Open any magazine (Do people still read those anymore? I love them but must admit I haven\u2019t read one in a while.) to its beauty section and you will find articles on tips and tricks about makeup and skincare. After all, an appealing outer appearance is the quintessential definition of beauty. And even though I don\u2019t want this month of beauty posts to be dominated by that premise, it\u2019s only right that I stay on the surface for a post or two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ever since I was old enough to be admired for looking younger, I have been. I\u2019d say it started around the time I was 19 and has been with me ever since. While I\u2019ve never been one to lie about my age, when somebody thinks I\u2019m younger than I am, I can\u2019t say that I don\u2019t take it as a compliment\u2026well, usually. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s face it, we live in a youth obsessed culture, and as much as I\u2019m all for loving yourself and accepting yourself as you are, its influence didn\u2019t fail to rub off on me also. I started using collagen face wash at 14. I was exfoliating and applying Vaseline on my face in an upward motion, a gesture I heard discourages wrinkles, at 17. I was using Neutrogena\u2019s pore refining cleanser before I had visible pores. Basically, I was letting the signs of aging know, well before they dropped by, that they weren\u2019t welcome here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course they pulled up anyway. And in some ways that\u2019s a beautiful thing. There are still days that I have quite a youthful appearance, and others when I look like somebody\u2019s grandma. However, now, instead of trying to avoid the inevitable, I try to make the most of what God gave me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s how I do that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Black Soap<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Black soap is my go-to face wash. When it comes to my skin, black soap practically does it all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It helps clear up acne. Though I\u2019ve never had a huge acne problem, I\u2019ve gotten the occasional pimple since my teens, a problem that persists even now in my 40s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It helps even out my skin tone. Every time I wash with it, my skin just feels nourished. What\u2019s more, it\u2019s not only for your face, you can use it on your entire body (can you tell I grew up watching infomercials?). It even really helped to clear up eczema scarring I had on my fingers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While there are many black soaps on the market, I only like to use\u2026well, I primarily use African black soap. African black soap is dark brown and spotted, so it\u2019s not a solid brown color. There are black soaps out there that are actually black in color which I\u2019ve used, and they work well. But for the best results, you gotta stick with the African black soap. I get mine from a local African shop, but I\u2019ve also seen it on online retailers. Try it. For me, it\u2019s a must.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Neutrogena Products<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When I don\u2019t have African black soap, Neutrogena products have been my next best thing. I mean they\u2019re not similar by any means: African black soap is natural (at least I think it is) and Neutrogena products are composed of chemicals. But I love the fresh, clean feeling that I get after washing with them, and I\u2019ve seen results in terms of acne and evening skin tone. Neutrogena\u2019s Pore Refining Cleanser used to be my go-to many years ago. I\u2019ve bought it more recently, and it seems they\u2019ve changed the formula. It may be that I was in my late teens and early twenties when I found it to be effective and now I\u2019ve just aged out of what it can do for me. Definitely a lesson learned: some products don\u2019t work for all ages. However, their Deep Cleansing Scrub and their Salicylic Acid wash still gets the job done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tea Tree Oil<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n After I wash my face, I give it a once-over with a few drops of tea tree oil on a cotton ball. To be honest, I\u2019m not sure what this does. Someone told me about it years ago, and I\u2019ve been using it ever since. If you try this, just be careful \u2013 it burns. I usually leave my face slightly damp after rinsing the soap so that it\u2019s not so bad. It\u2019s also a step you don\u2019t have to do every day. You can skip a few days. Or, after you apply it, you can hurry up and move on to the next step which is\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shea Butter or Cocoa Butter<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, I give the burn from the tea tree oil some relief with a smooth slather of shea butter. I still apply it in an upward motion because old habits die hard or live forever. While I don\u2019t lay it on too thick, I often leave my face greasy and just let it soak in over time. This could take an hour or so, so if you have somewhere to go and you don\u2019t want to look like a looking glass, as my grandmother would say, apply accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I remember back in the day when I used to use Vaseline on my face as a moisturizer and women would complement my skin and ask me what I used. When I told them, those with oily skin said it would never work on them. So if you have oily skin, this may not be the best option for you. I have combination skin. It\u2019s mostly dry, but can get oily in my T-zone. You\u2019re also going to want to use less so that it can absorb quicker if you\u2019re applying foundation over it. I do this if I\u2019m using liquid foundation, however I like the dewy look that it gives if I put a powder foundation on top, so you know, you have options. It\u2019s all up to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n All right, so that was the first of four components to my holistic approach to beauty. I have three more. This is turning out longer than I thought it would be, so I might just hit you with one a day until we get to all four.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So the first one was topicals. Come back tomorrow for number two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n See ya soon!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Open any magazine (Do people still read those anymore? I love them but must admit I haven\u2019t read one in a while.) to its beauty section and you will find articles on tips and tricks about makeup and skincare. After…<\/p>\n