I haven’t washed my face for a year now and my skin is loving me for it.
Don’t judge me yet on this statement as I am going to lay out to you why? It’s true I haven’t washed my face for a year now in the traditional way and don’t plan to do it anymore.
I have extremely sensitive, acne prone, combination skin. I did not face a lot of issues with it during my growing up years or when I was doing my schooling for a reason. When I was home, we had the luxury of using my mum’s handmade skincare products and masks that kept my sister’s and my skin healthy and naturally glowing. I left my home to pursue graduation and this is when things changed.
I started to see how my skin showed all sorts of tantrums from having black heads, white heads, acne, pimples, flakes, blemishes, hyperpigmentation and all of that. It was something that was not just affecting my confidence but the aches, itching, soreness associated was unpleasant. Along with that the social stigma or unsolicited opinions where people assume you don't take care of your skin enough or don't cleanse it properly - it wasn't helping the situation or cope up mechanisms a lot.
I started to then invest in 'affordable' make up and get better at my make up skills and hide my flaws underneath. I used to watch YouTube tutorials and trial different looks till it made me look perfect in my own eyes. But, this wasn't helping as well as it was sometimes aggravating the issues but helped my skin look superficially 'clean'.
The journey of not facing the real underlying issues kept going until I got pregnant with my son. My hormones were ‘very visibly’ screaming at me on the top of their voices and I had no time for make up as well. This is when my self-esteem had hit rock bottom. And then one day I read a quote that changed my life ‘Happy Mom, Happy Home’. That moment I realised I had to start taking care of myself to keep myself happy and eventually be able to pass on that happiness to my family. I knew I had always been a researcher and a creative person - this was the time to put these skills into play.
I started to research on underlying reasons behind acne, impaired skin barriers, non comedogenic ingredients and so much more. This world of gaining more knowledge was so empowering as I could so evidently see what all I was doing wrong. There were countless number of comedogenic ingredients I was using in my skincare and make up. I was using very drying scrubs that wasn't helping my skin barrier. I was not moisturising enough because I believed that would cause more acne!
I started to then learn a lot more about natural ingredients and this is where I got introduced to the enchanting and mesmerising world of botanicals and essential oils. I read and researched about a lot of ingredients and enrolled myself into online courses. And then I started my journey of making my own products and using them on myself. I began to see huge improvements on my skin. My skin started to feel so much more nourished, soft, moisturised, hydrated - and just a lot more happier.
I then started to gift these to my friends and family and they started to share some great positive feedback as well. I knew what products were working for me but what I wanted to then perfect was an ideal skincare regimen. This is when I got introduced to the concept of ‘oil cleansing’ and since I started to do it I haven’t looked back. Oil cleansing has changed the way I clean my face – which means I don’t clean it the traditional way any more by washing my face just with a traditional face wash.
I take a few drops of my ‘Skin Balancing Face Oil Serum’ and then massage it on my face for about 1 minute majorly in upward strokes. I then dip a face cloth or a hand towel in warm (I like it quite hot!) water, squeeze the water out and put it on my face till it gets cooler. I then follow this with washing my face with a foaming face cleanser. This is followed by applying of the face oil as a moisturiser.
I perform this routine once in the morning and once in the evening as a ritual. Important bit of this process is to caress your skin, give it love and the most deserving pamper it deserves. Warm towel on the face gives an out of the world feeling and takes away any negative emotions from the body. It not only relaxes and calms the skin but also the mind.
It gives a jittery feeling of being pampered and instantly fills you with the positive energy that you need to survive the day or even end the day at a positive note.
As you can sense from this article, I am really emotionally attached to my skin care regimen and the ritual that I follow. For me this is an important part of self care that gives me the confidence to #ownmyskin and love it the way it deserves. I still do get acne from occasional hormonal imbalances but it doesn’t take me down with it. I know how to deal with these after all!
This had eventually given me the strength and confidence to share all of these products with you all. All my products are cosmetically assessed by an independent agency to ensure these meet UK and EU regulations. And of course all the products are 100% natural, vegan and cruelty free to give you the peace of mind and the sense of pride using something completely natural!!!
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