Lessons About Skin Care

I have learned so many lessons about skin care over the years…. It is almost embarrassing to admit on my blog about how clueless, stubborn, or lazy I have been over the years. Hearing people yammer on about what not to do, seeing tips on Pinterest that I could never actually stick to because my pillow and my sheets felt way better than jumping out of bed to spend loads of time in the bathroom…. Or take time away from my studies. My habits have changed significantly over the years. There were choices I made that I wish I hadn’t… yada yada yada. 

12 Lessons About Skin Care

Lesson 1. Don’t Pick at Your Acne

This is one of the hardest things in my skin care routine to not do! It is so tempting to start attacking the little beasts that are all over your face, making you feel defeated. But this will just lead to scarring and more acne. 

Lesson 2. Stick to a Routine

As I’ve learned recently: sticking to a routine helps you keep your face pretty and helps you remember to do the things you need to do to keep your face healthy. Always remove your makeup, always cleanse 1-2 times a day, be sure to use moisturizer, always exfoliate 2-3 times a week, always mask at least once a week.  There’s more to my routine here.

Lesson 3. Exfoliate & Mask

I’ve learned from my Pinterest Research that exfoliation brushes/removes all the crap that has been building up on your face (in layman’s terms). You can make something or buy something that scrubs the dead skin and the world off your face. If you have a bunch of dead skin cells on your face, then you aren’t really cleaning your face. So far, I have stuck to a charcoal detoxifying mask so that it strips away the crap on my face and sets it anew! I like to mask on Saturday or Sundays before a shower. And I like to exfoliate on Wednesday or Thursday nights- as a way to pick me back up. I’m working back towards using the exfoliating scrub more than once a week, but so far, this is what is working for me. Everyone! Everyone is different. I use Burt’s Bees Acne Solutions Pore Scrub and Detoxifying Charcoal Mask. 

Lesson 4. Hands Off!

Hands touch so many things during the day- who knows how clean they are by the time you absentmindedly touch your face? And then that stuff is all over your face! This is one I’m always struggling with, I can’t help but to cup my chin with my right sometimes- and it shows. 

Lesson 5. Eat, Sleep, Drink and be Merry

Drink enough water- drink green teas, avoid excessive alcohol and sodas, get enough rest, and eat the right foods. Some foods and sugars, and alcohol will cause breakouts. 

Lesson 6. Clean Your Brushes and Sponges

Again, with the crap building up throughout the week: makeup- layers and layers of makeup- and dust, and hairspray is building up on your blush brush, foundation sponge, eyeshadow brushes, eyelash curler, tweezers. And when it comes back in contact with your face- it’s going to be adding that layer back to your face.

Lesson 7. Towelettes: they don’t replace cleansing

Something that took me forever to learn! Just because they are wiping away your makeup and might make you feel like the day is getting washed away with it….towelettes don’t cleanse your face. It might serve as a placeholder for the day- like if you get home from work, plan to stay home and go to bed at 10, then it’s fine to just take your makeup off and cleanse your face before bedtime. For the longest time, I used Neutrogena wipes. I now use Burt’s Bees (because I noticed that Neutrogena didn’t get on well with using the rest of my Burt’s Bees products in My Skin Care Routine). BOTH are fabulous!  

Lesson 8. Remove your makeup -always!

Going to bed with your makeup is never a good idea. After all day and then getting into bed, it’s like massaging your face with your makeup and the icky stuff from your entire day. 

Lesson 9. Be Aware of what causes your acne!

This has taken me quite a while to become aware of. Some top picks for me are: hands/phone, pillow case, makeup/products, hormones, diet, stress, sleep, eyelash curler, headphones, tweezers, glasses. 

Read my article on The 10 Causes of Acne that I’ve Noticed and get the shopping list you need from Burt’s Bees!

Lesson 10. Replace Sheets & Pillow Cases

Again, this is like piling on the same dirt, oil, smog, makeup and massaging it into your face day after day after day. If you are refreshing your face and cleaning it, keep it clean by switching out your sheets at least once a week- and the very same with your pillow case! 

Lesson 11. Replace washcloths used to dry your face

I decided on this way back when I started college and is basically the foundation for the above tips. If you’re always washing your face and then drying it with a towel, why should you use the same towel day after day? If you accidentally use it to dry your hands after the bathroom, or makeup, or it’s sitting on the counter all day after having used it earlier to wash your face, is it really all that great? Seems to me that it’s just putting the crap back on your face….SO I have bought a ton of washcloths in bulk and just wash them every week. 

Lesson 12. Let Your Face Breathe!

It’s not good for your skin to always be wearing makeup. It’s one of the first rules of makeup that I learned as a kid. Makeup isn’t great for your skin. So if you’re not going anywhere, let your face breathe. Don’t add any makeup to clog your pores, or cover yourself up. Just feed it moisturizer, and enjoy your day. However, there is nothing wrong with wearing makeup at home when you aren’t going anywhere- I do it now and again too. But wearing makeup 7 days a week for 12+ hours a day isn’t good for your face. 

Final Thoughts on Lessons About Skin Care

I hope that these 12 lessons about skin care have helped you figure out what you might need to change about your skin care routine – or have brightened your day and validated some of the things that you have learned or decided to do for your own skin care routine. Acne is no one’s friend- especially self-confidence and your need to feel pretty on a given day…But I hope that you try some of these tips and begin to feel better about yourself and that you kick your acne’s butt!

---