Honey For Moisture & Spinach For the GLOW

YOU DON'T GOT TO COVER, GIRL

I can not tell you in words the damage that make-up has done to my skin. Putting the wrong products on my skin--in an effort to get a glowing, dewy face, has cause me to have the worst skin of my adult life.

I had to take drastic steps after several cystic acne things showed up on my face.

STEP #1: I gave up on make-up for about 2 weeks! This make-up "fast" was a time for me to listen to my skin. During those two weeks, my skin SPOKE to me. No, it didn't verbally speak, but it's silence spoke loud and clear. During this time, it's response was: no swelling, no oozing, no itching, no scars, no bumps, or discolored areas.

STEP #2: During the 2 weeks of no make-up, I also included a "no product" trial. I washed my face only with water and a wash cloth. Yeah, that's pretty extreme, but I learned a lot! I learned that my skin produced lots of oil on it's own. I had to be sure to consistently control the oils in the morning and at night. During the day, I figure that dirt and other things in the air attached themselves to the oils on my face. 

STEP #3 By two weeks, I figured that I had to find a cleanser. Especially once my clogged pores erupted in EVEN MORE cystic acne. Trial and error, folks! This two weeks served as a baseline for me to proceed with one product/ingredient at a time, so as not to be confused about what may be causing any irritation (if irritation occurred). 

After the two weeks were over, I introduced a plant cleanser (Amla Powder). No moisturizer for a week. This helped me to learn when my skin's sebum would present, how much would be produced, and find out if I really need moisturizer. I learned that my face start out really dry, but within 1 hour, my natural sebum moisturizes my skin. While using the Amla paste only to cleanse, I learned that the amla is pretty drying when used day after day, and I would have to switch up with an ALL NATURAL (preferably 1 ingredient) cleanser that would provide moisture.

WHAT'S UP HONEY? I read about Honey, and how it is a humectant (it attracts moisture), as well as an antibacterial (Yay!), plus so much more. So I started washing my face with honey. I spread a light coat of honey on my face (don't forget the lips..Yummy). I leave it on for about 5 minutes, and when I rinse it off (with the help of a face rag), my face is plump, dewy, and moisturized. Wow! All of that with only 1 ingredient (and it's one that I can pronounce easily).

Dewy, Plump, Glowing Skin: Not Just for the Young!

STEP #4: About my hunt for that glowing skin, I'm in the process of blending fruits and spinach for breakfast. I've done a concoction of mixed frozen fruits and fresh, organic spinach every day for the last 6 days, and I definitely see the difference in my body. Spinach has a high amount of vitamin A, and  promotes healthy skin by allowing for great moisture retention in the epidermis, so it's able to fight psoriasis, keratinization, acne and even wrinkles.

 It cleans out my system of a lot of toxins, and my skin is not erupting. Cleansing from the inside out seems to work better than any $50.00 magic moisturizer that makes lots of promises. Those products will probably never be able to fulfill their promises for EVERYONE, since everybody's skin is different, and some folks have extremely sensitive skin (like myself).

Lots of lessons learned over a short period of time, due to trial and error. AMAZINGLY, I find that my skin is similar to my hair in that--it likes to KEEP IT SIMPLE! 

Clear Skin after Weeks of a Simple Skin Care Regimen

My Goal Skin Will NOT Have to Cover Girl

The products shown below detail exactly what's in my skincare arsenal right now. I use the honey to wash my face when I want a moisturizing cleanser. I put it on minutes before I step into the shower. Let the steam from the shower help it out. I paid about $8.00 for a 16 ounce at the Fresh Market, on Amazon I see it's being sold for way less! Oh well, you live and you learn. I now have a new source for this great honey from Colorado. Love IT!

I use olive oil for my hair every wash day. I have started doing oil cleanses on my face with olive oil! I was hesitant and (to be honest), scared of breaking out, but it actually works! I massage the olive oil onto my face for about 1 minute (yayy, face massage!). Then I step into the shower and let the steam help (same way that I do with the honey). I wipe off the excess olive oil with a face rag, and some residue remains, serving as a moisturizer. This leaves my skin soft and supple (same as the honey). Not greasy looking at all. I ESPECIALLY LIKE TO BUY OLIVE OIL THAT IS STORED IN A DARK CONTAINER. 

I use amla powder for my hair, and love it for my skin. It serves to exfoliate, and cleanses really well. I find that I can not use it daily, because it can cause dryness. I love to use it as a mask now. I just mix it with water, apply the paste to my face, and let it dry fully. It tightens my pores. Then I rinse it off with warm water. Nice weekly treat.

The Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer, I use as a blush! It has all natural, moisturizing ingredients (castor oil, peppermint, etc), and does not break me out or burn my skin like all of the other blush products I've tried in the past. It serves 2 purposes as does most of the things I use on my face (some even serve 3 purposes, as I can eat the honey and the olive oil)! If you've got sensitive skin like me (or even if you don't), just try putting an all natural lip shimmer (like the Burt's Bees) on your cheeks. GREAT vibrant colors, and optimal skin care ingredients! You can't beat that with a bat!

until next time................tia