Being a teenager is hard work. As soon as the first spot appears, the modern teenager is reaching for strong chemical treatments to zap their spot. This tends to cause dry patches which take ages to heal, which we then use strong moisturisers to fix. Before long, we are back to drying out the spots that formed due to over-moisturising. It's enough to drive a girl crazy!
The skin is a very clever and largely self-regulating organ. Left to it's own devices skin finds a natural balance. But when we push that balance too far from it's natural point, it over-compensates and we are left with the opposite problem.
I wish someone had told me this when I was young. I could have saved myself a lot of stress, expense and unhappiness.
So here's my guide to healthy skincare...
- Always clean with a fresh cloth. Flannels and sponges collect and breed bacteria, which are the real cause of spots. There are lots of single-use cleansing wipes available these days. Either pick a gentle one of these or use a clean flannel/sponge every day. How much would it cost to do that? Buy 7 flannels/facecloths, use one a day and wash the batch once a week. It has to be cheap compared to many skincare products! I believe this is the single most important element in eliminating spots.
- Use hot water. Obviously, don't use water that is so hot it burns your skin - but comfortably warm water that will help dissolve grease, open pores a little and remove grease/oil blockages from pores.
- If you are wearing makeup, use a very gentle makeup remover product. Again, 3in1 type individual wipes are good. They tend to have a gentle effect and have the critical advantage of being clean (rather than a 5-day old flannel!).
- Pick the lightest moisturiser you can. Water based rather than oil-based moisturisers are best, particularly on younger skin. You want to moisturise enough to get rid of the "tight" feeling after cleansing - particularly if you are using makeup and thus a cleansing wipe. If your skin feels greasy after moisturising, you are very likely over-moisturising.
- Keep makeup light. You can make makeup look pretty or dramatic without putting a thick layer of makeup over your face. If your skin is looking healthy, you will hardly need much foundation anyway. There are some great mineral powder foundations now which are a fast and effective way of evening skin tone without plastering a visible layer of skin from a bottle over your own. Just brush on the powder and you are ready to move on to eye makeup, a bit of blusher and lipstick/gloss.
- No matter how tired, drunk or fed-up, never go to bed without cleaning your makeup off and washing your face with a clean warm cloth. This is the GOLDEN RULE!
