MY (NEARLY) ALL NATURAL SKINCARE ROUTINE

Hi guys!!!

Today’s blog post is slightly different from the norm but variety is the spice of life! About a year ago, I started progressing towards using more natural products on my skin in a bid to make my skin healthier. I was suffering from dull skin, skin discolouration and dry skin. Now, my skin is the healthiest it’s ever been. Over the past year, my skin routine has changed drastically but I think I’ve found a happy medium! Here we go…this is gonna be a long one!!

Cleanser
First thing I do to my skin, morning and night, is cleanse it and I use the tried and trusted AFRICAN BLACK SOAP!! This is soooo good for clearing up acne scars as well. It really made my skin so soft, clean and smooth. And it’s good value for money because you can use it all over your body – which I do. I just use this with my Clinique Sonic System Cleansing Brush (from my 2015 Hair & Beauty Favourites post).

You obviously don’t have to use this brand but this one is good!

Exfoliator
My exfoliator is the amazing St Ives Apricot Scrub. I’ve been using this scrub for yearssssss and I love it – it’s never given me issues. It is harsh enough to exfoliate my face properly but mild enough not to cause irritation. I don’t use this everyday, only like every 3 days or so. My face always looks smooth and shiny after using it.

Toner
For my toner, I use one of two things: aloe vera gel or apple cider vinegar mixed with water. Both ‘toners’ have really improved my skin. I’ve never had terrible acne but I do break out sometimes and these two toners help to fade the acne scars. My skin is left feeling smooth, clean and healthy. Again, I use this morning and night. And don’t worry, the smell of the apple cider vinegar doesn’t linger so you won’t walk around smelling like vinegar all day!

I’ve mixed equal parts apple cider vinegar and distilled water in the little bottle

Moisturiser
Now, not everyone is gonna like this one but for moisture, I use almond oil or raw shea butter when my skin is still slightly damp from the toner. I use them because they are low on the comedogenic scale. The comedogenic scale measures how likely a product is to clog your pores and cause breakouts – you NEED to have a look at it! These two products are the bomb.com *cries tears of joy*. They have both seriously improved my skin. I tend to use the almond oil in the morning and the heavier shea butter at night. You do have to be a bit careful if you plan to wear liquid foundation because your skin may be too oily for the foundation so you should either use a different moisturiser or wait until the oil has fully soaked in. I wear powder most of the time so I don’t really have that issue. But for the days I want a bit of coverage but I don’t want to wear too much make up, I use the NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser in Cuba (Medium 3). It also has SPF 30 #winning.

Make up remover
In terms of removing make up, I use one of two things – one is a natural way to remove make up, the other isn’t. So the natural one involves using oil, usually almond oil for me. I rub a dime-sized amount of oil all over my DRY face and gently rub in a circular motion, particularly around my eyes to get rid of stubborn eye make up. I then get a clean flannel or towel and soak it in warm/hot water, wring it out and place it on my face for about 10 seconds. I then wipe off all the oil and wash my face as usual. Otherwise, I just use my Simple Kind To Skin Radiance Brightening Wipes.

Face masks
To be honest, I hardly do moisturising face masks because of all the other moisturising things I put on my face. But I do a cleansing one like once a month (well I try to!!). I basically mix bentonite clay (I use Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay) with apple cider vinegar into a thick paste (you can add a little aloe vera juice for some moisture). I apply it to a clean, dry face and leave it for about 15 minutes. It will get hard and start to tingle so I wash it off with warm water. I then add a thick moisturiser like shea butter afterwards.

Sunscreen
For years, I never bothered with sunscreen on my face but I was so wrong – sunscreen is SO important! I use Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen: Broad Spectrum SPF 55. The sun is extremely damaging to your skin, ageing it, discolouring it and potentially burning it. Be sure to use a sunscreen with a high enough SPF to protect you from the sun wherever you are. For example, the sun in Lagos is blazingggg hot so I usually use SPF 50.

Diet
Diet is SO important for healthy, clear skin. If you’re eating McDonalds daily, your skin probably isn’t in its best state. Drink LOTS of water and eat your fruits and veggies, kids!! One thing that has helped my skin is that I start my day with green tea or hot water with lemon and honey – both drinks are excellent for skin health!

Enjoying my kale juice *yum*

There we go, friends!! It’s a long one but I hope you find it helpful! Let me know how it goesssss!

Comment below or email me with any questions! Follow on Instagram and Twitter! Like on Facebook and add me on Snapchat! Share on social media!

Tara xXx