Skin Care
A Routine
Over the last couple years I’ve been trying to find the perfect skin care routine for my skin. I have extremely sensitive skin and have always had a hard time finding products that work for me. When I was little even baby shampoo would make my hair fall out and I’d get rashes. Thankfully, I’m not as sensitive any more but strong fragrances and harsh chemicals are still a no-no. This journey has not only been beneficial to my actual skin, but it also acts as a form of self-care and helps with my mental health, and is was a way for me to feel in touch with my roots.
Mental Health
When my mental health declines the first thing to go is usually my self-care practices but having something thats a part of your daily routine makes it harder to stop. Since most people already have some kind of day time or night time routine its also way easier to add skin care into your schedule and it becomes an easy way to practice self-care daily.
How can beauty be self-care? You’re essentially putting away time to solely focus on your skin. You’re not thinking about any stressors in that time and you’re focusing on yourself and what you enjoy. My acne and acne scars are a big stressor for me, and just the fact that I’m doing something for it makes it seem more manageable. It’s also a really good confidence boost. It might be placebo sometimes, but after doing my routine I always feel better. “Look better, feel better.”
My Roots
For as long as I can remember my mom would always try to get me and my sister to do random Indian beauty routines. She’d nag us to take apply oil to our skin and hair before baths, and make turmeric and chickpea flour face masks for us. For a big chunk of my life I rebelled against these natural routines though and would only use store-bought products from the drug store or beauty stores. No matter what product I used my acne stayed bad, my skin texture changed, and my face was always irritated. Once the pandemic hit I had a lot more time on my hands and started learning more about what I actually needed for my skin-care concerns and looking into the Indian beauty routines my mom had suggested. I found that a lot of the ingredients used in those routines actually had a lot of the benefits that I was looking for. Over the last year I’ve started a routine with the natural products and routines that I found worked for me. I still use some products from the drug store and I obviously don’t have the time or expertise to actually make all my skin-care products myself but I do try to buy more natural products and try to make my own masks when I can. I’ve had good results so far sticking to my routine, and have noticed a reduce in breakouts and my scars have faded as well. It’s important to stick with the routine though, it took me around 8 months to actually see a significant difference.
Natural Ingredients:
The following are some of the ingredients I use in my routine and look for in my products. Theres a lot of contradictory information and research on these, but this is what worked for me:
Saffron — Vitamin C, which is an anti-oxidant and protects against free radicals. Helps reduce the appearance of dark spots, hyperpigmentation and scars. Has anti-inflammatory properties.
Turmeric — Has anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Is an anti-oxidant and helps prevent breakouts and reduce inflammation.
Coconut Oil — Vitamin E, which is an anti-oxidant. Lauric Acid which has acne-fighting properties. Helps reduce appearance of acne scars and hyperpigmentation, reduces inflammation.
Rose Water— Vitamin C, Vitamin E. Is anti-bacterial, anti-septic, anti-inflammatory, and an anti-oxidant. Is an astringent, removes excess oil and tightens skin. Can be irritating.
Aloe Vera — Vitamin C and Vitamin E. Is an anti-oxidant, and anti-bacterial. Is moisturizing, accelerates wound healing, and increases collagen production. Collagen moisturizes skin, minimizes appearance of wrinkles, and makes skin look tighter. Good for scars.
Honey — Is a natural exfoliator, and has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. Helps fight acne and lighten scars.
Lemon — Vitamin C. Is an anti-oxidant, anti-fungal, and an astringent. Helps fight acne and lighten scars. May irritate skin.
Milk — Lactic Acid, which is an AHA helps brighten, smooth, and even skin tone, while also making it look tighter. It helps reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and dark spots.
Yogurt — Has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. Helps reduce acne.
Products
- Cosrx — Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence: Snail Mucin helps produce collagen, moisturizes, soothes irritation, has vitamins A and vitamins E.
- Cosrx — Advanced Snail 92 All in One Cream
- Clear Start Breakout Clearing Foaming Wash
- Ranavat — Luminous Ceremony Cream Cleanser : Uses natural products and creates “Modern Ayurvedic” skincare rituals
- Dermalogica — Daily Microfoliant
- Ranavat — Imperial Glow Facial Polish
- Ranavat — Radiant Rani Brightening Saffron Serum
