Applying moisturiser could be damaging your skin...

Hello,

Now this is something I found quite interesting. I was talking to one of the Clarins ladies at the Boots store I work at and she was telling me all about the new Double Serum product that Clarins have released. Something I've heard is absolutely amazing by the way, and if her skin was anything to do by then yes it works! I know I have no evidence to show you, but this woman is 56 and I wouldn't put her a day over 40! So if that's anything to go by I certainly think I'll be investing in the Double Serum Complete Age Control Concentrate 30ml  £55 from Clarins, when I'm older!

But we was also discussing all skincare in general and I was telling her about the moisturizer I use. She was pleased to hear at 'such a young age' I have such a committed skincare regime. But to me I didn't think I was all that different to everyone else to be honest. I assumed everyone cleansed and moisturized their skin. But she said in 18-25 year olds only about 55% have a committed daily routine. Now this is something I found rather shocking to be truthful! If you're one of the (as I now know) millions of women out there, no matter what your age you must start a good skincare regime! Believe me you will be doing yourself the world of good!

Back to the chat I was having. As I said we was discussing moisturizers and she said at my age not to worry too much about the expensive brands and specialist formulas, as long as I'm putting on one that meets my skins needs then I'm okay. So that was one good thing for me, means I can save on the pennies  As a skint student that is something I tend to find of extreme importance! However, she did tell me I was doing something wrong in the way I applied my moisturizer. 

Need to keep youthful!
Can't be aging too soon!
If patting my skin is the answer,
then that is what I shall do! :D

At first I didn't know what she meant. Surely there is only one way you can apply moisturizer  I thought simply rubbing it on to your skin was all that you needed to do. Well how wrong I was! Did you know that this is actually the completely wrong thing to do as it can actually be having an adverse effect! Apparently by simply rubbing the moisturizer into your skin you could end up tugging on it and this will then in time eventually cause sagging and wrinkles! Something that a lot of women actually apply face creams to avoid! 

So what is the right way to apply them I hear you ask? I've been informed the best method is to get your cream and put it into the palm of your hand. Then rub them together to get them completely coated in them. Then gently pat your face. This will ensure that your skin is getting all the nourishment it needs and benefit fully from the moisturizer, without tugging on it and causing a damaging effect!

Well they say you learn something new everyday and I think that will be something I shall certainly be giving a go. How about you? 

Emily x

The secret spot cleaning secret every woman should know about…

Ahh! Nothing worse than waking up, looking in the mirror and seeing a load of horrible little blackheads surrounding your nose! Why does it happen? You think you've done everything right... cleansed, exfoliated, moisturised! So why, why will those little black spots just not disappear?!!

I feel your pain! I've been there myself on oh so many occasions! What seems to make it all the more frustrating is if like me you really do care for your skin and buy specific blackhead clearing products (well supposedly) as well! You think there would be something that works by now! 

Well at last I think, think I may have finally found a solution! Not saying it's going to clear you of blackheads for life or even get rid of every single one! But this certainly does help! I've been doing this for the past two weeks (yes even over Christmas and New Year) and I have noticed a difference! 

Okay so I did a lot of research on the internet, first just looking through endless amounts of websites for a product that might actually work! But found everybody was just recommending products I'd either already tried and found not to be all that or was recommending things that was just ridiculously out of my price range! I mean I'm sorry but to me £90 for a cleanser is a bit excessive! So I thought the next thing to do would be to look for what actually causes blackheads so that I could look for something to help stop the reason my blackheads are forming. Well here's what I found out...

Blackheads occur when our sebaceous glands (they're found on the surface of the skin) become blocked. These glands produce an oily substance called sebum, so when this mixes with dead skin cells  and oxygen in the air a blackhead appears! And most of you I bet like me thought it was just because of dirt and make-up clogging up our pores, without no real reason, then produced spots! (Although I'm sure not cleaning your skin properly doesn't help either!) Also unfortunately for us ladies, the sebaceous glands are majorly effected by our hormones! Just what we need. So any changes (particularly during our monthly cycle) can lead to an excess in the sebum our skin produces, hence more blackheads! 

So there you have it, I've found the reason we get those horrid little blackheads, but still no closer to finding a miracle, product to get rid of them. Or so I thought. When I really did sit and think about it I couldn't believe how obvious the solution had been all along. To really get rid of those nasty little spots once and for all its actually pretty easy and can be achieved just through a proper skin cleansing and removal method.

Firstly you need to make sure you cleanse your skin every night with a gentle cleanser, I repeat gentle cleanser. No intensive scrubs! You may be thinking why wouldn't I want to use one with a scrub in it? Surely that would be more effective? Well I found out that scrubbing your skin intensively can actually do more damage than good as the scrubs take away all oil from the face. Some oil is needed on the skin's surface to keep it supple and healthy so you take that away and you risk drying out your skin and taking away its youthful properties! I think that may be possibly even worse than the blackheads themselves! 

Next, to actually get rid of a blackhead I've found the best method to be to steam your face so that all your pores are open fully. the easiest way is to literally fill a bowl full of hot water and lean over it with a towel covering your head. This only has to be done for a few minutes and all your pres will be completely open. To really get full benefit try adding a drop of an essential oil such as eucalyptus which is known for being highly effective as a skin clearer due to its antibacterial properties. Or if you prefer add a drop of Lavender which will help to calm any irritated skin. 

Right so now, your skin should be feeling clean and refreshed and all your pores all wide open. So now is the perfect time to remove the blackhead completely. With clean hands, gently remove the blockage. Job done. But if it’s extremely stubborn and just doesn't want to shift do not by any means try and force it out as this could do more harm than good and possibly risk aggravating the skin which can even lead to horrid scars! Again something I think we'd all rather avoid!

So there you have it! the reason I've been going so wrong is because I've wasted too much time searching for that miracle product. The miracle product that doesn't really exist. Maybe because it’s not really needed! All you need is a good cleanser and some hot water! Who'd have thought it?

If any of you try this would be good to know how you get on.

Emily xx