Thursday, June 2, 2011

At Home Pampering

I have always used sunscreen, taken care of my skin, and stayed out of the sun but it was because I'm so very pale, not out of any desire to keep young and healthy looking. In fact, I was never much of a girly girl. In my somewhat recent turn toward the feminine, I've taken an interest in my poor skin. I found a product I love, Skin Genesis from L'Oreal but it's not the cheapest way to care for my skin nor the most natural. Which, if you know me, you know is fairly hi on my list of pluses.
I used to have gorgeous skin, never had blemishes and at a glance I didn't even have pores, lol. Once I stopped working out every day, I started getting spots at certain times of the month, then I gained weight and my skin got oily and my pores enlarged. The next hit was pregnancies, 3 of them. I had bald patches, serious skin issues, and dark brown spots.
This was the time I used a sample of Skin Genesis and fell in love, but it didn't solve everything. I'm 30 and starting to notice dark circles and AGE SPOTS. SERIOUSLY? Age spots?
In my ongoing quest for something to make me look less like my mother (no offense mom, you're lovely) I got interested in a chemical peel. I'm still interested in getting it professionally done but the cost and time involved will make it a special occasion to save for so in the meantime I have been trying out recipes for at-home care. I LOVE this very simple peel recipe

1 Tbsp honey
1 500mg vitamin C, pulverized

Mix together and slather your face. Leave on for no more than 10 minutes, rinse with warm water and apply moisturiser.

Here's a helpful hint from me to you.... Don't use too much near your eyes. Why? Honey melts when warm and vitamin C and honey in your eye burns like the dickens.

It made my skin tone look more even and reduced the color of the dark spots and dark circles under my eyes after one application.
Tonight I made a gentle exfoliating face scrub recipe that I'll have a couple of uses from.

1 tbsp ground oatmeal (just put it in a blender or food processor)
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp plain yogurt

Mix the ingredients and apply to your face, scrubbing in small circles. Leave it on for a couple of minutes and then rinse off. just store the leftover in the fridge for next time you wash your face