I am by no stretch of the imagination a beauty guru like my girls in my head Aysha Harun or Jackie Aina! No – I’m just a girl who had acne and a really bad habit of picking at the acne! I decided it was time to get clearer skin and stop having to rely heavily on makeup to hide all my blemishes. So I embarked on a skin care journey. I cannot tell you how many products I tried and eliminated before I found the combo that has given my skin the youthful glow I have now!
Finding what works for your particular skin type will take some time. Many times we watch YouTubers describe products and see how it works wonders on them and when we try them out we look like toads and not the refreshed beauties they purport the products will make us look!
- So my number one skin care advice is to DRINK A LOT OF WATER! Many times our skin just needs some hydration. A hydrated body will generally have supple and moisturizer skin. So don’t skip the water people!
- Figure out what will work for you by knowing your skin type first. My skin type is combination oily. This will save you from having to purchase a crazy amount of product and spending too much money on products.
- Test out the products on your neck or arm and observe if you have any skin reactions to the new products.
- Purchase a cleaning brush if you can get one.
SO what is my skin care routine? It’s a 5 step routine that I have been religiously following for the last year:
- Cleanse – I double cleanse daily (twice a day). Cleansing takes away the dirt that is on the surface of your skin. The first cleanser that I use removes the dirt on the surface and then after I rinse, I go back in with another cleanser and my cleansing brush. The brush goes deeper in the skin’s under layer and in the pores to remove any remaining dirt. I use these two cleansers – Le Miuex (find here and It’s Skin (find here). These cleansers are gentle, which is what I found works best for my skin. Anything harsh automatically has me breaking out.
- Tone – I tone daily (twice a day). Every time I cleanse my face I tone as well. I use an AHA BHA facial toner. The toner is a chemical exfoliant. This simply means that it has some chemical compounds that remove hyperpigmentation and de-clogs my pores. This is the toner that I have found works best on my skin. As mentioned, I had loads of marks as I picked at the acne on my skin. This type of toner at 7% AHA and 0.5% BHA (see here) works best for my skin and has greatly reduced the marks on my face. Find the toner here.
- Serum – I use serums on my face daily (once a day). I mostly use serums at night when I don’t sweat as much. My face being combination oily skin type usually means that I don’t need oils on my face during the day. I am currently using a Niacinamide 10 Serum (find it here) that leaves my face feeling and looking so buttery smooth! Find the serum here.
- Moisturizer – I moisturizer daily (twice a day). I find that every time I tone my skin is left feeling super dry. This is why this moisturizing step is key. I never skip this step as even though my skin is combination oily, moisturizer rehydrates the parts of my skin that aren’t oily. I am generally oily around my T – Zone (around the nose and mouth area), which leaves the rest of my face in dire need of moisture. This is why I never skip this step. Find the day moisturizer here and night here.
- Sunscreen – DAILY! Yes, black folks need sunscreen (Bob Marley anyone?). Being back in Africa where the sun hits different especially when in Kinshasa so close to the equator, it’s important to always wear sunscreen. There are a couple of brands that make sunscreen that doesn’t leave any residue like Goop (see here). Capping off your routine with sunscreen will ensure that your face doesn’t age and lose that elasticity that will keep you looking young and refreshed well into your 50’s a la Angela Bassett! Find the sunscreen here.
Bonus:
I have kept this skin care routine basic so that anybody can find somewhere to start. If you have these steps down and are looking to update your routine, you can add eye cream before your serum application step. You can also add oils after you tone if you want to use something other than a serum.
These are the tips that have helped my skin improve and get that glow! Lemme know if you implement any of these and also what you are using for each of the steps in the comments below or @Africancocktail on Instagram or Twitter.
