#pimple breakout (although that’s probably because I didn’t shower for 2 days and didn’t clean my concealer brush)? Check check check

[herawell]

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[vztalk-blog]

How To Adult: Part 2 - Skin Care

Looking to get fresh, poppin skin like this? Well, listen up, because I have just the thing for you. In this part of the HTA series, we’ll focus on skin care. 

So what exactly is skin care? There are more aspects included than you might think. Your skin is the largest organ of your body, your outer shell, the part of you that first gets in contact with everything. Consider it your armor, so to say, and fucking treat it like it. Which doesn’t mean that you’re supposed to walk through life carelessly, thinking you’re invincible because you are protected by your armor. No. It’s the opposite. Treat your skin like your life depends on it. Because that’s how you treat armor. And here’s how you take care of it.

Identify your skin problems, and act accordingly. Find out what the problems of certain areas of your skin are, and then help that spot of skin with what it needs. Your face often needs a different treatment from the rest of your body. People with neurodermatites or other skin problems should definitely seek out a doctor to have them describe the proper treatment, although I have something special in store for you guys as well, but that’s another bullet point. Breakouts can have different reasons: stress, a lack of sleep, dehydration, a bad diet, new medication (including the baby pill), an allergic reaction to something you’ve come in touch with (unwashed new clothes, a plant, something you ate, a perfume you sprayed on, a new make up you tested out, etc), a lot of sweating (people with fringes often get breakouts underneath their fringes) - the list goes on and on. It might be hard to identify what exactly is causing this break out, but if you take a good look at your last weeks, it’ll probably become obvious what’s upset your skin. If you still can’t find out what’s causing it, seek out a dermatologist, or just your basic house doctor. They can often point you in the right direction.  Once you’ve identified the problem, try to fix it, and get on to the helping your skin part. If your skin is dry, make sure you give it moisture. If it’s too oily, stay away from oily skin products - you get the point. 

Hydrate. Hydration is your first part to clear skin. And it’s your lucky day, because hydration comes with so many great side effects, such as better focus, more energy, and a general more well feeling. Your body needs water for everything, to nourish and protect your brain, to sweat, pee and go number 2, all with the single purpose to get rid of waste and toxic products in your body - you see, the list goes on. If you don’t help your body get rid of those toxins, they can build up and cause breakouts. Dehydration is also one of the main causes for pre-mature wrinkling. And honey, do you really want to be wrinkly at 20 years old?

Eat a balanced diet. That means don’t gorge yourself on junkfood all damn day. Your body can’t draw valued nutritions from those foods that it can get from fruits and veggies. Foods rich in vitamins A, B, C and E are all key elements in fighting off what is known to be “free radicals”, which are basically unstable molecules that attack cells in your body and speed up aging. Together, they help the skin repair itself and help a balanced collagen (which is the substance that holds your body together).

Wash your face regularly. That means twice a day, in the morning and before you go to bed. You’ll help your skin by removing all the excess that was shed throughout the day and night, either by sweating or shedding dead skin cells. This part is essential if you wear make up a lot. Make sure to remove your make up before you go to sleep, as that is the time that your skin needs to regenerate, and it can’t do that if its pores are clogged by foundation or powder. Clogged pores lead to pimples and break-outs, something you definitely don’t need in your life. Don’t use make up wipes that don’t go well for your skin, for example, if you have oily skin, don’t use oily removal wipes. Get yourself a face wash that works well for your skin (which means your skin isn’t too dry or too oily after using the product). For me, this product is the hit. It smells amazing and does its job so well that after I’ve used it, my face is squeaky clean and soft. If you haven’t found the best product for yourself yet, don’t fret, it took me years to find a product that works for me as well.

Dry brush and scrub-a-dub! Invest in a dry brush and use it everytime you shower. It helps get rid of dead skin and make way for your new skin. You may also get a face brush, it’s amazing for face washes, especially in combination with your face wash product. Make sure to clean all brushes on a regular basis, you don’t want the waste stuck in the brushes and putting it back on your face all the time. Get yourself a scrub that you’ll love. There are thousands of options, but I’ll list you my favorites: 1. Any product from Lush. Go into a store, find a person that can help you (usually they find you before you can get a look at any of their products), describe your skin type and problem to them, and they’ll find just the thing for you. Their products may be a little more pricey, but they absolutely do their job, they’re free of animal cruelty, often vegan, and therefore free of any side products you definitely don’t want to be putting on your skin. 2. Any scrub by Frank. I’ve linked his website on his name. His products may seem pricey, but the amount you get for what you pay is definitely within the cost-benefit-ratio. I have tried several of his products and they’ve all left my skin feeling soft like a baby’s bum. That shit is magic, especially for those of you with skin problems such as neurodermatitis. I have friends with the same problem, recommended them the scrub, and they all absolutely loved it and said that rarely has anything helped them get their skin so smooth. 3. Self-made-scrubs. I got myself a batch of coconut oil, put a few spoons-full into a bowl, mixed it with tons of brown sugar so that the ratio is 40% coconut oil and 60% brown sugar, and tada, you got yourself your own body scrub. I use it once or twice a week, depending on how my skin is doing that week, while showering. First get all your shaving done, then scrub away, leave it on for a good minute, then rinse with shower gel and water. I promise you, your legs will never have felt the same way. You might want to change the ratio of coconut oil and brown sugar, just find a mixture that feels nice on your skin.

 Get your hands on coconut oil. It’s amazing. When my skin has a bad day, but I don’t have the time to scrub, I wash my face in regular manner and then put a bit of coconut oil on my skin for overnight treatment. It softens your skin and helps regenerate it. (Ladies, coconut oil is an amazing treatment for treatment after you shaved your couchie. Dab some coconut oil or baby oil onto the freshly shaved area and I promise you’ll get baby soft skin. Coconut oil is also amazing for keeping the HP level of your vagina in check, so don’t worry about some of it getting in there. In fact, coconut oil makes for a good lubricant, as it helps regulate the HP level and get rid of toxic products in your vajayjay.) You can also rub some coconut oil in your hair, leave it in for as long as you can, but no longer than an hour, then rinse with cold water. Your hair will be soft and glowy and strong.

Sweat. I know, didn’t I just say that sweating may cause an outbreak? Well listen here. As mentioned before, sweating helps your skin get rid of waste and toxins. Which isn’t just amazing for your skin, but also your overall health. Take a few trips to the sauna or take a hot shower or bath. I recommend the latter instead of a shower, as a shower would be a rather waste of water if your goal is to sweat. Bath’s and sauna’s are also a great way to destress and get some time for yourself to think, reflect, read, listen to music, or just relax. And remember, destressing is amazing for your skin too! Get yourself a few nice bath salts, bath bombs, whatever makes you happy. And then have a good sweat session. Rinse properly afterwards to remove all the toxic waste that has been shed.

Get yourself a face mask for your problematic skin. This point cooperates with bullet point one. Get yourself a mask that corresponds with the problem of your skin and therefore erasing the problem. Lush people can help you in this point too. Their masks are amazing and have helped clear my skin a million times. Plus, if you save 5 of their containers and hand them back, you’ll get a free face mask. You can also never go wrong with the plain old clay mask, available pretty much anywhere. Before you shop wildly in the mask section at DM, I recommend you really find out what your problems are first, and then buy stuff accordingly. Otherwise you might be giving your skin something it doesn’t need at all. Also apply the masks only where needed. For example, if only your nose is oily, and you have a mask against oily skin, only apply it on your nose. Moisturizing masks, soothing masks and clay masks can generally be applied to all of your skin, as you can never really go wrong with any of them. 

If your skin is really bad, dry off with paper towels. Not the harsh kind you use in the kitchen, but the soft cosmetic ones. Using a towel is normally fine, but if your skin is really acting out, you want to reduce the odds of rubbing dirt back in it to zero. Fresh paper towels grant you a waste-free-drying-off option.

Change your sheets every two weeks. You sweat at night, and the waste and toxins you shed get soaked up in your sheets. Sounds disgusting, right? Well, it is. If you keep sleeping on dirt, of course it won’t be great for your skin. Put on fresh sheets every two weeks and you’ll skin be a happy fella.

Those are all my tips for now! I follow all of these on a regular basis, and it may seem like a lot, but I promise you, if you work them into your routine, you’ll find yourself within glowing skin within just a few months (it might take a little longer than that to treat acne or other severe problems). I hope they’ll help you like they have helped me!