The Scoop on Skin Care: Part 1 (Face the Music)

When I started this blog, in my early twenties, I could literally do anything to my skin: Like keeping the same makeup on for days because "I'm going out tomorrow too". And when my skin did show signs of wear all I would have to do was beg it's forgiveness for the neglect and do a harsh facial scrub 2 days before my next social outing and I was back in business.

Fast forward to today: Even though my face only shows minimal signs of aging, it wants to tell everyone how exhausted I am. This compels me to wear a lot of makeup for special events... Mostly because I get tired of people asking if I'm okay. My old cleaning technique (using soap and scrubbing the makeup away with a washcloth), which used to produce a natural facial glow in the morning, now made my skin just look dried out. On top of this, I'm getting these little clusters of breakouts popping up all over the place. 

Did you know that your skin is your largest body organ? So what's the sense of working towards a healthier me, if I neglect my skin? 

I signed up for a Beauty Experience* with some of my friends to figure out how to do skin care right...And this is what I found out+.

There are 5 steps to cleaning, replenishing and protecting your face:

1- Cleanse
2- Exfoliate 
3- Tone
4- Moisturize
5- Sunscreen 

And when you skip steps consistently it can wreck havoc on your face. Let’s take a minute to talk about those often neglected steps.

2- Exfoliate 

Do you ever experience flakiness even after using a moisturizer? It is worst for me when I'm trying to apply my makeup, which is super frustrating. Well get this: your skin cell renewal period is anywhere from 27 to 40 days. However, it’s not like all those cells die at the same time like with some other animals (that would be a combo of really gross and creepy). This is what makes exfoliation so important! Otherwise you’re just beating a dead horse or should I say moisturizing dead skin cells.

3- Tone

Using toner can be compared to using nail polish remover. No matter how many times you’ve washed your hands (and even exfoliated) you are still going to need nail polish remover to completely wipe away the nail polish. In the same way, once you’ve gotten rid of the layers of gunk (including: old makeup, dirt and dead skin cells) toning eliminates any extra oil and debris. Yes, my friends who struggle with oily skin, toning actually mattifies the skin!

4- Moisturize

I don’t know about you but I would never wash my hair and then not condition it. So why am I not using a moisturizer regularly? Working in the eye care health field, I often speak with patients who have watery eyes as a symptom. I advise them to use a rewetting/lubricating eye drops because they probably are experiencing dry eyes. That’s how our bodies work, if they don’t have enough of something it over compensates. Is it possible that your oily skin is a symptom of dry skin?

5- Sunscreen

For this one I have to climb up on my soap box: the sun is beneficial but its UVA/UVB rays are bad for our skin, even if we are people of color. So sunscreen, especially for the part of your body that is most exposed to the sun-your face, is extremely important. Women of color can and do get skin cancer, we aren’t immune. Also, not protecting your skin from UV rays causes signs of aging such as wrinkles and dark spots. That was my sermon for the day!

Okay, I’m not going to lie: I value my extra few minutes of sleep in the morning and the more complicated a skin care routine the more likely I will quit. However, skin care companies understand the struggle is real. Nowadays, you can find lots of products that pull double or triple duty. There are moisturizers with sunscreen in them, cleansers that also exfoliate and the combos are unless really… which is a lazy girl’s dream. The important thing is to find products that work for you and be sure to repeat the process every morning and night (you can skip the sunscreen in the evening). I found ones that I like and I'm using them consistently so I will probably be doing some product reviews/updates next month.

I would love to hear about your favorite skin care products?  Be sure to comment below↓

* This was a presentation for Mary Kay brand products but I was in no way compensated by Mary Kay for writing this blog post. I fact checked the information reported here from this presentation. If you would like more information on those sources, leave a comment below.

+Disclaimer: I am neither a dermatologist nor esthetician. The information in this post is for informational purposes only and shouldn’t be considered as professional advice. If you are having a medical issue, you should seek medical attention.