BHA, Zinc Oxide, Bentonite Clay and Ghassoul Clay are your best allies in this neverending fight against blackheads. Forget about blackheads patches and weird natural remedies, they don’t work. BHA (salicylic acid) is a skin exfoliant with anti-inflammatory & antibacterial properties. It unclog pores, tighten enlarged pores, reduces redness (rosacea) and minimizes sebum production. It is ideal for all skin types as it is very gentle and not irritating. Among all the anti-blackheads and pores-tightening skincare products I have tried in my whole life, serums with 2% BHA are the ones that work best against those kinds of annoying skin troubles.
Bentonite Clay and Rhassoul Clay are also two excellent ingredients against sebum, blackheads, enlarged pores and acne but I find them less effective than BHA and great only as wash-off masks.
I’ve been using the Paula Choice 2% BHA Liquid for about six months now and my blackheads have reduced by 90%, which is huge since my blackheads are deeper than the bottom of the sea and my pores are larger than Texas.
A lot of wash-off masks against blackheads are available on the market but I find these three particularly effective.
The three of them contains pretty much the same ingredients but they are a little bit different. The Mamonde contains a few anti-aging ingredients and is less drying & more brightening than the Innisfree, while the Laneige is a little bit more moisturizing than both the Mamonde and the Innisfree. All three of them provide excellent results and are perfect for all skin types, including sensitive ones.
If you wish to find out more about SKINCARE here’s a very informative.
Life Lately + Glowing Skin: Skincare haul
How To Build a Skincare Routine For Sensitive Skin
How to get rid of ingrown hair and razor scars
Body scrubs are usually enough to get rid of ingrown hair but sometimes they’re just not powerful enough. The skin on my legs is very thin, and my legs hair are thick just like a man’s beard. My shaving skills are just as great as a blind Viking’s – meaning my legs are a battlefield full of razor scars – and regular scrubs don’t work at all on me. Just like I did, you may want to consider using chemical exfoliators instead. I’ve been using the Paula Choice 10% AHA Body Lotion for about a year now and I no longer have a single ingrown hair or razor scars on my legs. Two of the best options against ingrown hair and razor bumps are BHA and AHA.
Ingrown hairsbreadth is a situation in which hair that has been shaved or removed grows back into the skin rather than growing out.
and AHAs exfoliate skin’s uppermost layers. Instead of using a tweezer to remove the hair inside of your skin and risking a new scar you may want to try AHAs instead. BHA is also a great solution but I find it less effective than AHA, especially against razor scars.
A more natural method is to use coconut oil or a vegetable oil with a few drops of Tea Tree Essential Oil. I don’t find this method very effective but I know a lot of people swear by it.
Another tip is to moisturize your skin really well with an appropriate body lotion or oil. I used to always skip this part because of my legendary laziness but now I force myself to do it, and my body skin looks very much nicer. I absolutely adore the Green Keratin Jasmine Body Oil and Rosehip Oil. They moisture and nourish the skin, leaving it extremely soft with a very pleasant scent.
When to start using anti-aging products, how to use them and how to pick them
I find 25 years old to be the best age to slowly introduce moisturizing skincare products with anti-aging ingredients in your skincare routine. Using anti-aging products for mature skin when you’re still in your early 20s is a waste of product and most of all a (huge) waste of money. If you don’t smoke and wear sunscreen every day you shouldn’t see wrinkles on your face before you turn 30-35. Rosehip oil, Retinol, Antioxidants, AHA, Hyaluronic Acid, Niacinamide, Argan Oil, Green Tea Seed Oil & Camellia Oil are a few great anti-aging ingredients. Niacinamide and AHA (glycolic or mandelic acid) smooth & even out skin’s texture and visibly reduces sun (hyperpigmentation spots), Oils are great moisturizers with natural anti-aging properties, Antioxidants prevent early signs of aging and beautify the skin, Retinol treats fine lines wrinkles and dullness, Hyaluronic Acid strengthen skin’s barrier and “plumps” the skin.
My mother has only one wrinkle on her forehead, a few fine lines around her eyes and she’s 50 something. I won’t disclose her age since I don’t have a death wish, but when I asked her how she managed to avoid wrinkles and keep a beautiful skin she mentioned : 1) Prevention, sunblock has been her best friend for decades 2) Rosehip and Argan Oil, every day of the year 3) No cotton pads, she always used coconut oil or olive oil to remove her makeup (now she uses cleansing oils, she’s hooked on the Tatcha Cleansing Oil).
I slowly started to introduce a few anti-aging products in my daily skincare routine, and though I have no wrinkles at the time I already have fine lines under my eyes. I use the Hera Cell-Essence Fluid, Green Keratin Rosehip Oil, Secret Essence and a bunch of skincare products with Niacinamide and Glycolic Acid. I will probably introduce Retinol in my skincare routine next year, but at the moment I don’t feel the need to.