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,

Lush Skincare

The other day I got a question about the Lush skincare products I use.  Currently in my routine I use Fresh farmacy cleanser, Grease Lightning spot treatment, and Tea Tree Water and Breath of Fresh Air toners. 

Fresh Farmacy is a bar they sell by weight, like their soaps.  It's pink and has a light lavender scent.  Its goal is to calm problematic skin with ingredients that include calamine powder, chamomile, lavender, and tea tree oil.  With my skin type, that sounds like a gold mine!  After you wash your face with this bar, it leaves that tight squeaky feeling which some people don't like, but I'm a fan because it feels clean! This is a harsh cleanser, so use with caution.  I find that Fresh Farmacy helps me with breakouts and eczema symptoms. It works slowly and you don't see changes over night, but then one day you wake up and you feel your soft face and see a glow. I think price wise it's really great because it lasts forever as long as you cut it up in pieces and only use a small piece at a time, and keep it dry when storing it (like any other solid Lush product).  I recommend to definitely ask a Lush employee for a sample before committing to buying a full bar since this product is such a hit or miss for people. 

Philosophy's Purity Made Simple

For years, the only products I used on my face were (1) Philosophy’s Purity Made Simple, (2) St. Ives Apricot Scrub,and  (3) a Neutrogena moisturizer. I’ve since moved on to hate that scrub, and I’ve started using oils as moisturizer, but Purity is still my favorite cleanser.

Image from Sephora's website

Lots of people rave about Purity because it’s so gentle, but it really gets the job done. According to Philosophy’s website, it is formulated “to gently cleanse, tone, and melt away all face and eye makeup in one simple step, while lightly hydrating the skin.”  It has a creamy texture and a light, herbal scent. It doesn’t lather, but just a pea-sized amount can get my face clean. It removes all my makeup, except waterproof mascara. I sometimes double cleanse when I’m wearing a lot on my face, and it still doesn’t dry me out too much (though keep in mind I do have combination to oily skin). Either way, this cleanser is meant to work for any skin type, even very sensitive skins.

Breaking Down Skincare Routines

It gets really confusing trying to figure out how many products you’re actually supposed to use on your face. Is toner really that important? Do I really need an eye cream? And what’s the deal with all these serums?

In general, a skincare routine--albeit a very involved skincare routine--looks something like this:

• Cleanser
• Toner
• Serum
• Moisturizer
• Spot Treatment

You can also add in:

• Sunblock (important!)
• Makeup remover
• Eye Cream
• Exfoliators
• Night Cream
• Masks
• More serums

Ok, but are all of these steps necessary? Nope, not really. The bare minimum is cleanser and moisturizer. The other products are just extra boosts for your skin.


What you should do is this:

Nighttime Skincare Routine

Skincare is kind of a big deal for us Pore Girls.  It makes up about 50% of our conversations on gchat.  We spend a lot of time reading about ingredients and sending each other articles.  The following is the routine I've been using for about 4 months.  It's been working for me in that I don't have crazy break outs but I actually wouldn't call it my holy grail. 

First, my skin type:

• Acne-prone. This past year has been a hell of cystic acne that I have never had before. They are turning into dark spots and scars because I pick at them (don't pick!).

• Combination leaning mostly towards oily. I have dry peeling patches around my big blemishes.

• I also get eczema/roscea type of stuff around my lips and eye creases.

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!

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Skin 101: How Your Skin Works

 So, before I get into what you can do for your skin, I want to give you a quick run-down of how your skin actually works.  Knowing how it works, and what skin type you have, is essential in figuring out what your skin needs.

When your pores work correctly, they allow just enough sebum (your skin’s natural oil) through to spread across your face and lubricate your skin, acting as a barrier to seal in moisture and keep it healthy. This happens for those lucky people with normal skin and small, even pores.

There are two main reasons that this can go wrong: over-production of sebum, and rapid shedding of dead skin cells. When your skin cells shed too rapidly, they can get clogged in your pores instead of getting pushed out as they should. Some people with very oily skin actually produce sebum that is extra sticky. (Hormones have a big role in causing oily skin.) When these two problems combine, the dead skin cells mix with oil and dirt to create a sebum plug, which is what causes clogged pores, also known as comedones.

When a comedone has an opening exposed to air, it oxidizes and turns black—that’s a blackhead! When the comedone stays under the skin with no opening, it’s a whitehead. And when a comedone becomes infected and inflamed, it becomes a pimple. Cystic acne happens a bit differently and is more difficult to treat. The oil-producing glands actually rupture deep under the skin and cause major inflammation and infection. Each of these types of acne and blemishes require different treatments, which I’ll cover in future posts.

There’s nothing you can do to change the skin you’re born with, it’s mostly up to genetics whether you are normal, dry, oily, combination, acne-prone, or sensitive. And you can be pretty much any combination of those!  But there are some things you can do to help your skin stay healthy and clear, especially once you’ve targeted your specific skin concerns. Believe me, it took some serious trial-and-error to figure out what my skin needs, and I’m still learning!

So, now you know the basics. I’ll be doing some more in-depth posts on each skin type, some of my favorite products, and how to give any skin a healthy glow.