More Than Just Hair

Flattering picture, right? Yeah, I know. *lol* At least once a week this is how you’ll find me… underneath layers of dried English clay, getting my exfoliation and tone on. Of course, this is the third step in a five step process (cleanse, scrub, exfoliate, tone, hydrate), but it’s the easiest to capture in Webcam self portraits. *lol*

I’ve been big on facials for year, but the process has taken more importance since my transition to natural commenced. It seems only right to me that since there will be focus on my hair while I’m taking this journey, the next closest area should be tight and right as well. So right along with my hair regimen, I follow a somewhat strict daily and bi-weekly face routine that keeps my skin in it’s “younger than 34″ looking shape, using the following products:

Once a week, usually on a Sunday, I break out what I call “the heavy artillery” to give my face a good once over using (from right to left):

Cleanse & Scrub - Queen Helene’s Oatmeal ‘n Honey Scrub: The honey granules exfoliate the yucky dead cells, the oatmeal paste soothes and gently cleanses the dermis beneath.

Tone & Condition - Queen Helene’s Mud Masque: Cleans those pores, tightens that newly squeaky clean skin of the face and neck, promotes much welcome blood flow, and relaxes those tired muscles.

Tone & Deep Clean - Family Dollar’s Deep Cleansing Astringent (comparable to Sea Breeze): Constricts the pores and removes the last traces of the masque.

Hydrate & Moisturize - Family Dollar’s Fluid of Beauty (obvious Oil of Olay knock-off): Counteracts the drying effects of the astringent.

As you can see, I take the least expensive route when it comes to my body care items. I used to swear by St. Ives’ Apricot Scrub and Oil of Olay’s Age Defying Daily Cleanser, but when my budget became so tight that copper plated Lincoln was screaming for mercy, I had to stop being such a “brand-whore” and go with the less pricey alternatives. Quite honestly, Queen Helene’s brand of products work just as good, if not better, than the “leading brands”, without me having to sell my soul to keep my supply stocked.

NOTE: And it doesn’t just stop with the skin/face care line. Check out the hair care, footherapy, and batherapy lines as well!

I only use this regimen once a week because my face doesn’t need as intense a cleaning daily. For daily purposes, I rely on these gems:

Cleanse - April Bath & Shower Facial Wash (enriched with Vitamin E and Apricot extract): A gel based cleaners that gently foams away surface dirt

Exfoliate - April Bath & Shower Scrub (enriched with Vitamin E and Green Tea Extract): A cream based scrub with mild granules to cleanse away the dead layer of skin.

Followed up with my astringent and moisturizer, of course.

I procured these items at the local Dollar Tree and have been using them for about a month now. So far they do a good job for daily facial maintenance, and I have no complaints… although several ingredients in both are on the list of ingredients to avoid in hcb products. *shrug* What can I say, I’m a rebel. *lol*

NOTE: For the nature conscious, just about every product I have named contains one or more ingredient from that list, and while I am hyper-vigilant about the associated risks of what I put in and on my body (not counting my nasty cigarette habit *lol*), I so far have had no adverse effects internally or externally. Essentially, the risks so often touted by naturalists are relatively low… unless, of course, you have a proven allergy to the listed ingredients. Then all bets are off.

In addition to these routines, I try to drink at least 32 oz of water a day in order to keep my body hydrated, which in turn is good for keeping the skin hydrated.

As with my hair care products, I do not exclusively recommend any of the listed products (with maybe the exception of Queen Helene, cause they rock *lol*). I’m just showing what works for my skin. In the realm of cost, all the products I use range anywhere from $2.50 and under, making them affordable for any budget.

If commercialized products aren’t your thing, and you’re shaken by the whole “risky ingredient’ business, there are skin care recipes available via the Internet which work just as good, and utilize items you may already have laying around the house (you can find a couple of links to recipe sites in the Journey Resources section).

Whichever route you choose to go, keep in mind that maintaining a routine for daily facial cleansing is as important as your hair care system, using the products that work well for you.

If you have a daily or weekly routine you adhere to, I’d love to hear about it, as well as the products you use and would recommend.

Blessed Be…

Idadi