My skin care routine… not of the gurus!
This post will be a personal post, about how the world gets so carried away with TikTok and “skin-care gurus” giving their opinion and reviews on their products they sue on their skin. You can count me in on this one. I have for a while been following a few youtubers giving their honest opinion on what works on their skin and what has been really ruining their skin. Without even giving things a second thought, I have jumped into the band wagon. Really wanting those products to work out on my skin.
Individually everyone skin type is never the skin. One skin might defer from the other. Depending on the food you consume, hereditary, genes and various other factors. So, not necessarily the products will work for your skin, as it has worked for the said “skin-care gurus”. If you have a certain skin type, or a skin concern it is best you pay a visit to the dermatologist to target the areas or check for ingredients to tackle the specific concern one at a time.
Let me now tell you about my skin type. I have combination skin. During summer my skin can get super oily and during winters extremely dry. Monsoon it is normal. In addition to this having the condition of PCOs (polycystic ovarian syndrome), I had facial hair from my jawline to my lower chin area. This has made me a self-conscious person most of my life. Before actually getting into skin care I had to find ways to get rid of the facial hair. I have been a victim of all social stigmas and notions, of how a female’s face is supposed to look like. Worldwide expectation is flawless, lighter tone, smooth like a baby’s bottom etc.
I had to first target the root cause, have a balanced diet plan, light workout and overall find a coping mechanism to combat the stress. Keep my body as relaxed as possible. The imbalance in hormones is caused to several factors. For that you must actually speak to an expert. Here, I am just highlighting how I took care of my skin. To get rid of any body hair, a girl or a woman will go with the waxing approach. I had already tried the regular hot wax method. It would not pull the hair as effectively. For the facial hair growth, the best wax is hard wax which is used for sensitive areas like the bikini lines. Hard wax pulls hair that is as close to the skin. You need to melt the wax in the right consistency is key, not making it too hot but warm enough for applying on the skin and the edge to pull thick enough. However, it failed for me. The hair growth was the same.
I visited a gynecologist for expert advice. I was given prescribed medication after running a few tests. And the doctor told me I needed to pay visits to laser clinics were best results. I took the medication for the course prescribed and instead of visiting a laser clinic I invested in a at home laser device. Ergonomically convenient, less time consuming and the easy of use. I would not have to book appointments at the clinic and I need not pay the per sittings cost. The decision to do it myself was the best I made. I have reviewed laser hair removals in my previous posts. It’s the shave the face first and laser after. To be done once a week. In due course the visible results. By the way I use the gilletes fusion 5 men’s razor. The best razor to use all over your body. Gives a clean shave each time.
Once I cleared my face. Hardly any facial hair growth now. I started with my own skin care. Learning and teaching myself about the ingredients. I use retinol cream every other night, followed by Bio-derma cream. During the day it’s the basic Bio-derma cream, followed by the sunscreen. Neutrogena sunscreen works best for my combination skin. The night’s I don’t use retinol, I use a niacinamide serum. When I want to do something extra for my skin, I use the snail mucin or the cosrx snail day cream. This is pretty basic and nothing extra. I just don’t want to break out with too much on my skin. I use the bio derma pigment-bio foaming cleanser, the micro particles gently cleanses my skin. To maintain the skin health, I do like a fruit and vegetable detox and I either do a bentonite clay mask or a Rhassoul clay mask mixed with apple cider vinegar. Bentonite Clay great for deep cleaning the pores, pulsating clay. Rhassoul Clay, again a pulsating clay for younger long skin. Or I will steam my face and use a chemical peel like the Ordinary AHA, BHA chemical peel. My skin is fresh at this point, and it feels like the skin of an infant. Instantly reenergized for the week. Post care is a must after every chemical peel. Like moisturization followed by a sunscreen for protection, as the skin is in its most vulnerable state.
My ultimate advice is keep it simple, minimal and keep it clean. Most importantly know and understand your skin to elevate your skin care game.