It's My Skin Care Hacks, Honey!

Hi, my honeys! Let's face it, keeping up with a regular skincare routine takes work and dedication. A lot of times I feel like "Ain't nobody got time for that," and so I decided to find some shortcuts and hacks for healthy skin. Nope, I'm not a dermatologist, but these are some things that have worked for me. By the way, the best thing you can do for your skin is to regularly see a dermatologist or aesthetician, so you can fully understand your skin needs and receive great recommendations on products and prescriptions if needed. Here are a few ways to achieve healthy, clear skin.

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Hack #1: MAKEUP WIPES

We've all been there. It's 11pm on a weekend, and you just went out for a night out with friends or a date with the hubs. You barely make it to bed, completely exhausted, and you FALL ASLEEP WITH YOUR MAKEUP ON! Brutal. Every dermatologist, every aesthetician, everyone will tell you it's the cardinal sin for skincare to sleep with your makeup on, but you're so tired and the bathroom seems like a million miles away. Enter makeup wipes to save the day like another comic book movie sequel! Sure, I can't fathom walking to my bathroom, putting soap on a washcloth, and washing my face. However, I'm fully capable of reaching over to my nightstand, grabbing a couple makeup wipes, and taking off the day. I have been using the little blue makeup wipe packs from Neutrogena, and my skin has been clearer than ever...probably because I'm not sleeping in my makeup three or four nights a week haha! What I also love about these wipes is they add moisture back to the skin, so you're not just completely stripping your skin. Put these packs on your nightstand in a cute, decorate box, and no one will ever no how truly lazy you are. You're welcome! LOL!

Hack #2: BULK WASHCLOTHS

Who in the heck wants to do laundry every dang day just to keep their face washcloths clean? Not this girl! When I wash my face in the morning, I try to use a clean one every time. In fact, I will only use a washcloth twice on my face, once on each side, before tossing it into laundry basket. You'd think I'd have to do laundry multiple times a week, but nope, I buy washcloths in bulk, so I don't run out of clean ones as often. These are small enough I can wash them all at once and not even take up a full load of laundry. Here's the bulk pack I have from Amazon, and when any of the washcloths get super stained beyond repair or start fraying, I just buy more. It's also great if you have guests stay at your house; my parents are always thrilled with my large supply of clean washcloths in the bathroom when they stay with us.

Hack #3: CASTOR OIL

Y'all have seen the before and after photos on Instagram of popular high end cosmetics companies' lash and eyebrow growth serum advertisements. But, did you know you can actually grow out your brows and eyelashes naturally in the comfort of your own home for cheap? Yep, castor oil is your new best friend for achieving fuller brows and longer, thicker lashes. You can buy a cheap bottle on Amazon, and all you need to do is apply a light coat of the oil with a wand to your brows and lashes nightly before bed. After a few short weeks, you'll start noticing a difference; I like to keep this oil and spare wands on my night stand with my makeup wipes to encourage me to do this every night at bedtime!

Hack #4: OVERNIGHT MASK

I love a mask I don't have to wash off. Applying an overnight skincare mask will not only improve your skin while you sleep, it also acts a barrier to dirt, oil, or bacteria that might be on your pillowcase. I really like this Watermelon Glow sleeping mask, which adds lots of moisture while I sleep. I wake up the next day with glowing skin! Amen!

Hack #5: CLEAN PILLOWCASE

It might seem obvious, but I'm including this hack for good measure. You can't expect to wake up with clean skin and hair if your pillowcase is dirty, right? I make sure to keep extra pillowcases on hand just like I do with clean washcloths. Making sure your skin is clean before laying down at night helps to keep your pillowcase clean longer, and putting your hair in some sort of sleeping cap will keep it cleaner for longer as well. Ideally, swap out your pillowcase for a fresh one every week, if not more often. Switch sides of the pillow you sleep on as well to extend the life of your clean pillowcase. Here are the pillowcases I keep on hand. You can also try sleeping on your back as well, so as to avoid pillowcase contact altogether.

Hack #6: DIY FACIAL PEEL

Exfoliate your skin with a homemade skin peel that's super simple and includes ingredients you probably already have on hand! Mix two teaspoons of baking soda with one teaspoon of water, and squeeze in a dash of lemon juice. Apply it to your face and let it dry for five minutes before rinsing with cool water. You'll notice a glow to your skin just a few minutes after your skin is dry! Cheap, easy, natural--AMEN!

Hack #7: DETOXIFY FROM WITHIN

It's no secret that what you put in your body directly effects your outward appearance. I think it's easy to forget, though, that we need to fuel our body with antioxidant rich foods to achieve clearer, glowing skin. Drink hot water with lemon in the morning, eat lots of antioxidant rich foods like berries, kale, spinach, and even dark chocolate. It's not something you'll notice overnight, but over time you'll see an improvement in your skin if you're eating a well balanced, healthy diet with those antioxidant rich foods.

Hack #8: CORTISONE INJECTION

I mentioned at the start of this article that seeing a dermatologist regularly will give you the best chance at great skin! One thing I learned from my dermatologist that I didn't know existed was a cortisone injection on a cystic pimple. If you have a sizable pimple that has formed beneath the skin and doesn't seem like it will surface or heal quickly, you can have it injected with a steroid solution. This will typically clear up the pimple in just a few short days, and the only potential negative side effect is a dimpling effect near the injection site. You can talk to your dermatologist more about the risks, but I have only had the dimpling effect happen one time, and over time my skin healed in the area, filling it back in making it look completely normal now. If you have a big event coming up and you're mortified by a big honker of a pimple on your face, this is a great solution! Just know it takes a couple days for the pimple to go down in size, to book your appointment accordingly. I can also assure you that the needle is small, and the pain is totally tolerable--I'm a big baby when it comes to needles, and I've done this multiple times now with no problem. Warm compresses also help to reduce inflammation of a cystic pimple, so try a warm (not super hot) compress after the injection to speed up the healing process.

Hack #9: GET REGULAR FACIALS

I feel like this one seems fairly obvious as well, but it is very beneficial to see an aesthetician at least during season changes. Weather really impacts our skin more than you think, and getting a really good facial quarterly or monthly will definitely get your skin going in the right direction. They can also do extractions to unclog those pores, so a major pimple doesn't form! Always make sure to schedule your facials a week or longer before a big event, though, because you could see a few pimples come to the surface after a facial. I try not to wear makeup for a couple days after a facial because I want to keep give my skin a break! If you live in the Cleveland, Ohio area, I see Moira at Charles Scott Salon & Spas' Rocky River location for my regular facials, and I adore her! I'd highly recommend her!

Hack #10: CLEAN MAKEUP BRUSHES

My professional makeup artist bestie Maggie Kleinman from MKleinmanArtistry has an amazing post I highly suggest your read about cleaning your makeup brushes. She offers up great advice on how to clean your makeup brushes, the importance of keeping them clean, and what products to use on them. It's so important to regularly clean your makeup brushes and throw out expired or old cosmetics to maintain clear, healthy skin. I even try to use liquid foundation that pumps out instead of using cream foundation or any type of applicator to avoid the spread of bacteria. The same goes for your skincare products. Buy an applicator brush or scoop for your moisturizers and masks, so you're not sticking your finger into the jar every time and potentially adding bacteria into the jar.