Because I love you guys. Skin care.

So I see a lot of misinformation spread around and I'd like to offer you some things I learned in school and working in the industry, hope you guys find it helpful!

Myth: water hydrates the skin
-Water is distributed to your organs and brain before anything else, your skin is one of the last things to receive water. Water has nothing to do with hydration of the skin.
*What you can do to retain moisture of the skin: Maintain a skin care regimen. Don't skimp on products, especially if you have dry skin. Dry skin is usually related to other factors, such as certain medicines or your body not producing enough sebum.

Myth: Using Dove soap / _____ bar soap as a cleanser because it's gentle
-Bars of soap are not made for the face, therefor the pH of the product isn't going to be appropriate to use. Your skin has a natural pH of 4.5 -5.5 and your skin care products should mimic that pH.

Myth: It's okay to use products that are made for "all skin types"
-No two skin types are the same. (I'm going to explain this in the least complicated way I can) There are only two skin types: dry and oily. Everything else is considered a condition. Now think about how absolutely different dry skin and oily skin are. To have a product be the most effective, you need to buy something specifically for your skin type.

Myth: Exfoliating every day will keep your skin fresher
-This is the most common problem I see working in skin care. Your cell turnover rate is about every 30 days. That's the process when your body sheds the dead skin and is the only time you should exfoliate. Exfoliation/ microdermabrasion are processes to rid the dead skin, if you're constantly exfoliating you're shedding healthy skin cells! And you need those!

Myth: Cocoa butter will help my skin prevent stretch marks
-Cocoa butter doesn't penetrate the epidermis. It's molecules are way too heavy to even get past first layer. It does absolutely nothing to retain elasticiy, which is what stretch marks are. Think of your skin as a rubber band. When you stretch the rubber band too far, it snaps. That is what a stretch mark is. Therefor, products that don't penetrate the skin aren't going to do diddly squat for the elasticity and collagen. There are ways to help restore them (none of them you can do while pregnant though).

Myth: Leave pimples alone and they'll go away
-If it has a white head, that is infection. It needs to be extracted. Always always always extract. The best way is to use a lancet (though I realize not many people have those lying around) and use the pads of your fingers to extract not the nail to prevent scarring.


Hope some of this helps you for whatever reason haha
 

<blockquote><b>Quoting Stu Padasso:</b>" Smurf posted too fast hold on"</blockquote>




I feel the smurffy love  

Quoting Aribean:" <blockquote><b>Quoting Stu Padasso:</b>" Smurf posted too fast hold on"</blockquote> I feel the smurffy love  "

haha

 
Updated, my finger got click happy.

thanks. so what SHOULD you use for stretchmarks while preg if nothing that works is safe during pregnancy? I kind of want to get a headstart, especially if both of my twins stick haha!

<blockquote><b>Quoting lolajessup:</b>" thanks. so what SHOULD you use for stretchmarks while preg if nothing that works is safe during pregnancy? I kind of want to get a headstart, especially if both of my twins stick haha!"</blockquote>



I was going to ask the same lol

I have been wondering about something and you may actually be able to tell me. Is it possible to shrink your pores? Like when you have blackheads and they look like big holes. A few people have told me once they are enlarged like that, there is nothing you can do about it, but I have a few small spots on my cheek I want to fix, if possible.

<blockquote><b>Quoting lolajessup:</b>" thanks. so what SHOULD you use for stretchmarks while preg if nothing that works is safe during pregnancy? I kind of want to get a headstart, especially if both of my twins stick haha!"</blockquote>




Good genetics  
I would recommend baby oil or vitamin E, it will help with loss of collagen. Though, of you have had stretch marks in the past or your body is prone to them there's really nothing you can do.

<blockquote><b>Quoting Vanilla MILFshake.:</b>" I have been wondering about something and you may actually be able to tell me. Is it possible to shrink ... [snip!] ... enlarged like that, there is nothing you can do about it, but I have a few small spots on my cheek I want to fix, if possible."</blockquote>




There's really nothing you can do about pore size unfortunately. I have huge pores too and extremely oily skin. If you do have a lot of oil production, a good astringent helps keep skin less oily and retain the natural pH balanace

I use a daily moisturizer that is for combination skin since my forhead and chin are more likely to be oily and by cheeks and nose tend to get dry. Good idea or no?

Also, I tend to get pimple right in my hair line anything I can do about that other than what I am already doing(wash nightly and astringent).

<blockquote><b>Quoting Redneck mamma:</b>" I use a daily moisturizer that is for combination skin since my forhead and chin are more likely to be ... [snip!] ... get pimple right in my hair line anything I can do about that other than what I am already doing(wash nightly and astringent)."</blockquote>


Combination skin is qualified by more oil production in the t-zone area of your face. Though, if you have combination skin with dry areas that means there's something that is off balance. What products do you use? And what kind of dryness, is it flaky? Or is it more like snake skin?


And for the pimples in your hairline, tone that area frequently. It produces a lot of oil and sweat so it's prime for bacteria. They have this thing by hylunia called calloidial silver which is an amazing toner/ antibacterial spray.

Quoting Stu Padasso:" <blockquote><b>Quoting Redneck mamma:</b>" I use a daily moisturizer that is for combination ... [snip!] ... is off balance. What products do you use? And what kind of dryness, is it flaky? Or is it more like snake skin? And for the"

Sometimes it gets flaky but most of the time it just feels rough.

Quoting Redneck mamma:" Sometimes it gets flaky but most of the time it just feels rough. "

Do you use a moisturizer?

Quoting Stu Padasso:" Do you use a moisturizer? "

I use nutragena oil free moisturizer for combination skin. I would like to say it works pretty good as long as I use it properly but I am no skin care person lol.

Quoting Redneck mamma:" I use nutragena oil free moisturizer for combination skin. I would like to say it works pretty good as long as I use it properly but I am no skin care person lol."

What I would suggest for you would be to try a different product, it could just be that brand. Actually, shaving cream is an extremely neutral cleanser. It brings the skin back to it's normal pH. Residue can block sebum production causing superficial dryness. So can make up, If you smoke, Environmental conditions, Medication, Not cleaning your make up well enough out of the creases or using a silicone based primer beforehand, Too much Salicylic acid. All can cause surface dryness in an oily skin.