Beauty Regime

Someone asked me how I was getting my skin so smooth.  I was about to answer Bobbi Brown BB cream, but honestly, when my skin's been bad, that BB cream has not been enough.  Not even the Kat Von D foundation, which is supposed to cover up tattoos, has been enough for the bad days.

And just saying thanks didn't seem right because they asked a genuine question.  So, here's the list in order of steps:

Rohto Hada Labo Oil Cleanser
Biologique Recherche Cleanser
Biologique Recherche P50 exfoliating toner
Paula's Choice exfoliating toner.
A313 Vitamin A pommade.

Rohto Hada-Labo Goku-jun Hyaluronic Milky Lotion 

Marcacuja Oil
Japanese sunscreen

Although I've spent more effort on skincare than might seem mentally balanced, I have to say, I got really sick of time and money spent trying to treat my acne and scars when I got them, which has been often, and decided to spent time and money on preventing them. Plus, if my skin is good, I feel good about myself, and if my skin is bad, I don't.  So, it's worth it for me.  

 And, thanks to two websites, www.skinandtonics.com, and www.carolinehirons.com, I finally, finally, finally got the answers I needed.  I have to credit these posts in particular: 
http://skinandtonics.com/category/guides/skin-care-guides/

I also love Caroline Hirons Cheat Sheets, which you can see to the right on her blog.  She has a fantastic, no-nonsense style that makes perfect sense.    

The thing is, my skin is also prone to the same cystic acne and dehydration of which the Skin and Tonics blogger complains, so I keep going back to her blog to freshen up my know-how.  That said, I do find her collection of products a bit excessive, so I've tried limiting my own choices to those most effective for me.  At most, I've added a backup exfoliating toner for an occasional change: Pixi Glow Tonic.  But as a rule, I'm not a fan of hoarding products and rotating them.  At most, a second version of the same thing should be enough for a break, not 4 or 5, and only for the 1 or 2 products you find most essential.  For me, that's the exfoliating toner.  So, I bought the Pixi Glow Tonic as a backup for days my skin felt a little too sensitive for the P50.   

Finally, there are budget versions of all these products, which I believe Caroline Hirons can give you on her youtube channel.  If you dig through the skinandtonics guides, you can find some budget options there too, like the Cerave Face Wash (didn't suit my skin, though). 

Should You Use Baking Soda For Acne?

Short Answer: NO!

Re the baking soda: DON’T DO IT. Contrary to what most people think, extreme cleansing such as you’d get with with baking soda, a household cleaner, by the way, can actually aggravate acne.  This is because you need some moisture in your skin to add a barrier to bacteria, irritants and infections.  Over-cleanse your skin, and you lay yourself open to more acne, not to mention rebound oiliness.

Don’t you want a perfect complexion like Jaehyo?  Bet you a 100 won his dermatologist and beauticians aren’t letting any baking soda near that creamy-smooth skin. 

Alkaline v. Acid

And, baking soda makes your skin more alkaline.  But, you actually want a your complexion to be at its natural 4.5-5.5 acid level because that acid mantle kills bacteria and protects you. If you make your skin more alkaline with a product like baking soda, you reduce your skin’s own protection against acne-causing bacteria. 

Source: http://www.balancedsaltsolutions.com/ph-ageing-page

Personally, I find images like this gross, but it makes the point. 

A Plan

What would help more for exfoliating and cleansing, is to use a cleanser with a skin-level ph, such as Cerave* followed by a salicylic toner and then a water-based moisterizer.  If your skin is really oily, try OCM instead of a regular cleanser to get it back in balance, but still use the salicylic toner and the water-based moisterizer.

Source: http://www.insonnetskitchen.com/the-oil-cleansing-method/

There are alternatives that I’ll get into in later post.  But yes, the basic mix is castor & olive. 

A Second Plan

Another alternative, should you want to do mask treatment, is plain yoghurt.  I recommend the full-fat from happy, grass-fed cows kind, because a happy cow will produce healthy dairy. For a yoghurt mask, after cleansing, just rub yoghurt into your skin - in fact, you can do this all over before you shower - and then wait about 20 minutes.  Then wash off, and continue with your skincare routine, salicylic toner and moisterizer. Yoghurt has the same ph level as skin, 4.5-5, and so it’s good for helping your skin to its perfect ph. 

We all need a happy cow in our lives.  

Conclusion

Don’t cleanse your skin with baking soda!  Just don’t.  Follow the basic skin care plan described above - I’ll write later on how to fine-tune it more - and strengthen your acid mantle so you can smile like Jaehyo here.

*With all products, patch test them first. Put a dab on your wrist or just by your ear where any reaction won't show, and wait 24 hours.  If you have sensitive skin, do it a few days in a row to be sure.