is now until I see winter again next year. I have moments where my skin seems flawless but let’s just say I am not there yet where it’s all perfect – I’m probably the closest I can get at the moment. If there is anything I learnt from my dermatologist, its sun screen, sun screen, sun screen even on brown skin.

1.) Drink Plenty Of Water – The American Academy of Dermatology states that being dehydrated causes fine lines and wrinkles to show up more. I am a tea addict (rooibos and ice tea) – I drink it all day from morning to about 4pm everyday and have ice tea at other times (my confession). Now I know they say drink water which I do throughout the day as well but maybe not quite 8 glasses everyday unless I have a thirst I can’t easily quench. The rule of thumb though says we should all have “8 glasses of 8 oz” although no scientific proof exists bottom-line line is we all should just stay hydrated some-how because the body needs water on a daily basis. I hardly drink cold water; I usually have it served at room temperature or warm (sometimes with lemon wedges, mint, and honey).

2.) What You Eat Affects Your Skin – I realised later in life that my eating habits were also causing my bad skin episode after having exhausted a few product options that only seemed to work for a short while or not at all. It finally dawned on me after years of my parents complaining and trying to straighten out my bad eating habits. I was too focused on the external part of my skin and not internal. I needed to be aware of what was going in my body as well as what I put on my skin! I’ve always been prone to certain allergies but it didn’t occur to me until I introduced a few changes to my life style that made a difference to my skin. I recommend visiting a doctor to just rule that out, and add the changes to your meal plan and see if it makes a difference. And if you’re not allergic, trying things cutting out fatty, processed foods like chips and sugary cereals for a while might just help. I have always had an insatiable sweet tooth that I am always trying to control to help with having fairly good skin.

3.) Ice your face – Now this is something I have started in recent years. At first I thought it was just a myth, but figured I had tried pretty much everything, why stop now. I know it sounds super weird but so far so good, it gives my face a somewhat youthful look. I don’t do it every morning but it helps tighten my pores, makes my skin look fresh especially on those weekends I stay away from makeup and it simply just keeps smooth. With the cleansing I do often, it just all works together and gives my skin a rejuvenated feel and look. I totally recommend this.

4.) Protect Your Skin Using Sunscreen – They say black don’t crack and may be right, but having not been conscious of using sunscreen the early years of my life and my family thinking I’ll one day suffer from lack of sun exposure, I try and spend a little time enjoying the sun rays from time to time. When I do though now, I use the advice my dermatologist gave me, use sun screen all skin gets sun burnt no matter if you are white, blue, green, yellow, brown, skin burns all the same. Although I still avoid the sun like the plague, I do try and at least wear sunscreen when I decide to venture out in it.

5.) Wash Off Your Make-Up – I’ve had this habit of sometimes not washing my face, but I am glad to say I have I’ve kicked that to the curb. It’s easy to get lazy and fall asleep with your make-up on – I’ve done it countless times and that just didn’t help my skin at all. Our bodies, skin, minds all want to recover on a daily basis and as such one needs to clean their skin so the body can recover. If this is not done, free radicals start to work against your cells, causing them to get damaged and allowing wrinkles, spots, to build up – My gran Trica’s family being Scottish/Zimbabwean I must say got good genes in skin and I always envy that (hope I age as gracefully as they have). So I recommend to the ladies that those of us who weren’t born with perfect flawless skin stick to cleaning off our make-up with a cleanser and applying a moisturizer afterwards to help give our cells a break and something to help make us look more beautiful.

6.) A Little Extra Love For Your Skin – Although I am not one to stick to this, but I recommend and agree that a moisturising facial at a spa every so often will help your skin always keep its radiance. I usually stick to readymade masks or make my own when I decide to pamper myself every so often at home. I actually feel a difference on my skin and always tell myself I should do this more often than not.

I hope you ladies out there try out some of these tips and tell me how they worked or didn’t work for you.

Have you tried any of these tips? Are there any skin care tips you want to share with me? Let me know in the comments!