Ever since I could remember, I've had problems with my skin. Its not a feature I'm particularly proud of, but as of late, I've found that my skin has gotten a lot better. Not being ashamed of my skin is something I've never experienced, so excuse me as I indulge myself in a few barefaced close-up shots. I'm not #flawless and to be quite honest, I don't think absolute flaw free skin is something that realistically obtainable or normal (if only 14 year old Mira was mature enough to realise this). I'll go through the specific problems I had in regards to skincare, and what I've found works well for me.
1. Oily skin
I grew up with visibly oily skin, and believed that my T-zone would never see a day without oil. I think having oily skin is a common problem in this climate, and one that leads to a plethora of other things (clogged up pores, acne, more prone to breakouts, etc). It turns out that, for me at least, the answer to this problem was simple and basic : moisturise! It seems a bit counter intuitive, 'My skin is already oily so why do I have to moisturise and put more oil on it?!?!' so I stayed clear of moisturising for a good part of my teen years and instead looked to more astringent products to help dry up my oil, or something like that. Right after high school, I gave moisturising a go, and I'm happy to say that excess oil is just not a problem for me anymore! Of course it didn't happen instantaneously, I've found that you need to find a moisturising routine that suits you. For morning use, you want to find a moisturiser that quickly absorbs into your skin, doesn't make your face look oily after a while, doesn't clog your pores and leaves your face feeling supple right after application. At night, I like to use oils. I was super reluctant at first, even after I started moisturising during the day due to my oily skin problem, but its made such a huge difference! A lot of my friends also notice a similar positive result after incorporating oils into their skin care routine, so I'd definitely recommend you to find a oil thats good for you if you haven't already.
My best and current moisturising combo is Olay's Regenerist moisturiser with SPF in the morning, and Body Shops beautifying olive oil at night. My family has been using Olay for years, and when I gave the brand a go it worked wonders for me as well, so my tip is, maybe ask your mom what works for her. I'm guessing that somewhere in the science, you inherit positive predisposition to certain beauty products (?) and the regenerist line is the best line they have, in my opinion.
2. Breakouts
Acne for me always came in the form of small bumps. I've never had huge zits, but I've always had small little, sometimes red, bumps on my face. Currently, I have close to none of these little bumps. I feel like problems with acne and breakouts always go back to your cleansing and a good cleansing routine starts with a good facial cleanser. As a teen, I elevated to brands like Oxy, Nuteen and tea tree containing products. It took me ages to realise that those sort of products just don't work for me, and left my skin even more irritated, and hence, more breakouts. I feel like young girls do tend to go for those sort of products immediately after they break out, and I don't know why we do it, maybe its the marketing. So note that if something doesn't work for you, no matter how good your friends claim it is, or how good the ads look, stop it! You probably just need something different. I didnt stop it and spent years believing that my skin is just bad and always will be. No hate though on products of this type, it works extremely well for my sister, so I'm not claiming that its bad for everybody. Just be sure that its not bad for you. I've also tried cleansing brushes, the Clarisonic Mia 2 to be exact, and though cleansing tools seem to be good on a lot of people, it didn't really do anything much for me. Just be sure to wash your hands before you wash your face! So again, just get a good cleanser, everything else is just a plus point.
THE BEST cleanser in the history of the world in my opinion is Herbalism from Lush. It is a green doughy textured face cleanser which does the trick for me, and more! Every time I start using it again, I'll get compliments on my complexion. I'm not too sure what the active ingredient is, but its all natural (even has an expiry date!) and seems to draw out my impurities. Even my nose is kind of black head free. If your looking for something good, try this.
3. Acne scars
Scarring is a problem that I'd say takes the longest time to solve. It stays around even when everything else clears up! I still have some acne scarring but for the most part, its all gone and people who have seen my acne scars know that there is suchhhhh a big improvement. I've found that getting rid of scars needs a combination of things, but basically, you need to exfoliate and use oils to help with the scarring.
When it comes to exfoliating, you want to think gentle. If you are using a cleansing brush, don't use anything that has a rough texture with it, it'll be too harsh and you'll break your skin. Find an effective, gentle exfoliant and exfoliate twice a week. Also, you don't want to rub your skin too hard when exfoliating, just soft gentle circular motions, and the rougher the texture of your exfoliant the gentler you want to be in your rubbing. Herbalism is not a liquid, its more of a dough that you have to work into a paste, and even then it has a slightly bumpy texture. Since I use Herbalism twice a day, I find that it suffices as an exfoliant for me, so if your cleanser has microbeads or a rough-ish texture, pay attention to whether your scars are clearing up. If it does, maybe you don't need a separate exfoliant. A good exfoliant that I use whenever Im not on Herbalism is Simple's Spotless Skin Triple Action Face Wash with Zinc and Chamomile.
As for oils, if you moisturise with oils at night, it should help with the scars. I sing praises for Bio-oil. Like everything, effective skincare comes down to consistently doing something so if you don't see improvement after a night of bio-oiling, just keep at it. Unless you break out or show signs or irritation, you probably just need to give it time to work its magic, and bio-oil basically is magic.
4. Dull & Uneven skin tone
These two problems normally come hand in hand, and for me, all you need is to drink enough water and get good sleep. My skin tends to look duller when I have less than 4 hours of sleep in a day, so I feel like your skin really does bear the burdens of your all-nighters ! I've also noticed that when I eat omega-3 rich foods like chia seeds, my skin looks less dull. I don't dare say its because of the chia seeds because correlation does not equal causation, but chia seeds can't be bad for you. Exfoliating also helps a lot with combatting dull skin!
5. Skin picking!
I have such a bad habit of picking at my imperfections, and it causes me to have more breakouts and scars. If you're having the same problem, I know its tempting but good skin is worth just being a litttttle bit more disciplined with yourself. Some tips I have for all skin pickers out there is to avoid the mirror when you feel an urge to pick, or feel particularly sad. Find something else do to with your fingers, like drawing on your skin. Also, admit to people that you pick at your skin. Admitting it out loud to people made me really want to get rid of my habit, and it sort of worked. This is an ongoing struggle though, but one that is not impossible. Leave comments below if you have any other tips!
So there you have it. If you combat excess oil, break outs and scarring, most things just fall into place after that. But one huge thing that a lot of people undermine is your attitude to caring for you skin plays a big role in how good your skin becomes. Its important not to take the stance of hating your skin whilst improving it, and also to be patient when waiting for progress. Don't hurt you skin for fast results guys! Media has made us believe that flawless blemish-less problem free skin is the norm and made us hate ourselves for the littlest imperfections. Truth is, that isn't the norm, and we can't bring ourselves down for not being unable to reach a unrealistic standard of beauty. Skin wasn't made to be marble or porcelain or glass, its made with glands that secrete sweat and hair follicles and pores because its meant to first and foremost protect your insides. So its okay if your skin isn't clear like water, its not meant to be water!
You gotta love your skin to care for it, and you gotta care for it if you want it to be the best version it can be.
Hope this post helps, and that everyone reaches a point where their happy with their skin.
Love,
Mira
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