The Skin Commandments

“To not take care of your skin is to indulge in sin”

I wish I could say that quote was taken from the Corinthians chapter 12, verse 2 but nope, that was all me. Doesn’t come as a surprise, after all who expects the scriptures to be riddled with skincare, just what not to eat and who not to love without providing a proper justification, typical. But you should be aware of your skin and what it needs to nourish it, that’s why many people have their own skincare bible (at least that’s what they call it)

Nevertheless, it is important to understand the myriad ways your skin works and caring for it in a special way in order to rid yourself of premature ageing, of an unhealthy pallor or just because you dont want bad skin!-There you go, a perfect reason or an even better one, you really dont want skin cancer; trust me, you have an equal right amongst every other potential to be the statistic. Are you freaking out right now? good, that does work in order for me to continue.

So, how do you start something that wont explicitly guarantee results? or maybe you already have the flawless skin genetically inherited (I hate you) but let's look at it in the long term and develop it as a self care routine, one that allows you to obsess over you and not look back.

The first commandment I suppose starts with research on your skin type which can be easily understood as belonging to atleast three main types- oily, dry, normal and there also does exist a fourth prototype that is -combination oily. Its pretty easy to guess if you have oily skin, you glisten throughout the day even without a shiny highlighter (is that a pro or a con, we will never know) and you have blackheads in addition to greasy skin after using a thick moisturizer. Dry skin is more sensitive and requires appropriate hydration to ensure care whereas normal skin is well, normal! what can I say, ya boring.

The second commandment through the wise words of beauty "gurus" and pinterest would be finding the right type of skin care products for your skin. Now in case you didnt know what combination oily is, it means your T-zone that is the area that forms a T starting horizontally across your forehead to the nose and chin area is the oily part whereas the rest of your face remains dry or normal, I have that type and it is ridiculous!, but nevertheless products engineered for specifically my skin type exist and so, it really becomes easy once you figure out your skin category.

The third commandment would be to understand how your skincare routine is going to work. The most basic one is the CTM routine i.e. the Cleanser, Toner and Moisturizer routine in which- you get the gist, in that specific order you apply the products also adding in sunscreen in the daytime if we're going to specifically attack skin cancer here.

The fourth commandment, would be to include more skin benefitting products once you get the hang of the CTM routine, this would include exfoliating using an appropriate scrub and using masks (clay, gel, sheet) to give that extra touch and if you're willing to splurge- a serum.

While all of that is in the mix, its important to eat healthy for your skin and do so organically, collagen pills are expensive and rarely work, so in order for you to really catch up on that skin mix, you need antioxidants from fruits and berries and a healthy dose of ingredients in your food processor to get a natural glow. Exercise also really destresses your skin allowing it to absorb the right kind of nutrients. Detox water composed of lemon and water and mint leaves, or a daily intake of Apple Cider Vinegar also leaves you feel refreshed and rejuvenates your skin without any artifical boost.

I will say that skincare is expensive, it is indeed a luxury if we were to take it to the next level but as long as you keep it simple, you wont be spending as much as you do on food or clothes so there's the bright side. In the end, what indeed matters is that skin care becomes a ritual that does not serve the purpose of increasing your vanity so much so as caring for yourself and helping yourself get that confidence and once you invest, you will have that satisfaction which leaves you craving for more.

Images sourced from Pinterest