Skin and Hair care routine Part 1

Hi Beauties,

Since it's been getting a bit colder and drier here, its been damaging my skin and hair so I had to change up my routines from the summer for the colder months to come.

DISCLAIMER: I am not an Esthetician or a Hair Stylist but this is what works for my skin and hair right now in the Fall and probably Winter months. A lot of women ask me about my skin care routine so here is PART 1 of this post dealing with my routine for skin and low key makeup. Part II will deal with my hair care routine.

SKIN TYPE: OILY

SKIN PROBLEMS: EXCESS OIL IN T-ZONE, LARGE PORES, DRY PATCHES ON CHIN, SLIGHT BREAKOUTS ON MY CHEEKS, SCARS LEFT FROM ACNE.

Here's my skincare routine:

Products include:
1. FACE WASH/ CLEANSER: L'Oreal Go 360 Clean Deep Facial Cleanser. It comes with a face scrubber. It can be a bit drying though.
2. EXFOLIATOR: Biore Daily Scrub Detoxify Exfoliator -Oil Free. I love this b/c its not too harsh on my skin and the tiny beads do really feel like you are removing all the dead skin cells when you work them in.
3. SKIN RENEWAL: C. Booth Derma M 36 Glycolic Acid Skin Resurfacing Solution-  I use this to help remove old skin cells esp since I have old acne scars due to the amount of melanin in my skin and my face scars easily. It contains about 10% Glycolic Acid and it's gentle enough for me to use it once a day, at nights before I go to bed. Its also ideal for mature skin, this resurfacing solution exfoliates deeper than scrubs and cleansers, sloughing off dead skin cells more thoroughly.
4. BREAKOUTS: Neutrogena Oil Free Acne Stress Control 3-IN- 1 Hydrating Acne Treatment. I use this as my acne spot treatment whenever I have a mild break out. The great thing about it is that it doesn't dry out or irritate the skin around the pimple. It contains salicylic acid which works as a comedolytic agent (kills bacteria) by causing the cells of the epidermis to shed more readily, opening clogged pores and neutralizing bacteria within, preventing pores from clogging up again. It takes about 2-3 days for my skin to clear up.
5. MOISTURIZER: Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief Gel- I use this on my dry patches and sometimes under my eyes. I love this because it comes in gel formula doesn't feel greasy or oily which is great for my oily skin and it does keep my skin moisturized in the areas I need it the most.
6.CHAPPED LIPS: Nivea Hydro Care lip balm- It literally feels like putting water on your lips. Makes my lips soft, smooth and moist. Love it. Don't forget to exfoliate your lips if you have chapped lips.

Low key makeup. I opt not to wear foundation sometimes if I am just going to work at night for a few hours. Just a few basics. We put makeup on sometimes three times in class so my face gets pretty irritated from the makeup and the removing so some days I am glad to go "au naturale", well for the most part. :)



Products for my low key makeup:

1. Clinique Up-lighting Illuminator in Bronze . This is a highlighter but I love this product because it has so many uses. I put it on my cheeks and on my eyelids pretty much to give my skin some radiance and add some dimension because my skin is pretty uneven and dull without foundation.

2. Hard Candy Glow All the Way 24kt gold infused face and body luminizer. I applied this along with the Clinique up- lighting Illuminator on my cheeks.

3. Maybelline Colossal Volume Mascara. I have no eye makeup and my brows aren't filled it so to bring some definition to my eyes I just put two coats of mascara on.

4. Covergirl Queen Collection Au Naturale Lipstick with L'oreal Colorjuice lipgloss 230 Passionfruit squeeze. For nude lips I wear these two together.

5. Forgot to mention I apply Ponds Oil Control Cream all over my face first to soak up any excess oil and keeep me from getting shiny throughout the night. It works up to about 2 hours then I could see a bit of shine but not like a greasepot or anything. lol

MY SKIN DOES LOOK RADIANT. YOU CAN SEE IM BREAKING OUT ON MY FOREHEAD AND I HAVE SLIGHT UNEVEN PATCHES BUT I LOVE MY SKIN ON MOST DAYS. LOL


DAB OF HIGHLIGHTER AND BRONZER ON THE CHEEKS. I AM POSITIVELY GLOWING :)




AT THE BUS STOP ON MY WAY TO WORK.

There you go ladies, my skin care routine. I will post Part II - My hair care over the weekend. Have a good one and stay beautiful.

Weekend Beauty

So I have been researching face treatments for oily skin for a week and finally found some all natural home remedies that I thought I would give a try. The one that I decided on was a turmeric face mask.


Lemon juice, flour, turmeric powder- Make a paste. (Use all purpose flour) Plain yogurt can be used in place of lemon juice. Apply all over the face except the eye area. Let dry. Rinse. The acids in the lemon juice treat dark spots on the face clearing the complexion. Turmeric brightens the look. (Lemon juice might cause a tingling sensation). Feel the fresh and oil-free skin afterwards.

 Turmeric powder found at valumart. Mix all three ingredients till you get a paste. I used half of a lemon and then applied it to my face and left it to dry for bout 20 mins.

my complexion is visibly brighter. look at my face compared to my neck.

After putting on my makeup I wasn't so worried. I was glowing and loved it!

When putting on the mask, you'll realise your face might smell like curry. lol This is because the turmeric is used in curry powders. Also you will feel a tingling sensation. This is from the lemon juice. It gets pretty itchy but try not to scratch. It takes about  15 mins to dry. Taking it off, be very gentle because it dries into a hard mask so just use a warm damp towel or wash cloth to remove the mask. After taking it off I realised my face was noticeable yellower.lol My normal skin undertone is reddish golden brown and I looked slightly cooler with yellow undertones but this is from the turmeric so after you take the mask off be sure to wash your face with a gentle cleanser like cetaphil to remove excess turmeric colouring. My face looked noticeable BRIGHTER. There is no doubt about the brightening effects of this mask. In terms of treating oily skin. I noticed I produced less oil during the night when I went out. I only had to dab once with my oil blotting sheet. And my old acne scars honestly were visibly lighter after the mask. I will be trying this again. And I don't smell like curry any more. Its morning and I still look like I have a bright glowing complexion. I love it. I will use this mask again tomorrow.

I do not know how the turmeric will react on darker skin but if you are darker and try it please try it when you have no where to go, just in case it doesnt turn out like you planned.

Stay tuned for my first guest blogger post from my girl Omo. She also did a post on mask for oily skin that works for her.

Until then my beauties, stay true to yourself. stay beautiful

For more tips for oily skin try http://www.essortment.com/lifestyle/beautyhealthsk_sjrd.htm.

To Peel or not to Peel? ...that is the question

Hi Beauties,


This is my first Q&A post. Thanks to my girl Omo for asking the first question. She asked if she should consider a chemical peel to remove acne scars.


Oh and this is a long post because I am trying to give you all the info that you need.


I have done research on chemical peels numerous times. As you know I suffer from discolouration and acne scars so I decided to go to a spa a few years ago in Halifax to get a professional chemical peel done due to my uneven skin tone and some old acne scars. I went for a consultation with the esthetician, she informed me about the process and how it will be done and checked my skin type and decided if it was the right solution for me. She concluded that I would be suitable for two treatments of 20% glycolic acid (alphahodroxy acid) would be best. She also mentioned that due to the thickness of my skin ( skin with more melanin tends to be thicker) she would not be able to do a deep treatment like some one who is Caucasian .(trying to be politically correct)


She put the peeling agent on my face. It tingled a bit for about 10-15 mins then she rinsed it off then I got a cucumber face mask which helped to cool down my skin done then she applied moisturizer and sunscreen. She gave me aftercare instructions which were that there might be some flaking and dryness so use moisturizer and APPLYING SUNSCREEN IS A MUST!!! I applied an SPF 45 face suncreen by VICHY every day then I had my second treatment in 2 weeks. My skin did improve, I found that I broke out between treatments with new pimples but she said that might happen due to my skin producing excess oil and a new layer of skin being exposed. After about two to three months , I found that my uneven skin tone and my old scars were significantly improving. I exfoliated at least once a week also to get rid of old skin cells which helped give me the best results.
My skin is much better to this day even though I still have one of two dark spots from new pimples. So tha's my personal story on getting a peel done. I think the two treatments plus the consultation ran around $200. I am considering having a slight chemical peel done also just to even out my skin tone.


Here's some more info on chemical peels. NB I am not a certified esthetician. This is just from my personal experience and my own research.


A chemical peel is a chemical solution which is applied to your skin to remove damaged outer layers or peel away superficial layers of skin or the uppermost epidermis.(top layer of skin)


You can get a peel done professionally by a dermatologist or esthetician or at home with a home kit. Doing it at home is really convenient at cost effective but I still recommend speaking with a dermatologist before you try an at home peel. You don't know how your skin will react to the chemical.


At home peels can come in a variety of agents such as:
Glycolic Acid (alphahydroxy acid)
Lactic acid
Salicylic acid(betahydroxy acid)
Mandelic Acid
Enzyme peels
Jessners
TCAs (trichloroacetic acid)


Each of these can come in different percentages or concentrations and different ph levels to accommodate different skin types.


What are chemical peels used for?
Chemical peels are effective for
-anti aging purposes like getting rid of wrinkles or fine lines
-sun damage
-improving the appearance of stretch marks
-fade dark spots and age spots
-improving the texture and tone of your skin
-razor bumps
-enlarged pores
And scarring from acne.


Most chemical peels can be used safely on brown skin however a few have been proven to be more effective than others such as the lactic acid peels, glycolic acid ,salicylic acid and TCAs.
My research uncovered that many people and professionals find that TCAs are the most effective peels for home use. You do not require an anesthesia for a chemical peel but if you have a low pain tolerance you might want to take a sedative before applying it.


For women of colour, 15% to 20% TCA is usually effective, this concentration is very mild. To obtain the best results, usually a series of 4-6 peels are recommended.

TCA chemical peels are more effective than alphahydroxy acid (AHA) chemical peels (i.e. glycolic acid) in removing superficial skin, but does not penetrate deeply as carbolic acid skin peels (i.e. phenol). It is generally referred to as a "medium depth" chemical peel. The main targets of a TCA chemical peel procedure are those individuals with:

• Fine surface wrinkles
• Pigment discoloration (blemishes and blotches)
• Age (liver) spots
• Superficial acne scarring
• Dark circles under the eyes

If you go to a doctor:
Medium peels are generally performed as office procedures on an out-patient basis, and require approximately 15-60 minutes. TCA peels will cause a burning sensation that will last about two to ten minutes.When the desired depth has been achieved, your physician will neutralize the peel by applying iced saline. Once all areas have been neutralized, your skin will return to its normal color in 15 to 45 minutes. Your face will be covered with an oil-based ointment, steroid ointment, or vegetable shortening to keep your skin moist and promote healing. Within a few days, your superficial layers of skin will turn dark, become stiff, and leathery. The skin will then crack, flake, and peel with flaking usually complete in four to seven days. Once your old skin has sloughed, your new skin will be bright and flushed.

Typically, you will be able to return to your normal activities immediately, and most people can comfortably return to public within a week. Your flushed appearance will fade slowly over several weeks.

Unlike deep peels, medium peels may be performed safely on people with olive and light brown skin. However, people with dark brown skin are at a higher risk of discoloration. WEAR SUNSCREEN AFTER YOU HAVE HAD A PEEL PLEASE!!!!!!!!


For those of you who want to try it at home:


-Go to the Dry Chemical Peel website.


-Read all of the information on the page, and decide between AHA peel, TCA peel or a combination peel.


-Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the ¨Find the cheapest chemical peels to treat these problems >>¨ link to read more about where to purchase your chemical peel.


-Visit ebay.com or amazon.com to purchase your home chemical peel kit.


-Scroll down the product options. Check for strength(concentration) and ingredients before purchasing product.

-Follow manufacturers instructions carefully. Check for adverse reactions before doing the actual peel.
-Prepare your skin for chemical peel as instructed by manufacturer and perform chemical peel accordingly.
-Expect some flaking and dryness. Watch how your skin´s texture improves with regular use.

-Always wear sunscreen after a peel!!

Omo asked about the Brazilian Peel package ($23 for one application of $78 for 4 applications) that you can find on sephora.com. http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P261612

It claims to be the first professional-strength, self-neutralizing glycolic peel clinically proven safe for at-home use. It has a 30% concentration.You can also find it on amazon.com for $78 for 4 applications. It received great reviews 4 out of 5 on sephora.com. Here is a video on youtube of a review.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zmTlZ8yze0.
It seems to be a good choice if you have sensitive skin.


If you can't afford $78 on a chemical peel you can always try amazon.com or ebay.com for something more affordable. Prices range from $20 to $30 US. Here's one from amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/Glycolic-Chemical-damage-lines-spots/dp/B0018RDE7A

Here's a video also on a woman of colour who had a chemical peel done. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wDYjnOEoGw (lol she used 50% concentration and it did burn)


So I hoped this helps those who are considering getting a chemical peel done whether professionally or at home. If you do decide to get it done do your research thoroughly please. If you google chemical peel images, you can see what could go wrong with a chemical peel. Remember when Samantha from Sex and the City got a chemical peel done? Yep not pretty!

























Until my next question...."Remember beauty is necessary on the inside and out."