Coconut For Your Hair

You know that amazing feeling when you try a new product, let's say shampoo, and your hair air dries perfectly, with waves you didn't even know you had and minimal frizz? Oh, you don't? Well, that's because you've never used a coconut milk shampoo! Seriously, I think I've found the missing link. And it's coconut.

I have thick 2a hair with loose s-waves, a mix of medium and coarse hairs, and a tendency to frizz. My waves fall out really easily, and so I've been searching for products that will help them form better and keep my hair from pouf-ing too much. For a long time, it seemed like that was just too much to ask. But then I found Chagrin Valley Soap & Salve and their amazing Coconut Milk Shampoo Bar. 

Image from Chagrin Valley website

Holistic Skin Care

Writing a post about taking a more holistic approach to skin care is really daunting! Most of these points deserve a whole book's worth of explanation, but I'll try to consolidate a few tips, and explore them further in later posts. The important thing is to expand the way you think about acne and inflammation, and realize that your skin may be trying to tell you that something else in your body is out of whack.

Acne, and I mean inflamed or cystic acne, is often a result of your body trying to let out toxins. (Not always, but often). Sometimes this is because of poor digestion, or an overworked liver or kidneys. If you're feeling good and staying healthy, your skin should be looking good, too. But it also could mean you're stressed out. Your skin can be remarkably sensitive to stress, whether it's from something obvious like a demanding job, or an underlying stressor like low self-esteem.

I don't pretend to know everything about getting rid of acne*, but I want to list a few things that can help. And sidenote, I'm still all for well-formulated skin care products to help tackle acne while you're working on the getting healthy part, but please be gentle! And, of course, remember that everyone's skin is different, so everyone's acne and acne solution will be different.

The List:

Beauty From The Inside Out

Image from rawforbeauty.com

This chart is really cool, and a good reminder that what goes on in the rest of your body affects your skin. Everything in your body is interconnected. What you put into it, and how you take care of yourself, will show up on your face.

While it's fun talking about different skin care and makeup (really, really fun), and important to find safe products that won't break out or irritate your skin, there's only so much you can take care of on the surface. The real work has to be done from the inside out. The best thing you can do for your skin is to lead a healthy lifestyle. You know the deal: eat well (meaning whole, nutritious foods), drink lots of water, get enough sleep, exercise regularly, get some fresh air and sunshine, and minimize stress. Sounds easy, right? Just remember--baby steps.

But, we do want to start addressing the diet and lifestyle component to having healthy skin on Those Pore Girls, because what you put on your body is not nearly as important as what you put in it. And to those of you struggling with cystic acne: these are the kinds of things you have to work on, not your skin care routine. Even if you have acne as a result of hormonal imbalances, those can also be sorted out through eating right and taking care of yourself. Often, people get acne because of allergies and reactions to food (especially dairy and gluten). Everything is interconnected! Food for thought.

By the way, if you want to get started on reading about all of this stuff, we highly recommend checking out The Love Vitamin. Tracy's blog is amazing, thorough, and inspiring. You can read all about her journey to healing her skin through making changes to her diet and lifestyle, and get some seriously awesome tips for yourself, too. (You guys, she doesn't even have to wash her face anymore!) Otherwise, stay tuned.

OBSESSED: Rosewater

Those of you who know me in person probably know I'm obsessed with rose-flavored and -scented products. Rose syrup, rosewater, rose tea, rose candles, rose ice cream...you name it! But, rosewater happens to be a wonderful addition to skin care products, and a great toner in its own right.

I use a rosewater toner once or twice a day after cleansing. It's the very gentlest of astringents, so it's perfect for sensitive skin. Rose is also known to be beneficial for mature skin. It's softening, soothing, and smells like heaven. You can see in the picture I also have a bottle of rosewater and glycerin, which is perfect if you have dry skin or live in a dry climate, since glycerin keeps some moisture in your skin. You can use it to refresh your face during the day if it's feeling dry, without messing up your makeup.

Avalon Organics Vitamin C Renewal Balancing Toner

Image found here.

A few months ago I had this weird urge to start trying out anti-aging products even though I don’t need them yet. I should probably take that as a sign that I’m reading too many beauty blogs. Anyway, I ended up giving most of the stuff away to my mom, but I kept this toner because I liked it a lot. I’m in my early 20s, so the most I really need to do is wear sunscreen regularly, but I this toner also helps with balancing the skin, and getting an even tone.

Some of you may be asking, “Do I need a toner? What do they actually do?” The answer is, for the most part, no. Toners were originally created to balance the pH of the skin after using a harsh soap on the face, back when actual soaps were used. Now that we have gentle, non-soap cleansers, there isn’t a huge need for them. But, a well-formulated toner can be a nice addition to your skin care routine, especially if it contains vitamins and antioxidants.

The Avalon Organics Vitamin C Renewal Balancing Toner works like this, according to the bottle,

OBSESSED: SheaMoisture

My SheaMoisture collection

If you’re a curly girl, you probably already know about SheaMoisture, a brand of all natural hair care sold in drugstores like Target and Walgreens. For the rest of you, I have to say, I’m OBSESSED. I’m Latina and  I have thick, wavy hair that’s pretty manageable, but does get dry and frizzy if I don’t take care of it. And I feel like I’ve found my holy grail of hair care products in Shea Moisture.

Their line of hair care products is targeted towards ethnic hair, natural hair, curly girls--which I am not--but the ingredients are so wonderful I had to try them out. Their products are sustainably produced, ethically traded, natural, don’t contain any icky chemicals or preservatives, and they really work. They also have bath and body collections, skin care, baby care, and more. If you’re into natural skin and hair care, you’ll recognize a lot of the ingredients and just how great they are. And, did I mention every bottle runs for $10 at Target? Seriously. 

There are different ranges of products for different hair types, separated by differently colored labels. The yellow label products are made with raw shea butter and are aimed at repairing dry, damaged hair. The black label products are made with African black soap, for dry, itchy scalp. The pink label is made for thick, curly hair, and contains coconut and hibiscus. And the green label, made with organic yucca and baobob, is for fine, thin hair. There are styling products to go with each collection, as well as bath and body products, like lotions and bodywashes. They also seem to have expanded recently: they have baby and kids’ lines, a new hair color system, and a new women’s shave and waxing collection, among others.  

I want to try everything! I have yet to try anything other than their hair care products, but I’ll walk you through the stuff I have purchased and love.

Honey for Blemishes

I talked about washing your face with honey in the last post, but I didn't get into my favorite aspect of honey on your face. It is fantastic on blemishes!

We all know that picking at your zits is bad, and yet we all find ourselves doing it anyway. The next time you find yourself going at your face (and let’s be honest, feeling pretty guilty), put a little honey on it! I find that if I dab some honey on right after, it speeds up the healing time of my blemishes, prevents scabbing and scarring, and helps my skin to heal better. The best part is that because it heals much more flat and less scabby, I can easily cover up with makeup. I’m sure you've experienced how annoying it is trying to cover a dry, scabby spot.

This trick works as a spot treatment on any kind of pimple, and is seriously effective, even on the ones you haven’t stupidly tried to pop. It’s best to use at night, since the honey will leave your skin sticky. You can cover the spot with a band-aid or leave it bare—I usually don’t bother to cover it and that works just fine. I've also let it dry a bit and then put some foundation or concealer over it, and that works,too.

This is one of my favorite spot treatments, so try it out and let me know what you think! 

Honey on Your Face

We Pore Girls are big fans of Crunchy Betty, and one of the best things I’ve gotten out of her blog is washing my face with honey. Really? You might ask. Honey?

YES. Honey is an amazing and gentle face wash for any skin type. It is healing, slightly drying to get rid of excess oil, but also moisturizing since it's a humectant (meaning it draws moisture from the air into your skin). It is also naturally antibacterial and great for combating blemishes. And it rinses away completely with a little lukewarm water. Basically, it’s kind of magical. I like to use it in the morning to wash my face, since it doesn’t wash away makeup. But if your face is bare, you can use it whenever you like—remember it’s generally best not to wash your face more than twice a day.

If you decide to give honey on your face a go, try to find raw and organic honey, preferably from a local source. You can use more conventional honey of course, but processing tends to get rid of some of its beneficial and antibacterial properties. And if you use an unstrained kind with little fragments in it, it will also add some exfoliating action to your skin. The honey in the photo is in a glass jar but I just pour some out into a squeeze tube for easier access.

I have oily combination skin and honey leaves my face feeling clean but not tight, soft, and glowy. It’s ideal for any skin type, and is especially great for sensitive and acne-prone skin since it is so gentle.  Just rub a quarter-size drop into your face (dry or slightly damp) and rinse away. It can also be left on for 5-10 minutes as a mask. And chances are you already have some in your pantry, so do yourself a favor and put some honey on your face!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin