Beauty Discovery: African Black Soap

A few months back, I had watched a YouTube video raving about the benefits of black soap. Obviously having no idea what this was, I did a little research of my own and found that black soap originated in Africa from natural ingredients  as a way to cure common skin problems/conditions like acne, oily skin, eczema, and even psoriasis. 

If you have followed me for awhile, you know that about a year ago, my normally clear skin, suddenly started breaking out. I couldn't figure out what was causing it, no matter what I tried.
After seeing the YouTube video on black soap, I found out that Target carries a form of black soap.
A year ago, the only black soap product that had was a body wash (image below). When I tried this product, my Shea Moisture, it seemed to help my skin, but the product itself smelled HORRIBLE. It was hard to rub my face with something that smelled as close to tar & African-American hair grease as I had ever come in counter with. Along with the smell, the product produced these huge bubble that were very impractical for washing your face.
I finally realized that while the product was still a form of black soap, it was meant to be used as a body wash & only a body wash.

In a recent trip to Target, however, I stumbled upon a whole LINE of black soap products by Shea Moisture. Including a mask, scrub, face wash & even a facial bar.

Since the last black soap attempt was such a fail, I decided to only buy the black soap bar. The product was only a couple of dollars & I ended up buying the bar as well as a travel soap holder for under $5.00!

Of course I had to give the product a stiff first, and I am happy to say it smells WAY better than the body wash. It even has a hint of a fruity/clean smell that I can only describe as the smell of a car wash. 

Every one of the black soap products contains only 11 all natural ingredients: African Black Soap Base, African Shea Butter, Oats, Aloe, Plantain Extract, Vitamin E, Essential Oil Blend, Vegetable Glycerin, Palm Ash, Rosemary Extract, & Iron Oxides. 

Each Shea Moisture package also has the company's story on it.

For just a couple of dollars, I'm very interested to see if this product performs the miracles its supposed to. 

Stay tuned & I'll keep you posted!

Product Rave: Alpha Hydroxy Face Cream

Being the beauty nerd that I am, a few months back I did my research on the best rated drugstore skincare products. If you have been following my blog for awhile, you know that skincare is my weakness. Anything that promises brighter skin, or less oil, or smaller pores, or anything else that seems unobtainable, I must have it. Immediately.

One of the most raved-about skincare finds at the drugstore, was one found at Walgreens: Alpha Hydroxy Face Cream.

Now, I don't know about you, but those chemical-sounding words make me a little cautious to rub something all over my face & hope for the best.. So like any good beauty nerd, I did more research.
I found that while the name may be a bit intimidating, the chemicals themselves actually do wonders for the skin.

Alpha Hydroxy Acid is a chemical exfoliant, that when applied to the face in a cream form diminishes fine lines and wrinkles, helps with uneven skin tone, and hyper-pigmentation.

I knew I had to run out & scoop up the product myself.

The product itself is a fragrance free, white cream that I apply in a thin layer over my face before I go to sleep at night. Following my regular skincare routine, of course. 

The results have been amazing! I'm assuming the product just eats off my dead skin cells while I sleep, because every morning when I wake up to wash my face my skin is so incredibly soft.

Weird old-lady wrinkles on my forehead? Nearly gone.

Skin appearance? Amazingly soft & glowy.

Dry skin? Gone.
Skin tone? Even.

It's like magic in a little plastic tub for for $6 at Walgreens.

Go try it!

Seriously.
NOW.



To read the rave reviews for yourself:

http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/walgreens-alpha-hydroxy-face-cream/ID=prod5822041-product

Burt's Bees Citrus Facial Scrub

I want to just take a second to talk about a skincare product that I am OBSESSED with.

As you may or may not know, I am obsessed with watching beauty videos on www.youtube.com.
One of the first beauty gurus that I stared watching was Kandee Johnson.

Not only is she gorgeous, but she's also a professional make-up artist with an awesome bubbly personality.  

Recently, she did a YouTube video on her skincare routine that I just HAD to watch.

I'm definitely a deal hunter by nature, but the one thing that I believe in investing in is your skin. A good skincare routine can make you not only look better, but feel better about yourself. And for you make-up lovers, a good skincare routine can make for a perfect canvas for make-up. 

ANYWAY, aside from that little skincare rant, Kandee Johnson's recent skincare video got me interested in a new product: Burt's Bees Citrus Facial Scrub. 

Kandee uses this product every night to "get in there" and clean out her pores and even remove her make-up. She always has such nice skin, so I figured I would go check out this product at my local Target store. 

This scrub is 99.9% natural and made up of ground almonds, oats, pecans, almond oil, glycerin, as well as sweet orange and grapefruit oils. This stuff is AMAZING.

All you have to do is grab a little bit in your hand and add a small amount of water to it. This will help to exfoliate your skin and make it so smooth. Plus, it smells really good. My skin has not only been softer, but also smoother, and has a glow to it. 

At my local Target, this scrub was only $7! That's pretty cheap for something that I think will end up being one of my skincare staples.

Give it a try & remember that it's okay to invest in your skin. 

P.s. Here is Kandee Johnson's YouTube video, or you can watch more of her channel at: www.youtube.com/kandeejohnson

Just A Little Tip (well, 5 of them)

When I was in high school, I used to have completely clear skin. Which to me was strange since usually that is when everyone is going through their skin issues. Believe me, I was thankful for it! Right when I go into college, my skin started to have a few more breakouts every now and then; nothing drastic, but enough to bother someone who used to have clear skin. I know that its from stress, but in college you just can't avoid the stress.

Here are some helpful tips I have learned along the way. Some you may already know, but you'd be surprised how many of them you may have forgotten.



Tip #1: Wash your face morning & night. NO MATTER WHAT.
Believe me, I know that sometimes we get a little lazy, or maybe a little busy. But make it a routine. Get up, wash you face. Wash your face, go to bed. If you go to sleep with your face dirty, you leave that dirt and oil on your pillow, which them lays it right back into your pores. Which leads me to my next tip..

Tip#2: Wash your sheets & pillowcases at least once a week.
I know that as a busy college student it might be hard to actually wash them once a week. If you can't wash them, change them. Walmart.com or any other get-everything-you-need kind of stores have basic standard pillowcases for a only a few dollars. Take advantage of them until you can find time to wash your regular ones.

Tip #3: DRINK LOTS OF WATER.
This one is pretty clear. Water is all around good for you, but especially good for your skin. Always have some water with you. Staying hydrated will keep your skin hydrated and clear too.

Tip #3: Watch what you eat. 

Whatever you eat is expressed directly on your face. Greasy food can make for greasy skin. Its as simple as that.

Tip #4: Let your skin breathe.
Almost every girl likes wearing make-up. It makes us feel pretty. But, so can clear skin. If there's nothing going on and you're not going anywhere for the day, just relax. Don't wear any make-up, and let your skin gets some fresh air. If you're not one for completely bare skin, try a tinted moisturizer. It's a lighter version of a foundation that can allow for coverage with a little room for air.

Tip #5: Don't just clean, medicate.
To me, this is the most important of all of these tips. I spent years washing my face with different medicated facewashes and then applying a regular moisturizer afterward. Recently, I have been using a regular, non-medicated facewash, and then following it with a medicated routine. After I wash my face with Philosophy's Purity facewash with my Clarisonic, I follow it up with a medicated toner by SeaBreeze, then a medicated lotion by Philosophy called Hope In A Bottle. Both with 2% Salicylic acid. Lastly, if I need it, I will use a spot treatment.

Think about it this way, if you have a cut on your finger putting medication on it, only to wipe it off a second later isn't going to heal anything. Instead, washing the cut, and then applying a medication that STAYS on your skin can allow for healing.

Your facial skin care is the same way. Once you clean your skin, applying medication on top can allow for maximum penetration. Give it a try!

What is ZENO?

ZENO is a company that products multiple controlled heat devices that target the bacteria under the skin. This bacteria is the cause of blemishes.

The many ZENO tools vary in use but a majority of the devices have one main instruction: apply the heated device to the infected area at the first sign of a skin blemish.

ZENO's product list includes:
-Heat Treat

-Hot Spot

-Line Rewind

The ZENO Hot Spot in particular is one ZENO product that has many positive reviews. This device is a small handheld device with a heated tip that beings reducing blemish bacteria in just 1 hour.

Most users see results in only 24 hours with the reduction of 90% of bacteria.

Put your blemishes on the hot seat!

For more information visit www.myzeno.com

Skin Purging: What is it?

Do you ever wonder why when you start a new skin care routine your skin suddenly looks 10x worse than it did before?

If this happens to you, don't freak out and try something else instead. When it happens, it could actually mean that the skin care you are now using is doing way more for your skin than the last one.
The cause of all this? Skin Purging.

When you change up your skin routine with new products or a new facial care tool, the impurities beneath your skin are brought up to the surface. It may make your skin look worse then ever, but relax, it will go away soon.

The usual time frame for this to happen is somewhere between a few days to a week. Once this week is up, your skin will look better than ever!

NOTE: There is a fine line between purging and harming. If your breakouts have gotten worse from a face wash or new routine and stay that way for weeks after, you may be having an allergic reaction. Keep a close eye on it.

For more information on skin purging visit www.acne.org

Your Skin, But Better: Philosophy Brand

Try clear skin for the colder weather with the Philosophy Brand. Here's a gift set of some Philosophy's skin products in their "Makeup Optional Skin: basic care for congested skin"

"Philosophy: Does your skin need to be decongested? Cover up is not a solution for clogged pores, mild blemishes, irregular texture of lack of skin radiance. The key is 24/7 exfoliation of your skin and the continuous shedding of your pore walls. Our makeup optional system incorporates a weekly 2-phase microdelivery peel with a daily 4-step skin care regimen. Our program will help decongest clogged pores, smooth irregular texture, even out skin tone and minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, while restoring your radiance so that makeup is truly an option."

This kit comes with 5 different Philosophy products including:

- Purity Made Simple one step facial cleanser 8 fl. oz.

-When Hope Is Not Enough facial firming serum 1 fl oz.

-Hope In a Bottle oil-free moisturizer and acne treatment 2 fl. oz

-Hope In a Tube eye and lip firming cream 0.5 fl. oz.

-The Microdelivery Peel Step 1 & 2. (3 sets)

Each of these products promises to do wonders for your skin:

• Purity Made Simple (Step 1):
• Cleanses, melts away makeup, tones and lightly hydrates. 
• Essential oils and mild cleansing agents make this cleanser ideal for all skin skypes, even those with sensitive skin.
• When Hope Is Not Enough (Step 2):
• Lightweight serum that helps firm, protect, and hydrate while minimizing the appearance of find lines and wrinkles.
•  Synergisitc antioxidants help protect against environmental attack. 
• Pentapeptide-3 helps improve skin's firmness and elasticity.
• Hyaluronic acid helps soften and hydrate.
• Hope In A Bottle (Step 3):
• Salicylic acid helps to shed the pore wall which aids in helping keep skin clear and minimize congestion and breakouts.
• Tocopheryl acetate (vitamin e) soothes and protects the skin against environmental attack.
• Hope In A Tube (Step 4):
• A world-class eye cream that helps moisturize, firm and diminish the appearance of lines around the eye and lip area.
• Dipalmitoyl hydroxyproline helps support natural collagen and skin's elasticity.
• The Microdelivery Peels (Weekly)
• Rapidly exfoliates while replenishing with skin brightening vitamin c and skin firming peptides.
• Use weekly in the p.m. for remarkable results that can be seen and felt immediately. 

Give this product, or some of Philosophy's other skin care products a try.

This kit, other kits like it, and single products can be found at

www.sephora.com

or

www.philosophy.com