If you were thinking that you’re doing everything by the book when it comes to your skin, think twice. It seems that are many things that damage our skin and without us even knowing it.
It’s not enough to always wash your makeup off before you go to sleep, nor to wear sunscreen or pick your face.
There are more than 2 or 3 habits that may ruin your skin and we’re not talking about the obvious ones. Scroll down to find out some of the most common things and be prepared to be surprised, to say the least. Some may hurt also, so stay put.
We’re not saying to give up coffee (who would be able to do that anyway?), we’re just letting you know that coffee may dehydrate your body and strip of skin cells from getting enough moisture. The same thing applies for the alcohol and too many shots on a Friday night may give not only a terrible headache, but also swelling, puffiness of your eyelids overnight.
Long story short? If you’re not going to give them up altogether, it’s better to at least avoid or bring it down a notch when it comes to coffee and alcohol. As long as you want your skin around the eyes to look young and fresh for a longer time.
This one is a bit tricky as many professional out there recommend us to sleep on a side (with all the pillows that we may need), for better comfort for our spine, shoulders, neck and back. However, from the “skin’s” point of view, you don’t want to press your skin into your sheets or pillowcase, no matter how fluffy or soft they are. You don’t want to create any more permanent lines on your face, right?
Therefore, the best position when it comes to your skin is to sleep on your back. You protect your skin like this and minimize the risk for wrinkles as well. Get a C-shaped pillow to give your neck some stability and use all the pillows that you need on both sides so you don’t change your sleep position throughout the night.
Bonus tip! Try to switch from your cotton pillowcase to something softer. Friction on the rather harsh cotton fibers increases the risk for permanent creases as collagen fibers break down and the skin ages. Keep also in mind to change pillowcases every single week so you get rid of the bacteria and dead skin cells. They are the main reason for breakouts, remember?
We all know that various facial movements may cause wrinkles, especially if you do it over and over again. It’s not a good idea to remain static for too long either.
If your job is to spend many hours at your computer (or any other electronic device), may cause the appearance of permanent frown lines between the squinting line at the corners of your eyes and your brows.
What to do? It wouldn’t be such a bad idea to check your vision from time to time. You may need vision correction with glasses or contact lenses so you don’t squint or strain your eyes that much anymore.
Ok, maybe this one is a bit more obvious than the others are, but some may need explanation also.
When you’re having some fries and burgers, all the grease may reflect on your skin also. We are what we eat, remember?
If you’re a big fan of the fast food, you may want to cut back a bit. Try to stay away from the greasy foods and get more from foods that are high in antioxidants (blueberries, tomatoes, anything with leafy greens).
And now that we’re on it, stay away from too much sugar also. carbohydrates are a great fuel for bacteria, causing spikes of insulin release, which turns into inflammation. Therefore, you do end up with some skin-related side effects like accelerate aging of the skin or premature aging of the skin. You may notice more wrinkles, loss of the elasticity of your skin or collagen breakdown.
The remedy? We’re not repeating ourselves, but get more antioxidant-rich foods into your diet so you may reverse oxidative damage to your skin and help your skin remain young, clear and healthy.
When was the last time you cleaned up your cellphone and your sunglasses? This may come as a shock to you, but cleaning on regular basics your cellphone and sunglasses keeps bacteria away from your skin. There’s a lot of oil and germs on the “phone zone” from the temple to your chin. In addition, oil and germs do cause irritation and breakouts.
So do your skin a favor and use disinfectant wipes to clean your glasses and cell phone. It’s not a bad idea to exfoliate your skin from time to time to balance out the oils a bit. Wanna go the extra mile? Keep the phone away from your skin as much as you can and start using some ear buds.
Deciding to straighten your curls isn’t just a matter of style, but it also has its benefits for your time and schedule. After all, it’s way easier to style and put your hair in a ponytail than trying to fix your stubborn curls when in a hurry for work.
Even though some may say that in order for a texturizer to actually work on your hair it has to contain some form of chemical ingredients, it’s not quite impossible to find healthier choices that also include natural ingredients that aren’t that harmful for your hair.
For the black hair is quite a challenge though to get a texturizer that actually works. It has to have a chemical formula that is powerful enough to straighten your natural curly, kinky or coily hair.
A texturizer sits in the middle as it sustains your curly hair, but also breaks down the natural curl pattern.
Whether it’s a texturizer or a relaxer, you don’t want to leave it too much on your hair. You want the texturizer to loosen, soften your curls and not actually straighten your hair (this is a job for a hair relaxer).
Going through the basics
No matter how long the list of natural ingredients of your texturizer is, it’s still a hair product that has to include sodium or calcium hydroxide in order to work. There’s no such thing as a non-chemical texturizer (not that we know of, anyway).
Some say that a texturizer isn’t as damaging as a relaxer, but that’s not necessarily true. Even though a texturizer leaves the nice appearance of your curls, this doesn’t make it any less harmful. It’s all related to the time you leave it on your hair. A texturizer gets results in 10 minutes (typically), whereas a relaxer needs more than that (up to 20 minutes).
Therefore, if you skip the time and leave the texturizer for more than 10 minutes, you end up with a damaged, over processed hair. In addition, this is just as bad as you would use a relaxer more than you should.
If you want straight hair, always go for a relaxer. If you only want to put your curls under a bit of control, don’t hesitate to use a texturizer.
Don’t forget also that, even though you may feel your hair nicely textured and wavy, from the second you applied the texturizer, there’s nothing natural on your hair anymore. It’s only the appearance that is natural, but not that texture.
Sure enough, we’re not talking about a complete transformation like in the case of a relaxer. The treatment is permanent in that case and your hair loses its natural state for good. You only go back by growing it out or cutting it.
To use or not to use a texturizer on black hair
There are many reasons for using a texturizer, and loosen your curl pattern may be the most important one. It’s easier for you to handle and style your curls afterwards, especially if your curls are quite kinky.
We like using the texturizer, as it doesn’t completely change the texture of hair, nor the volume of hair. Not like a relaxer does, anyway.
It’s also easy to take care of a texturized hair: you just wash and go. If you’re the “proud owner” of some 4C curls, this is a great win already. Even more, you may style your recently texturized hair in so many ways. You can style it as you did with your natural hair, but it doesn’t take you that long anymore and it’s not that difficult anymore either.
Texturizing your hair minimizes also the risk for shrinkage when in contact with water, which is a typical problem for the afro-textured hair.
As for the reasons for which you shouldn’t use a texturizer, we should start with the big warning: a texturizer isn’t natural so it’s not a choice for anyone going green all the way.
A texturizer has permanent results on your natural hair so you can’t go back unless you grow it out or cut it. keep in mind that a texturizer also weakens your hair so if your hair is very fine, you may want to give it a second thought.
From what we’ve seen, the texturizer works better on shorter, and not on longer hair. The appearance is more even for shorter curls as longer ones don’t turn out as well.
How you apply, the texturizer is essential and there’s always the risk of ending up with uneven hair with some parts straight, other more loosened. Either you go to a hair stylist or take small steps; you do need experience to get the best results.
The conclusion
As it’s a chemical treatment that breaks down some of the protein of your hair, it’s essential to keep your strands strong after using a texturizer.
Get a texturizer that helps your hair keep moisture and always apply right the texturizer.
A texturizer works only on the curls you have and doesn’t give you curls if you have wavy or straight hair naturally.
Take time and check the market, as there are so many great options for the black hair out there. You just need to check with your hair stylist and get together to the best option for you.
Let’s not go around the bush and put it out there: even though everybody seems to be thrilled these days about the makeup free appearance, we all like to use it just a little bit, every now and then, for a bit more confidence or something like that.
Thank God, we’re not in the era of lead-based makeup and we do have so much healthier options to use for our makeup.
The more you know about our planet, the more we get to use from it and enjoy all the healthy choice that it gives us.
Get your mind around this fact: your skin absorbs up to 60% of the products you apply to so it’s a bit concerning when you realize that most of the products are synthetic, processed and containing lots of preservatives, toxins and other chemicals. So, if you care about what you’re eating, why not care for your makeup products just as well?
Sure, we do all know the skeptical that wonder about the efficiency of the vegan products and worry about the higher prices. There’s no point into getting into that. Simply scroll down to get the better view though.
Why use vegan makeup?
There are many reasons for us to like the vegan makeup and if you’re reading this, it means you’re already thinking about letting go the traditional type.
Vegan beauty products don’t include any animal ingredients, animal by-products nor animal-derived products.
It’s ordinary for the beauty products to include some animal ingredients (beeswax, lanolin, carmine, uric acid from cows). Note to self: lanoline is the grease from sheep’s wool, whereas carmine is a red color from crushed cochineal insects. Without the animal ingredients, vegan products aren’t that harmful for your skin, especially if you’re the sensitive or condition-prone type of skin. Keep in mind that animal ingredients may clog your pores and be harsh on your skin, which is why vegan products are a softer option.
The plant-derived ingredients from many vegan beauty products include more vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that are strong enough to repair and hydrate your skin. Aren’t you feeling a lot healthier when eating foods in their natural state? Well, the same principle applies here. It’s only a matter of time until you get to notice how your skin thrives off being fed natural, vegan ingredients.
The list of natural ingredients is impressive and it includes: vitamin A, C and E, natural oils (coconut, rosehip, argan), hemp seed extracts, algae, soybean extracts, and so many other ingredients. All of them are a healthier option and even more effective since they’re closer to their natural state.
Keep in mind that “natural” and “organic” isn’t the same thing and doesn’t make a beauty product vegan either.
As the beauty, products are absorbed directly by the skin, straight into your blood stream, you may realize on you own how this becomes a problem in time when using non-vegan beauty products. It’s only a matter of time until the absorption of the non-vegan ingredients brings out the negative side effects.
This is why your body is going to appreciate a lot more vegan makeup as it’s not that harmful for the skin even after long time use.
Gone are the days when the vegan products were expensive. Veganism has become very popular in time and in beauty department as well and you may find good products for very good prices. You may even may be surprised to find them cheaper than the high-end makeup products. There are plenty of options 100% vegan out there with some wallet-friendly prices as well.
You don’t have to worry about a thick layer covering your face, adding the feel of extra weight when using a vegan makeup. Minerals are small particles that adhere nice and easy to your skin. The makeup doesn’t melt anymore and you even forget about it, that’s how lightweight it feels. A vegan makeup doesn’t settle into your wrinkles either so you look younger when wearing one J
We also like the vegan makeup because it doesn’t dry your skin as if a common makeup would do. It doesn’t clog your pores and all the synthetic ingredients from conventional makeup are non-existing in a vegan makeup product.
This doesn’t make the vegan products less resistant and they still don’t allow bacteria to grow, presenting a pretty long shelf life.
The fair conclusion
There are many reasons for you to go vegan, apart from the cruelty issues or other moral matters. As long as you care about your body and what you’re eating, why not care about it all the way and what you put on it?
The hair trends of 2017. Hear Justine out on what’s hottest right now.
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