As a young girl, Tosin, like most Nigerians has experienced lots of tough times from struggling to make ends meet and has always struggled to make her skin look good. But her skin can be much better.
There have been few periods when life was not too tough and she wasn’t hitting the street every day, probably as a child and even during this lockdown period, she saw a rare glow to her skin, her complexion got better, her skin got less rough and dry. But now that activities and everyday hustle are getting back to normal. She finds herself back to struggling to maintain a smooth, fresh skin.
So, what cost-effective and easy-to-follow tips and routine can be useful for such busy Nigerian persons like Tosin? Here are some adaptable tips for males and females alike.
Always keep in mind that what you take in will reflect on your outside.
Drinking water definitely helps their skin but this must be complemented with eating good foods, not just vegetables, fruits, sweet potatoes, less oil/carbs, which does not just help the skin but the overall health of individuals.
Take supplements such as vitamin C and E: For instance, acne could be as a result of hormonal imbalance or otherwise. A supplement or two daily is advisable.
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Try and get enough rest: our bodies heal when we are asleep, especially from 10pm to 3am.
Bathe with warm water: Bath time should be limited and not prolonged because long showers remove oils from your skin and always using hot water could wrinkle the skin, so warm water is preferable.
Avoid strong soaps. This includes detergents which can also strip your skin of healthy oils. So, go for mild cleansers instead. Also, shave carefully. it is advisable to apply lotion, shaving cream before shaving to avoid injuries or dark spots.
Use sun shades to protect yourself from the sun as much as you possibly can
Moisturize your skin with water before applying products in circular motion like shea butter (ori), coconut oil, lavender oil, castor oil, sesame oil, moringa oil, argan oil, aloe vera and cocoa butter.
Exfoliate: exfoliation helps to bring out dirt cells to cleanse the skin. Sugar scrub, honey scrubs or combining salt with the African black soap are natural and preferable (rather than cream) because combining too many creams on the skin could be harmful when one gets older.
People with acne should not exfoliate too often (say once weekly) until their acne is cleared because scrubbing on the acne will lead to hyper pigmentation. However, people with no acne can exfoliate twice or at most three times weekly.
In all of this, it is very important to allow your skin to breathe because not every products work. Even when trying out new products, you need to be patient to wait a while to verify if the product actually works rather than jumping from one skincare product to another.
Avoid trying out too many products (for instance, glow soap, lightening soap, face toner, face cream, face cleanser, face scrub, etc) at the same time. Take it one at a time.
Make it a habit to change your pillowcase regularly, preferably weekly: why do I feel like most of us are guilty of this? Well, this is often overlooked but is quite major because often times, the oil from our hair enters our pillowcase.
Dirty pillows can be rather unhealthy as our faces make direct contact with our pillows on a daily basis, and this could lead to breakouts. This is especially for those who do not use bonnets/hairnets to sleep.
In line with this, ensure that your towel is washed regularly, preferably weekly and make up products are regularly washed (depending on usage) to avoid using dirty products on your skin.
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t is key to note that everything should be done in moderation as too much of everything is not good. Irrespective of skin types, these tips have proven to be mostly effective.
To round up this piece, let’s go back in time to ancient Egypt where rumour has it that Cleopatra who was known for her outstanding beauty, regularly bathed/soaked herself in donkey milk, with 700 donkeys serving this routine for her. She even travelled with donkeys for this reason.
Well, modern science has now proven that milk is great for the skin. However, to be more realistic, since donkeys are out of vogue and that is quite over the top, mixing 2-4 cups of cow’s milk/yoghurt with bathwater and soaking/bathing in it for 20 minutes is doable.
Be sure to rinse thoroughly after soaking; you could even add lavender or honey to your bathwater. Please those with allergic to milk should avoid this routine.
As applicable to males or females, Fisayo Johnson, on behalf of the founder of a skincare company called Arami essentials, Ore Runsewe strongly recommends do-it-yourself (DIY). “for flexibility while relaxing at home, honey could be used alone or mixed with clay to make face mask; or mixed with sugar or lemon and rubbed in circular motion to resemble a message.
“Using rose water helps or soaking your leg in warm water, mixing Apsom salt and shea butter after a long day is helpful. Consistency is key and keeping a calendar or reminder; support groups (doing it with friends or siblings) helps a lot too”.
“Interestingly, Hibiscus leaf, an ingredient often used for the popular zobo drink, can be grinded and mixed with oils to maintain the skin through its anti-oxidant and rejuvenating feature that reduces wrinkles and keeps one healthy, said the experts from Arami essentials.
