Fashion & Beauty

Skincare Routines That Worked For Me

I haven't written a myTake in ages! My GCSE exam was going on but now that it's over I'm finally free to write myTakes again! I thought of starting with a simple topic that wouldn't be tough to write for my own convenience. You probably already know some of them, especially if you watch a lot of skincare videos on YouTube. They are very popular.

My Skin Type

Oily. Especially in summer.

Sigh
Sigh

It's very sensitive and very acne prone. I'm breaking out all the time, and I've had the biggest pimples on the most awkward parts of my face before any special event, ugh (I can't even take selfies or have to crop out a part of my face in a very awkward way). I even get acne on my neck and chest.

In summers I get huge zits on my face out of nowhere, and I am having a horrible breakout now due to the BOILING summer. In cold temperatures I don't break out as much. My skin still doesn't get dry but it kinda becomes flaky.

These are some skincare routines that helped me previously and I would recommend you to try as well if you have similar skin. They are not in any particular order.

1) Honey and Lemon Mask

Honey is antibacterial and nourishing and lemon can brighten the skin.
Honey is antibacterial and nourishing and lemon can brighten the skin.

I would exfoliate my face twice a week with a favorite facial scrub of mine, and then I would apply a mixture of honey and lemon on my face, keep it for 15 minutes and wash it off. It really helped to control my acne and reduce scars. It is also great to apply right after removing makeup.

2) Aloe Vera

No wonder it's called the 'wonder plant' tbh
No wonder it's called the 'wonder plant' tbh

Until last year I used aloe vera gel from our own plant, now I buy aloe vera from the store. I would cut one small piece for my face and directly apply it all over and keep it overnight. This one was quite random and I did it whenever I liked. This, along with the honey and lemon mask, worked SO WELL that for a period of time I literally did not use any foundation (provided that I often need it because of acne scars). My scars faded dramatically, my skin looked flawless even in selfies, and I felt amazing. I wouldn't use any complexion makeup except a bit of powder to control the oil and blush on my cheeks.

Bonus: I absolutely love aloe vera on my hair too!

3) Regular extraction

Watch out while using this tool! Using it can easily go wrong if not done properly so be safe!
Watch out while using this tool! Using it can easily go wrong if not done properly so be safe!

My aunt used to own her own beauty parlor and she used to do facials. For seventeen years in my life, she did my haircuts, she did my makeup as a kid before any stage performance, and when my skin started going crazy after puberty, she did my facial. (And yes even thought she doesn't have a beauty parlor anymore she still does all that for me.)

It's nothing crazy. She did some kinda message to soften the skin first, used a facial scrub, then she steamed my face. Afterwards she used an extraction tool to take out those black or white grainy stuff from my entire face and nose. It would hurt a lot. Then she rubbed ice all over my face.

My skin would feel so smooth! And it even looked a lot better. I remember once we had two events in our school in two weekends. In the first event, my face looked like shit in pictures. It was full of spots. Before the second event I got a facial from my aunt and the pictures from the second event were LIT. I still have those pictures but I am not comfortable with showing them in here. If you try this out, be very careful and be responsible! My aunt can do it because she's professional.

She taught me one method to do extractions by myself. Take a thread, dampen it, and press it against your face and keep dragging it on the skin. It takes some time to be familiar with but it is very effective. I saw a similar thing on the internet with women using dental floss. (Why do these so-called beauty hacks seem so similar to things that South Asian or Middle Eastern women have been doing forever?)

4) Face Mask with Clay in it

It is fun to take pictures with clay mask on, by the way.
It is fun to take pictures with clay mask on, by the way.

I have been using a mask that contains Fuller's Earth (Multani Mitti), turmeric and neem (I obviously cleansed my face before). It has done a GREAT job at controlling my acne. It becomes even more effective when I steam my face before using the mask and use ice I remove the mask. Even now I use it before an event. The ingredients are very effective but I am sure that other types of clay mask also work really well (like the popular Aztec Indian clay with apple cider vinegar). This is the mask I use in case anyone is interested to know: https://www.amazon.in/Himalaya-Herbals-Purifying-Neem-Pack/dp/B005HBPEMQ Using it is mess-free cause I directly squeeze the product over a brush and apply it on my face.

JSYK, I used neem alone and it doesn't work. BUT, drinking a cup of neem juice everyday is great for skin and health so try it if you can tolerate the bitter taste.

5) Ice

Ice > Steam for me
Ice > Steam for me

Just rubbing ice on my face once or twice daily, for at least 10 minutes. This is really helpful in hot summers because I get terrible breakouts during that time and ice helps to prevent it. It also feels good in boiling hot temperatures! Rubbing ice on the face before applying makeup is a well-known method for the makeup to last longer. I wonder how adding cucumber slices or cucumber juice to the water before freezing it will help, since cucumber is also said to be great for oily skin. Did anyone try it?

(Regarding steam, every time I steam my face I never skip using ice afterwards. If I use steam alone my breakouts worsen.)

6) Oil on face

I didn't try this oil yet but I really want to.
I didn't try this oil yet but I really want to.

Oil on oily face sounds ironic, and I agree. But there are facial oils that are beneficial for oily skin! I personally never used any special kind of facial oil, but in winters or when traveling to colder countries, I used almond oil on my face because it does not clog up my pores. I used only one or two drops added with my moisturizer and it greatly reduced flaking. The annoying flakes would not appear, and when I wore makeup it looked great because the skin was moisturized.

Bonus: I use Vaseline mixed with almond oil on my lips before going to sleep in winters. It works way better than slapping on a huge glob of Vaseline alone.

Every Skin is Different

Skincare Routines That Worked For Me

The skincare tips I mentioned above are just some popular (online or offline) skincare hacks that worked on me. I used other skincare tips from the internet as well but they didn't work on me. Many popular skincare products/diy that people swear by did not work on me. Can you believe that tea tree oil is one of those things? So every skin type is different and what works on me may not work on you. I have acne in my family so it's hard for me to tame my zits. But I swear by the ones I mentioned in here. I hope this helps at least one person with similar skin issues as mine. Thanks for reading! :)

P.S. Was watching Germany vs Korea while writing this. I'm so sorry for Germany and Germany fans now that they are out of the World Cup. I'm kinda shocked to see last tournament's champion to be out.

Skincare Routines That Worked For Me
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