As you get older and have to deal with your face and hair on a daily basis you get to accumulate endless wisdom about how to make life as easy as possible while dealing with pimples, tangeled hair and dry skin. I'm sure I will learn a whole lot more in my years as beauty addict to come but for now here are the things I learned in the last, let's say eight years:
1. Detangle Your Hair in The Shower
This one is probably most suitable for curly heads like me but also for every woman who once stood in front of the mirror, brushing through her hair and got stuck by a huge knot of hair that won't come out, leaving said women in despair if she needs to cut it out (I actually had to do this more than one time) but only until I disocvered the miracilous technique of brushing your hair in the shower. As a curly head I don't brush or comb my hair except for when it's freshly washed so all the lose, fallen out hair tangles around the one still attached to my head and creates a huge mess. Yanking a comb through it after leaving the shower is nearly impossible and is tearing out even more hair that otherwise could have been left on my head. So what I like to do is to grab my wide toothed comb and take it with me in the shower and after I shampooed and conditioned I let water run over my hair and comb it. Life changing, I tell you.
2. Wash Your Make Up Brushes With Baby Shampoo
Instead of spending a lot of money on professional brush cleansers just go to the next drugstore and pick up baby shampoo. It will leave your brushes clean and soft and is a MUCH cheaper option. Another tip: Wash your brushes! I know it's the most annoying thing but the stuff that builds up in those bristles....dead skin, dirt, make up resedue - you don't want that on your face, do you? So make sure to clean them once a week.
3. Rinse Your Hair With Cold Water
You don't have to shower with cold water. Just make sure that after you shampooed and conditioned with warm water the last encounter your hair has is with cold water. I like to flip my hair over so that I don't die from hypothermia. This will make such a difference right after you first do it. It will leave your hair so much more shiny that people will be blinded by it.
4. Don't Touch Your Face
I mean, this will probably not be news to you but touching your face will cause you to break out, period. Try not to rest your face on your hands when in public and stop picking those zits. I know you think it will help but it most definitely won't. Just touch your face when you thouroughly washed your hands or sanatized them.
5. Find a Skincare Routine That Works for You
You can watch all the Youtube videos and blogposts about how to get rid of acne or which products will cure your dry patches but the truth is: Every skin is different and what works for one person doesn't neccesarily apply to you so you have to fail and error. Try as many products as you like until you find the one that works for you and then stick with it. Don't use products that break you out or irritate your skin just because someone else swears by it. This is probably the most important thing I've learned about my skincare. You have to observe your skin like a baby and notice its needs and this alone will make all the difference.
6. Moisturize Your Oily Skin
I once thought that having oily skin I would never have to moisturize my face. As Doanld Trump would say: WRONG!! Not moisturing your skin will only cause it to produce even more oil because its lack of moisture. So if you want to get rid of that shiny forehead the first thing you should do is start moisturizing.
7. Use Oils And Aloe For a Dry Scalp
I go through phases where my scalp is so dry that I constantly need to scratch it, which will then lead to me having dead skin all over my shoulders (the glamourous life I lead). My number one instant relief treatment is aloe gel. This is a lifesaver. It soothes and cools your skin and will stop the itchyness almost immedieately. For preventing a dry scalp I recommend finding an oil that works for you: olive oil, castor oil, coconut oil etc. Apply it to your scalp and leave it for at least three hours before showering.
8. Let Your Moisturizer Sink in Before Applying Primer or Foundation
I don't know if this applies to every skin type but I found that giving your moisturizer a few minutes to sink in will make all the difference in your make up application. It will glide on much more easily and primer can properly build a barrier between your skin and your foundation instead of mixing in with the moisturizer and not doing anything.
9. Apply Perfume on the Right Spots
You should apply pefume on your puls points, which are on your cuffs and your neck. It's got something to do with your body heat vaporizing or something like that (Oh, science my old friend) What I also like to do is spray some in my hair because there it will last the longest but since perfume has alcohol in it and alocohl is extremely drying maybe not go too overboard with it.
10. Cool Puffy Eyes with Spoons
Maybe you know the feeling when you cried before sleeping or have allergies and the next morning you wake up with you eyes swollen and puffy and you wonder if you will ever be able to open them properly. Yes you will but if you want to speed up that process because you have a life to attend to and eyes would be helpful then put some tablespoons in the freezer while you wash your face etc. and before you apply make up lay them on your eyes for a few minutes. Depuffing them eyes in seconds!
