Monday, February 3, 2014

the secret to great skin

There is no such thing as perfect skin. Faces are either oily or dry, wrinkly or acne-prone, sensitive or resilient, or a combination of these. Those people who are "normal" skin are dadgum liars. "Normal" skin doesn't exist without help. This is my philosophy on life.

I have a lot of friends with oily skin. I don't know why this is, but it is. I cannot relate to them on this level because I have dry skin. My skin flakes like no other when left to its own devices. Therefore, I obviously have no choice but to moisturize it. That's a given.

But here's the reason my oily-faced friends are having so many problems: their glands are producing excess oil because they have nothing to tell them, "Stop, that's enough." They wash their faces to try and strip the oil away but it keeps producing more and more because it thinks it needs to. So what will trick the glands into not producing so much? Simple. It's the one thing they think they don't need to do - MOISTURIZE.

This seems counterintuitive, I know. "Why put more oil on your face if you have oily skin?" Well, you're not putting on more oil, per say. You're hydrating your face so your glands don't think they have to do it themselves. Therefore, they produce less oil, and you're left with "normal" skin. And the main ingredient in most moisturizers is glycerin, which is essentially water. So it really isn't adding oil to your face.*

*Note: One thing I've seen in magazines lately is putting argan oil on your face. Argan oil is wonderful for face and hair, and if you'd rather try that, I say go for it. I'm mostly referring to standard drugstore moisturizers. Other oils to try are almond, jojoba, coconut, and olive. 

I actually have a friend who had this problem. His face was SO greasy and acne-prone. Then I made him buy a moisturizer. Now, his skin is significantly clearer and is soft without being oily. I'm telling you, this is the key to great skin. And they literally make a moisturizer for every skin type. 

If you haven't been moisturizing your face, 1. shame on you, and 2. you need to. It'll make all the difference, no matter what ailment your skin suffers from. 

Here are a few of my favorite moisturizers for you to try:
Philosophy Hope in a Jar - All skin types




Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisture - Combination skin

Clean and Clear Advantage - Acne-prone skin

Simple Protecting Light - Sensitive skin



Bonus: Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre - Dry skin (my favorite ever)

And for the dudes...

Now you have no excuse but to start moisturizing right...now. Seriously. Do it. Your face will thank you!



1 comment:

  1. Hi Sydney! I've nominated you for a Liebster Award! You can find the details at http://undergraduatestyle.blogspot.com/2014/02/liebster-award.html!

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